Misery at work: Is workplace contentment on a downwards slide?

Striking workers with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers will weigh Boeing’s latest offer after voting down two previous contracts – Copyright AFP/File Mandel NGAN

Employees are seemingly more unhappy at work than they have been in years, and currently more than a quarter of U.S. citizens are looking to change roles (which is the highest in a decade).

For those running a new small business, when hiring a new employee is an especially timely, costly, and pivotal practice. Some analysts think that efforts should be directed to employee retention, especially for creating a culture of contentment. Whether such a state of affairs can be achieved with the nexus of a conflictual employment relationship is unlikely.

This does not prevent some from trying. The firm Wix.com has recently provided advice on how business owners can create a positive work environment.

In particular, the group maintains that flexible work results in higher employee satisfaction. Other advice is:

Build a company based on trust, honesty and fairness

Regardless of company size, employees expect a work environment where:

• People are held accountable for their actions,
• Respect is shown for others’ ideas, values and beliefs,
• There is overarching trust and a sense of community between staff and management,
• Difficult situations are addressed efficiently and effectively

Establish backend processes early on

While startups often expect their first employees to wear many hats, failing to have processes in place around job roles and the specifics of what is expected of employees can ultimately create a negative working environment.

Similarly, if you’re making fundamental changes within your business, make sure you’ve planned out a protocol to communicate this to your staff and keep them in the loop. Additionally, processes around mental health, dealing with difficult situations, and day to day operational procedures should also be in place so that you can deal with issues in a standardized way.

Give hiring decisions the attention they deserve

Hiring the right people is always important, but especially significant for newer businesses and startups, as they’re often the people that are going to drive your organization forward.

Hire people that align with your mission and business values. In a smaller company, these are equally important to employees as it is to senior stakeholders. Hire for attitude as well as skill (it’s vital to have people who are respectful and easy to work with), and ensure applicants are aligned with the company and invested in its mission before signing on the dotted line. An aligned vision keeps employees happy, and as a smaller team, being on the same page and having the same end goal helps to avoid friction.

Build a work environment that encourages support and development

Employees want roles that are both personally and professionally fulfilling, allowing them to receive fair compensation while working on projects that challenge them and align with their personal values. Creating an environment that supports this development – whether that’s through in-house training, budget allocation, or mentoring amongst colleagues -, – helps employees feel nurtured and respected in their role.

Prioritise work-life balance from the beginning

Expectations should be clear around working times, but as is often the case in work, employees will be expected to work beyond these times where required. Where there is adequate work-life balance in place, and employees are aligned with their company’s mission, staff often don’t resent working beyond their assigned hours (so long as this doesn’t occur week in, week out). Leaders should show respect for employees’ personal lives and passion projects by monitoring workloads, and if a member of staff is consistently working overtime, conversations should be had around whether there is too much work assigned, or whether there are other reasons why they cannot complete this within their usual working hours.

Invest in good leadership

While founders are typically excellent at what they do, leadership often doesn’t come naturally. Focus on investing in leadership training, promote those who lead by example, and be prepared to challenge instances where leadership could be improved or acted upon differently. Poor leadership is one of the greatest performance-killers for highly-motivated employees, and once this relationship diminishes, it can be easy for employees to lose morale.