Last week Jason Rivas, our Certified Behavior Analyst and DISC Guru hosted a webinar to talk about the 10 reasons your employees hate you. So the reason that we’re here (can you guess what song I am currently listening too?) is to learn more about those 10 reasons. Let’s break them down.

#10: My Boss Doesn’t Know What I Go Through

More often than not, this is the overworked, quiet employee who is just sitting there doing his work? Does their manager engage with them often? Do you engage with them often? They probably are unable to prioritize because of their workload… and their feeling that “nobody cares about them” is what leads to this thought. As an owner (or upper management), be sure to walk around and check in briefly with the departments. Shane (our COO) will check in with each and every department at least twice a day just to be sure everything is running smoothly and efficiently. He also takes the time to engage with the staff to alleviate the engagement issue.

#9: I’m Treated With No Respect For What I Do

The employee feels small; insignificant almost. Recognition is key and so critical for getting over these issues with your staff. It may be no fault of your own, but be sure to have a pulse on these employees who may have a feeling of a “minimized role” in the company. Remember, there is no “I” in team. Through proper DISC testing you can identify these candidates and give them the recognition they need.

#8 My Boss Is An Ego-maniac! Never Asks For My Opinion

This may or may not be true for your company, however understand that you have employees for a reason. You’re not paying them to sit around and do nothing, so at least hear them out. You may not use their ideas, but there is a certain level of validation that needs to happen. Employees will feel more in touch with the company if their boss listens to them and accepts their input on projects or ideas. Remember, you have a team with different ideas and points of view than yours.

#7: The World Revolves Around Work. I Don’t Matter

Certain profile types (High D or High C to be exact) tend to be workaholics. This is also a generational factor as well for those employees who are willing to go above and beyond for work without realizing it. Often times the employee will work for the sake of working to show loyalty. This will eventually interfere with the home/work life balance. Encourage employees to leave at a “reasonable” hour or ask them “can that project wait until tomorrow?” Even rewarding them with a surprise Monday off simply for working hard on a long project is a nice way to recognize and acknowledge the hard work. The more balanced they are between home/work, the happier they will be and the more productive too.

#6: Boss Manages The “Good” Employees, And Not Me

This is simple, don’t favor other employees over others…. Especially in clear view of the staff. For those of you who are reading this, do you have children? What happens when you give one more attention than the other? The same thing applies in a workplace setting. Spread the fun around and don’t favor one employee other the other. Once upon a time you may have been sitting in the same spot your employees are. Often times bosses tend to forget this as they rise up in the ranks. Just be fair and bring enough candy for the whole class (see, who said you didn’t learn anything important in pre-school?).

#5: Manager Only Focuses On The Failures, Nothing Else

If you do this, I guarantee the employee will feel like nothing they do is right… then you could see a downward spiral in their productivity. If an employee doesn’t feel valued, why bother giving it your all? When there are projects that are finished with errors, go over the project and talk about the errors, AND the successes of the project as well. Some positive notes are better than all negative ones. The negatives will balance out the positive ones, however the employee will only remember that they did something right for once and start to have lifted spirits.

#4: The Only Good Attention I Get, I Can Tell Is Fake

This one is easy… stop being fake! You expect your employees to be up front, honest, and real with you, so why not the other way around. Slow down, take a step back, and treat your staff the same way you expect them to treat you.

#3: HR Is Just A Function, Not A Real Advocacy

Clearly there is a massive employee education meeting that needs to happen. If you’re hearing this, call a staff meeting and get them to understand what HR’s propose is and why they are here for more than write-ups and setting up your direct deposit.

#2: No One Has My Back. I Have To Watch Out For #1

This is when that HR department no one thinks is important, will really come into play. Clearly the employee feels threatened and this needs to be addressed immediately. Find the root of the issue and council in private. Be sure to have frequent follow up on the issue.

#1: I Hear “Everyone Is Replaceable”

This is the best way to put a screeching halt to employee morale and to shock the staff into massive resume upgrade mode. Nothing demotivates your staff more than this phrase. Employees need to know that they are valued and respected. Kiss creativity, inspiration, loyalty, and your staff goodbye. Want to learn how to prevent this? STOP SAYING IT! No seriously, stop, like yesterday. This should never come out of your mouth unless you love high turnover rates, employees that hate you, and don’t respect you.

So again, the reasons, the reasons that we’re here; it’s simple. Keep your staff happy and they will continue to keep your company flourishing and profitable. Because a happy employee will not only be loyal, but enjoy what they do and who they work for. This leads to a higher employee satisfaction rate and better company culture.