Top 3 Work Problems That Bother Your Employees Today

Time and again you come across articles identifying issues and worries faced by business leaders but have you ever wondered about the concerns faced by your employees? More importantly, have you done anything to address these issues?

If you want to increase employee engagement, knowing what makes your employee happy is crucial as employee concerns always affect productivity rate. As a human resource (HR) professional, you may not be able to solve their personal life issues however, you are in the most ideal position to help them in work-related concerns.

HR holds a neutral position between an employee and his or her manager. Hence, HR is able to foster trust for a two-way communication between the two parties. If your employees feel safe, they are more likely to open up to you and your task is to listen to them and provide opportunities for them to raise these issues to their managers. HR can then work together with the managers to address employees’ concerns. Employees may not always receive the outcome they seek however they would appreciate the efforts made to resolve these issues.

So, to give you a head-start, here are the top 3 employee concerns and how HR should handle them:

1. Automation

More and more industries are depending on automation to speed up business processes. Perhaps the biggest fear employees faced to date is the fact that the rise in automation will cause them to lose their jobs. Yet, unfortunately this concern is not addressed by many employers as they see automation as an opportunity rather than an issue. HR need to strike a balance between the benefits of using automation while carefully addressing these concerns faced by employees. Address the issue by communicating to them why automated business is important for the company overall, how it will impact their roles, and suggest ways for them to go for trainings and learn new skills to add-value to their positions.

2. Higher Salaries

Pay will always be one of the top concerns of your employees but one of the least spoken of. If you don’t pay your employees fairly or if they feel that they are underpaid, they will leave, no matter how much perks you are offering them. HR can foster a work environment that is more open and transparent in which employees will know whether they are being paid accordingly. Consider revealing the criteria or the formula that the management is using to determine the pay scale or the pay grades. This will undoubtedly open up the taboo on remuneration. If you develop a work culture that is more transparent, your employees would be more comfortable to come up to you and enquire about their pay raise.

3. Heavy Workloads & High Stress Levels

Some employees are afraid that if they outperform in their current role, they will be tasked with more work for the same compensation. Others may find that despite receiving the appropriate compensation, their workload is too much to bear and is causing them stress, lack of sleep and falling behind a balanced work-life. HR must learn to listen to these concerns and reward extra efforts accordingly or address the understaff issue in the respective departments. Another way is to focus on their health and well-being. Consider implementing employee wellness programmes that can help employees manage and reduce stress in their work. Such initiatives can be stress management workshops, subsidies to gyms and other fitness centres and even workplace massage days.

It is important to remember that asking your employees to advise you on their concerns allows the opportunity for you to not only address these issues but to show your sincerity and respect towards your workforce. Furthermore, more often than not, if a concern raised by a team member is ignored, it will not only affect the performance of the team member but the entire team would typically suffer as well. On the contrary, should the manager choose to address the concern, it will bring a positive experience and uplift the performance of the whole group. Therefore, it is imperative for HR to work together with managers to address any concerns that employees have to maintain continuity of performance.