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Leaders sometimes ignore employee complaints. ... but ignoring them doesn't make them go away!
Leaders think that one complaint doesn’t mean much, but when nothing is done regarding their concerns employees often quit the organization or become less engaged (which I call “quit & stay”).
According to HR Solutions, Inc. the top ten complaints in employee surveys are:
Higher salaries – pay is the number one area where employees want change.
Internal pay equity – employees perceive that the difference in pay between new and longer term employees is not fair.
Benefits – they feel their insurance costs are high for what they are getting.
Over-management – employees see the ratio between employees and leaders as not making sense.
Pay increase guidelines – employees feel they are not being compensated fairly for their contribution when everyone gets the same raise.
HR response to employees – the Human Resources department is not viewed as responding appropriately to employee questions and concerns. They are viewed as policy makers & the policing arm of management.
Favoritism – employees want the perception that each employee is treated equivalently with other employees.
Communication – employees want face-to-face communication with their supervisor and senior management.
Heavy workloads – employees perceive they are spread too thin.
Office organization & cleanliness – employees want to work in a clean & organized environment.
What can you do to address employee complaints?
Seriously listen to employee's concerns. Create an environment where people feel comfortable speaking up.
Work with the Human Resources department for a solution to the concern. Many of the complaints can be dealt with through good HR policies.
Over communicate. People need to hear things 4-7 times before they really hear it.
Get back to people with a response.
Be sincere when speaking with employees.
Come back next week to read how to keep your best employees.
Contact me to "up" your leadership Valerie.MacLeod@HainesCentre.com
Photo by Valerie MacLeod