Why Are My Employees Unhappy?

If you’re asking why your employees are unhappy, then you’re probably confident that there is room for improvement. This article is going to cover some common causes of employee unhappiness, specifically focusing on the workspace and facilities within the environment.

Whilst this article will cover some of the key issues that many modern-day workplaces face, it’s important to bear in mind that when it comes to employee satisfaction and happiness, the solution may not be a one-size fits all approach.

Ask your employees what makes them unhappy

Appraisals, questionnaires, surveys, 1:1 meetings – there are plenty of ways you can find out what makes your employees feel dissatisfied or unhappy at work. Many of these methods are just as suitable for remote and office-based workers.

Most employees will appreciate feeling like they can have a say and are being listened to. Having an open-door approach can also encourage staff to be more vocal when they’re experiencing issues, rather than bottling them up.

However, when it comes to having those meetings, you’ll want to make sure that there is sufficient speech privacy, otherwise you may deter some employees from discussing potentially confidential subjects, if they’re concerned about being overheard.

Now that we’ve covered the best way to find out what is making your employees unhappy, we can move on to some of the common environmental factors that can have a negative impact on job satisfaction and wellbeing levels.

Lack of speech privacy

If your employees feel they have nowhere they can have a private conversation, this might impact their wellbeing and comfort. From wanting to talk about confidential subjects, to needing to take private phone calls, providing spaces where employees don’t have to consider being overheard could significantly boost their workplace happiness levels.

Particularly with the rise of doctor’s appointments and other services now being conducted over the phone, if your employees don’t have a private space to take these calls. That may result in unnecessary stress and worry.

Noise distractions

In our Noise and Wellbeing Survey over half of UK office workers reported that noise is an issue in their workplace, suggesting that it’s a key problem. Too much noise and distracting sounds, such as conversations and laughter, was cited as negatively impacting productivity and wellbeing.

Final thoughts

If you’re concerned that your employees are unhappy, the best way to find out the root cause of their dissatisfaction by a long shot is to actually ask them. It will certainly take the guesswork out of improving conditions in the office. Some topics that might be helpful to include in your survey or job satisfaction meetings include improvements to speech privacy and noise levels within the working environment.

Once you’ve identified what is making your employees unhappy, you can begin to address the key issues. If noise levels or lack of speech privacy are cited as a problem, sound masking technology could be a suitable solution for your office.

Of course there are endless reasons that your employees could be unhappy, but these common environment-based issues are a good place to start.

To arrange a free demonstration contact Remark Group today.