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What do Employees
Least Like about their Jobs?
By Bruce
L. Katcher, Ph.D.
Vice President, Corporate Surveys
A division of Drake Inglesi Milardo, Inc.
This article
presents interpretations of selected results from our normative
database, a compilation of results from Employee Opinion Surveys
we have conducted for more than 50 organizations representing the
views of more than 50,000 employees.
1. Management
doesn't listen
Fewer than 1
in 3 employees believe that their organization's management acts
on their suggestions. They also feel that management does not involve
them in day-today decisions that affect them.
Recommendations:
- Manage by
walking around. The visibility of senior management can greatly
improve employee-management communication. It is important that
senior management spend time with employees at all levels in the
organization.
- Ask for suggestions.
Employee suggestions are often not used because management never
hears them. Employee surveys and frequent informal conversations
between senior management and workers can get employee suggestions
into the minds of the people who can do something about them.
- Complete
the feedback loop. When management DOES use employee suggestions,
they should make sure the employees know that their suggestions
were used.
2. The pay
is too low
The dollars
look greener in other organizations. Over 60 percent of employees
feel they are underpaid. Also, most feel that their pay is unrelated
to how well they perform their job.
Recommendations:
- Establish
a "pay Philosophy" and clearly communicate it to both
employees and prospective employees. The philosophy should state
whether your organization pays at, above, or below the prevailing
wage level. If you pay below, you should identify the other types
of rewards or benefits you DO provide such as scheduling flexibility,
stock options, better work life balance, superior training, or
the opportunity to contribute to a worthwhile cause.
- Develop improved
methods for linking pay to performance. This is especially important
for organizations that cannot pay at a high level. If employees
feel their specific contributions are recognized they will focus
less on their actual pay level.
3. Communication
is poor
Fewer than 1
in 3 employees feel that communication is good between different
departments. Also, most feel that information does not flow well
through the organizational hierarchy.
Recommendations:
- Enforce top-down
communication. Middle level managers often leave management meetings
with direct or implied instructions to communicate the results
of the meeting to their direct reports. However, this rarely happens.
Make sure that it does.
- Focus on
improvement. Interdepartmental communication can be improved through
a sample problem-solving exercise. Have all employees develop
a list (along with action plans) for what THEY can do to improve
communications with other departments.
- Senior management
can take more responsibility. Poor communication is often the
fault of senior management. For example, departments are given
competing goals, the appropriate communication equipment is not
provided, the work procedures between departments are unclear
or illogical, and department heads don't get along.
4. Good performance is not recognized
Over 60 percent
of employees are dissatisfied with the advancement opportunities
in their organizations. Indeed, most feel that the wrong people
are generally promoted. Also, the majority believes that poor performers
are tolerated.
Recommendations:
- Set realistic
expectations. Employers mistakenly lead employees to believe that
everyone will eventually be promoted. This practice should be
avoided, since it is simply not true.
- Move employees
around. Employees often become bored with their jobs. Move employees
around so that they can experience more variety on their jobs.
- Avoid using
pseudo-promotions. Avoid promotions in which the employee's title
changes but their responsibilities don't.
- Eliminate
dead wood. Failing to discipline or remove ineffective performers
sends the wrong message to all employees. It makes it clear that
neither effective nor ineffective performance is recognized.
- We are very
interested in your comments about this article. Reply with any
comments to scox@dimihr.com.
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