5-Complaints-You-Arent-Hearing-From-Your-Employees

5-Complaints-You-Arent-Hearing-From-Your-EmployeesEven the best leaders occasionally overhear the people they supervise griping about something at workinterdepartmental kvetching is normal, and it can even be healthy blow off steam But that doesnt mean its easy to hear. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) Heather Younger, Employee Experience Consultant writing for the Huffington Post, has some insightsthe things your employees are probably thinking but dont want to tell you. Maybe you can start making changes before discontent roils over into more disruptive activity.1. They want you to care about them as people.Yes it takes energy to get to know your employees and accommodate their needs, but its a crucial investment in the strength of your business and the resilience of your workforce. Be willing to listeneven to the things that are tough to hearand willing to take action once youve received valid feedback.2. They feel they cant provide ho nest feedback.Every employee can probably point to a time when they spoke up about something and were ignored or overruled or faced consequences later. Have you created a safe space? Do employees have an anonymous way to contribute feedback?Let them tell you what you could be doing better, and dont punish them for noticing vulnerabilities. Provide positive recognition for employees who provide especially helpful ideas, and you will be rewarded with closer working relationships among your team.3. They often do not trust their manager or senior leaders.Mistrust, in my experience, arises when employers actions do not match their words. If your employees see you putting on one face in a meeting and another one behind closed doors, if you make promises you fail to fulfill, or if you violate their confidence, their trust in your may take a hit. This is particularly true for micromanagersif you clearly dont trust your employees to do the job you hired them for, why should they trust you to direct their talents and time?4. Recognize and cultivate meaningful work.Odds are youve already learned about at least a few of your employees outside passionsthe things they would spend time on even if they werent paid to do it. How can you bring some element of those hobbies or interests into their daily work?At my most frustrating job experience with an arts education nonprofit, one of the best outlets my manager was able to give me was helping in an arts workshop after school. It gave me a break from writing grants and trying to manage board members and provided a really important window into the teaching I really wanted to be doing. Maybe it feels silly to have a conversation about how to bring private interests into the workplace, but it revolutionized the way I thought about that job.5. Many are seeking opportunities to grow, inside or outside of your organization.Along the same lines, remember that your employees probably dont see themselves in their current role permanentl y. If you dont already have annual meetings to review their work and set short- and long-term goals, establish some ASAP. Make sure you know what theyre hoping to accomplish and take steps together to advance them towards those goals. If you dont, some other company will.So open your door and listen uptry to hear what your employees arent saying and respond as though they had spoken up5 Things Your Employees Arent Telling You But You Need to KnowRead More at Huffington Post