An organization with productive and content employees is key to helping a business thrive. Employees who are comfortable and happy in their workplace not only get more work done, but they do it better too! These types of employees are invested in the company, want to see it grow, and will ultimately be more loyal to their employers in the long term.
However, on the opposite side, a workplace facing prevalent conflicts and lacking communication can lead to a company’s downfall. Therefore, it’s important to address issues in the workplace before they spiral out of control.
Four Signs of Communication Problems in the Workplace.
Most issues within a workplace begin with or are aggravated by miscommunication and a lack of transparency within a company. Mishandling these issues and conflicts can lead to animosity and poor mental health, decreasing the team’s overall productivity. The following issues are indicative of a company dealing with communication problems that may require hiring an HR consultant:
1. Gossip in the Workplace.
Employers who notice constant gossip should be aware of potentially larger issues. Gossip within a workplace often comes from a lack of transparency from the company leaders, creating an environment of uncertainty and anxiety where rumours easily flow throughout the company. This, in turn, can lead to lower motivation, a decrease in productivity, and even employees leaving the company.
We know that being open with your team on company goals and the greater vision for the future can squash rumours before they start, reduce the desire to gossip and make everyone feel more at ease – and ultimately create a productive workforce!
2. You Notice Changes in the Room With Certain Topics.
Oftentimes, employees don’t feel comfortable expressing their opinions to their employer or other employees when they disagree with certain plans or policies. Employers can rectify this by adopting a workplace culture that encourages everyone to express their views and collaborate about ideas. We work with employers to create trust in their teams and develop a culture where employees bring ideas forward.
Workplace conflicts and miscommunication don’t need to be a common occurrence. These problems are easily solved and preventable with an HR consultant.
3. You Feel the Need to Create Policies to Correct Employee Actions.
Here’s a perfect example of what we have seen: If an employer sees an employee not following the dress code, sometimes they want to make changes to the policy instead of sitting down with the employee and having a discussion. The best thing to do is to always have an authentic respectful conversation with your employees. We can help you do that.
4. Incidents Are Not Addressed.
Feelings get hurt at work. After all, we are all human beings and we misinterpret actions or words from someone else. For example, we worked with a client where they had two employees who didn’t get along because one employee yelled at the other over a year ago, and therefore both refused to work together. It created a toxic work environment. We worked with their employer to address the feelings of the employees (and of the others who were also being affected) and avoided dismissing the situation and labeling this conflict as a “petty squabble” and then forcing them to work together. Often, this “solution” only escalates the situation. We put together a plan where we worked with the leader and employees to come to a resolution that would take into consideration underlying issues and created a path forward.
How to Solve Workplace Culture Problems.
Sometimes, these “small” issues indicate larger issues in leadership and communication within a workplace.
HR consultants like Daeco HR specialize in mediating workplace conflicts without the hassle of paperwork and red tape. Hiring an HR consultant can help to identify the source of issues in a workplace and coach leaders on how to address them. We provide coaching on how to solve and prevent problems based on the desired culture of your workplace and your goals for the company. We then create HR policies and procedures specific to your workplace that are easy to introduce and follow by both the employer and employees.
After you have your policies and guidelines to follow, we are still available when you need us for as long as you need us.
Get Expert HR Advice from Daeco HR.
Since 2000, Daeco HR has been coaching business leaders to improve their communication and conflict resolution skills to lead their employees and companies to greater success. Browse our available services page to learn more about our workshops and consultations, or book an appointment with Daeco HR today, so we can help you do what you do best!
