Organizational performance is a top priority for every company, and it heavily relies on the employees’ productivity and engagement. However, not all employees are satisfied with their job, and they may show signs of discontent, which can impact workplace culture and morale. In this article, we will explore the concept of disgruntled employees and how human resources can improve organizational performance by addressing this issue.

What is considered a disgruntled employee?

A disgruntled employee is someone who is unhappy or dissatisfied with their job, workplace, or management. They may exhibit negative behavior, such as absenteeism, lateness, decreased teamwork, and low productivity. These actions can lead to a toxic work environment, decreased motivation, and disengagement.

Why You Need to Address Disgruntled Employees

Addressing disgruntled employees is crucial because their dissatisfaction can have a negative impact on your organization’s productivity, morale, and reputation. Some signs that an employee is disgruntled are:

1. Changes in behavior: Disgruntled employees may exhibit changes in behavior, such as becoming more withdrawn or irritable, or exhibiting a lack of enthusiasm for their work.
2. Increased absenteeism or tardiness
3. Decreased productivity: Disgruntled employees may be less productive than usual or may exhibit a decrease in the quality of their work.
4. Negative feedback: Disgruntled employees may provide negative feedback about their work.
5. Increased turnover: Disgruntled employees may be more likely to leave the organization, talking about leaving or may be actively searching.

 Absenteeism and lateness

Absenteeism and lateness are significant issues that can negatively impact workplace productivity and employee morale. When employees are frequently absent or late, it can cause disruptions in workflow and create additional workloads for their colleagues. This can lead to increased stress, decreased motivation, and a decline in overall productivity.

Decreased teamwork

Disgruntled employees within a team can significantly negatively impact productivity, motivation, and engagement. Here are some potentially negative impacts of having disgruntled employees within a team:

1. Reduced productivity: Disgruntled employees may not be motivated to work efficiently. They may also engage in behaviors that disrupt the work of other team members, which can further reduce productivity.
2. Decreased motivation/teamwork: Disgruntled employees may feel undervalued, unsupported, or unappreciated, which can lead to decreased motivation. This can result in a lack of commitment to the team’s goals.
3. Disengagement: Disgruntled employees may become disengaged from the team and its goals, which can lead to a lack of enthusiasm and commitment. This can result in missed deadlines, reduced quality of work, and ultimately, failure to achieve the team’s objectives. 

How do you handle an employee with disgruntled HR?

HR should not treat disgruntled employees as a lost cause. Instead, they should have a step by step plan to avoid this happening in the first place, as well as finding the solution if the employee is already unhappy.

Do not treat them as a lost cause

Treating disgruntled employees as a lost cause can have negative consequences for the employee and the organization. Disgruntled employees may feel undervalued, and unsupported, and may become disengaged from their work. Additionally, disgruntled employees may spread negative perceptions of the organization to others, which can harm the organization’s reputation and make it difficult to attract and retain top talent. Treating disgruntled employees as a lost cause can also damage the employee-employer relationship and create a culture of fear and mistrust and ultimately affect new comers. How can you prevent this?

Listen Carefully

As the first communication step between the HR manager and a disgruntled employee, it is important for the HR manager to request a private meeting with them.  This allows the employee to feel they have a safe space where they feel comfortable expressing their concerns in an honest way without fear of judgment or retaliation. It is crucial for the HR manager to actively listen and be empathetic towards the employee’s concerns. They should ask open-ended questions, acknowledge the employee’s emotions, and show genuine interest in understanding the issue. Maintaining eye contact, avoiding distractions, and actively engaging in the conversation can help keep the employee’s attention level high and demonstrate the HR manager’s commitment to resolving the problem. By taking these steps, the HR manager can establish a positive and supportive dialogue with the employee and begin the process of addressing their concerns and coming up with a plan for the future.

Propose solutions

What are the possible solutions the HR manager can adopt?

1. Provide support and resources: Depending on the nature of the issue, the HR manager can provide the employee with resources such as counseling services, training, or coaching to help them address the problem.
2. Offer flexibility: If the employee’s concern is related to their work schedule or workload, the HR manager can offer flexible working arrangements or adjust their workload to better suit their needs.
3. Set short-term and long-term goals: this will help the employee clearly understand their growth within the company and what is expected of them. Voicing their expectations and them having the space to express their goals can boost their motivation.

Follow Up

Once a solution has been implemented, the HR manager should follow up with the employee to ensure the issue has been resolved and address any additional concerns or feedback. The follow-up time frame should be discussed between the employee and manager.

Benefits of managing a disgruntled employee

Managing disgruntled employees can improve productivity by reuniting teamwork and motivation. It can also prevent toxic work environments and conflicts that can impact the entire organization.

Improved productivity

Reunited teamwork can be a powerful tool for improving productivity, as it can help team members collaborate more effectively and leverage each other’s strengths to achieve common goals. Here are some ways that you can help focus the team to improve productivity through teamwork:

1. Define clear goals and objectives: It’s important to establish clear goals and objectives for the team to work towards.
2. Assign roles and responsibilities: Assigning specific roles and responsibilities to each team member can help to ensure that everyone knows what is expected of them and can work efficiently towards their assigned tasks.
3. Encourage open communication: Encourage team members to communicate openly and frequently, and to provide feedback to one another.
4. Foster a positive team culture: Foster a positive team culture by recognizing and rewarding team members for their contributions, and creating a supportive and inclusive work environment.
5. Provide training and development opportunities: Provide team members with opportunities for training and development to help them acquire new skills and knowledge that can be applied to their work.

Building a Culture Without the Disgruntled

Investing in building out a company culture, creating values and a mission that prevent this problem in your workplace, is essential. By promoting a positive work environment, companies can prevent employee dissatisfaction and create a motivated workforce that boosts organizational performance.

In conclusion, disgruntled employees can be costly to the organization’s performance and workplace culture. HR should engage with them to identify the root cause of their dissatisfaction and propose solutions. By managing these issues companies can improve productivity, prevent toxic work environments, and boost employee motivation and engagement long term.