In 2014, the aspects of work of 5,000 Singaporean employees were studied by Singapore Human Resources Institute. They found that on average, the employees were considered “Under Happy” in the workplace. Creating a happier place to work in is proving to be a challenge especially when “horrible” bosses are the ones who run the organizations.
Horrible bosses do not just intrude in their employee’s personal time; they also cause huge expenses not only for the company but also for the nation’s economy. The loss of money can be attributed from either faking sick leave or having chronic stress due to the workplace dynamics. Also, the recruitment and legal costs due to high turnover rate cannot be missed!
The loss of money due to lack of productivity can be attributed from the employee’s behavior to either deliberately make mistakes out of spite or to be truly unmotivated. In a recent study by Officevibe, a U.S. based startup that offers employee-engaging activities to other organizations, respondents showed that 50% of the employees who felt undervalued are planning to look for another job the next year. In fact, 65% of them say that they would rather have a new boss than a pay hike. Yes! It is that bad.
DISSECTION OF THE LOCAL “HORRIBLE” BOSSES
In 2012, JobsCentral conducted a survey including the responses of 3,299 employees and 256 hiring managers. A whopping 31% of the respondents said that they do not have satisfying boss-worker relationship. This is because of the following reasons: lack of advancement opportunities (87.5%), lack of autonomy (80.6%), and work demands (71.1%).
The bad habits as confessed by the employers were: making the employees work during after hours (75%), regularly contacting employees that are on leave (46%), lengthening the meeting past the working hours (23%), and asking employees to run personal errands (6%).
Image Credits: Vocab Ninja via Flickr
If you do not want to be considered as a horrible boss then, take note of the actions said above. Do the opposite. Aside from that, here are no-cost tips to change your ways…
a. RESPECT YOUR EMPLOYEE’S PERSONAL TIME
Be sensitive with the employee’s personal time. They need this to shake off the stress brought by work demands. Also, they need to restore their energy so, they can be driven and productive the next day.
b. WELCOME EMPLOYEE FEEDBACK
Have a tri-monthly evaluation (i.e., occurring every three months) of the boss and the employees’ performances. Issues such as frequently shortening the deadlines and abusive behavior should be raised in confidence. This transparent culture will increase awareness and encourage necessary action.
c. DO NOT LOOK DOWN FROM A PEDESTAL
You may be the boss but you do not rule the entire world! Having too much pride to the point that you do not give credit, appreciation, or gratitude when it is due can cause dissatisfaction of the employees. As said a while ago, employees who felt undervalued are planning to look for another job. Fortunately, YOU can prevent that from happening!
Image Credits: Kumar Appaiah via Flickr