13 Things Workers Dislike Most About Their Employers. And, The List is Getting Longer!

We can save a lot of time and money if we work together. However, your employees may feel that you’re not interested in them. There are dozens of things workers dislike about their employers. I am going to cover 13 items workers dislike most about their employers and offer up suggestions that can help both sides win! Big companies and the public sector need to be concerned as they want the best staff. And employees currently have many choices. Presenting at 40+ conference and corporate events each year provides me with a window into the heart and souls of employees. They share, I listen and whittle down what I’ve learned of their pain points to the essentials and deliver it to you along with my materials.

Here are the 13 things workers dislike most about their employers:

1- Lack of Information, Communication is counterproductive. In the ‘80’s and ‘90’s, we regularly held back information as it was the model many leaders followed. It does not work today. In our personal lives, we try to communicate well. It leads to better understanding and cooperation. Today, it’s the same at work. Older staff want communications, so they don’t feel shut out and passed by. Younger staff want it to learn, grow and get promotions and raises. According to an article in Workforce, 60% of companies don’t have a long-term strategy for their internal communication. It’s easy to see that the companies that do will have stronger relationships at all levels.

2- Overworked. No one wants to be overworked. It leads to feeling underappreciated, under paid and undervalued as a person. It can lead to higher medical costs, increased stress and burn out. Retention decreases, HR is busy trying to fill positions and less gets done. Hiring more staff to help existing staff works best. It communicates that you understand 35-45 hours a week is sufficient. This grows retention and productivity!

3- Burnout is different than being overworked. Sure, it’s a byproduct and can come from being overworked. And it also occurs when employees are disrespected, picked on by management and made to feel that they don’t contribute. Respect, positive feedback and recognition go a long way in reducing burnout.

4- Low company morale is a cancer to organizations that can spread quickly. Employees complain behind doors, to coworkers and family and friends. What would happen if your company faced this head on and worked on #1 above? If staff have an outlet to express the low morale and the organization acts on this in a positive manner, lots can happen.

Increased morale, productivity growth, less complaining, higher retention and the list of positives goes on!

5– Pay. Fair pay in the eyes of the employee can differ from that of the employers. I encourage owners to look at staff as individuals. Who do you want, who do you need to keep. Ideally, it is everyone. However, we understand that most of us can be replaced. But the cost can be large in terms of time and money. Complaining doesn’t always work. Showing that your skills are needed works better.

6- You’re a jerk/mean, nasty manager is why many people look for other jobs. This one speaks for itself. How do YOU want to be treated? With kindness, respect and support? Right! So, please treat all staff this way. Just like you prefer to be treated.

7- Micromanaging. Again, this one speaks for itself. Do not micromanage. It lowers morale, productivity and stifles communications. Nobody likes it. You don’t like it. My dog doesn’t like it! Being involved and available is wonderful. Micromanaging is a crappy thing to do to adults and serves zero purpose.

8- The blame game. Pointing fingers at individuals is reminiscent of high school. Sometimes things don’t do as planned. Managers can be quick to point the finger and blame an individual instead of discussing as a team to grow, understand and avoid the same mistake in the future. Instead, we need to stop blaming, start discussing and listening by looking for solutions together.

9- We’re adults, not children! The Beatles accomplished a ton in their 20’s before they split up. Diana Ross was in her 20’s when she formed the Supremes. Bill Gates began Microsoft at 19! Athletes, artists, business people begin young and accomplish much by 30. So, why do we treat staff like they are children? We took the time to vet and hire them, yet we think that respect and conversations can be one-sided. A one-way dialogue from your boss, manager, leader directed down towards employees is disrespectful and staff dislike this very much. So, do you, as you’ve been on the receiving end before and it felt awful. The solution is – we’re all adults in the workplace at any age and should be treated as such.

10- Absentee or incompetent managers. Easy one here. If you’re not available or don’t know your stuff, employees will speak negatively about you. Productivity will decrease and staff may look for other departments or jobs where a supportive manager who knows what they’re doing is available.

11- No clear path to advancement. At all ages, there is a desire to be able to see a clear path for advancement. The ability for an individual to visualize what’s next is essential for most. Managers and organizations that can clearly lay out the opportunities for individuals will retain more staff and grow essential communication and the sharing of information. Isn’t this one of the advantages we’re looking for to be better than our competition?

12- Honesty is important. With Gen Z, the largest generation in America it is essential. The oldest is around 25 and the youngest, 11. We all want honesty and are turned off by lies and half-truths. Give it to them straight – that’s my message here. Honesty rocks even when the message doesn’t.

13- And finally, there is this. Employers need to be forward thinking. DEI is essential. A footprint outside of the office that benefits the community is important. Improving management’s skills on some or all of the above will develop and retain talent as well as grow important communications. Now more than ever, employees are searching for companies that reflect their values.

If you looked at the list of the 13 things workers dislike most about their employers and found that you or your company are guilty of any of them, then working to change is important if you want to keep employees during the Great Resignation.