Unhappy employees can cause a lot of grief, have an adverse effect on quality and productivity, and fail to meet customer expectations. Recent events involving the refusal of 102 bus drivers to report to work also highlight how employee grievances, if not handled properly, may lead to more serious consequences like industrial action.
Unhappy employees may cause serious disruptions to business activities. In Nov 2012, 102 bus drivers refused to report to work to protest percieved salary discrepancies and to highlight grievances about their living conditions that were not adequately addressed by their employer.
Our work with clients validate the commonly known but oft-ignored fact that happy employees generate better returns for employers. Happy employees are more likely to produce better quality work, treat customers better, and contribute towards work improvement initiatives. They are also more likely to stay longer with the employer and miss work less often.
It is essential for HR practitioners to ensure that employees are engaged, well taken care of, and happy. Employers may do this by:
- maintaining an effective and ‘safe’ channel for employees to provide feedback;
- having a structured means of recording, investigating, and addressing employee grievances;
- conducting periodic engagement activities (such as management-staff interaction sessions and employee satisfaction surveys); and
- keeping open lines of communications and maintaining good relationship with employee representatives (or unions).
Read related articles on how you can better manage employee grievances.
Contact us to find out more about how you can more effectively monitor and manage employee engagement and satisfaction.