by Maria Sougaraki, Operations Manager | Santikos Collection
So it’s your day to take over as manager getting the responsibility of properly operating a department or the entire hotel unit, staffing and team composition. Along with it you get another specialty, so you can manage the different personalities that make up your team (I’ll tell you what that is in a bit)!
All of us of course hope that our employees will be satisfied and happy with their working conditions. This is why we often ignore that every employee has their own way of working. So despite your good intentions, maybe your team members might want to share their concerns with you. And all of a sudden you become a psychologist, with a little bit of a lawyer, a teacher, a ‘firefighter’. Exaggeration? I do not think so…!
Major reasons of employees disatisfaction:
According to a study done by a well-known human resources management company in Chicago, USA. among the 2,100 businesses, the most common reasons of employees’ complaints, and which are precisely what justifies your new ‘professions’, are:
Salary
Most employees are looking for more than their salary and are therefore seeking adjustment.
Salary Comparison
There is often a comparison between employees. There is a common concern about new employees being paid more than the old ones. Yes, they are in many cases. As far as your role concersn, you have to keep the balance and remember that every employee has the right to ask for better pay (even if the employer is unwilling to give him/her that).
Performance Bonus
It doesn’t mean the rewarding has always to do with money. There are many ways to thank an employee for his/her performance. More often than not, moral satisfaction is more important!
Employment Contract
Employees want to know in every detail what their remuneration is, what their insurance is, the benefits they are entitled to and in general what the legislation on employee-employer relations stipulates. The clearer you are, the fewer complaints you will receive!
Human Resources Department Response
The employee’s desire to have direct contact with the department. In many businesses, the HR department is quite unapproachable, as it usually plays the role of the ‘bad guy’. Be careful not to fall into the same trap!
Confrontation
Employees always want to feel that they are equal to all members of the team and to be treated fairly. The booklet of business policy and good rules of conduct will help you in this.
Communication & Availability
An employee feels important when he has the opportunity to discuss face-to-face with his/her executives. Yes, I understand that your time is limited but your main job is to keep your employees satisfied. This is the success of a manager!
Workload
Make sure you have the right organizational chart so that responsibilities are distributed as efficiently as possible. This way you will also avoid the all time classic expression “It’s not my job…”
Micro – managing
Very common tactics of department heads. Sufficient supervision and intervention. Are you making the same mistake by inadvertently creating a climate of resentment and distrust in the team?
Department & Equipment
Yes, they will ask you every day for something different in order to improve the quality of their work. You should make sure that all departments have the necessary equipment for their proper functioning. You can easily understand how unpleasant can get for someone who wants to be efficient at their job not having the proper tools for it.
RELATED ARTICLE Create a well – bonded Work Family HERE
Little secrets for happy employees
The employee’s complaints may be real or an imaginary feeling of dissatisfaction that they may experience during their work. In any case, you need to listen to them and pay proper attention. The following steps will help you in this direction.
Listen carefully to what employees tell you. You don’t have to give a solution immediately, as long as you discuss about it.
Gather information if the employee has described a specific incident. A second opinion is always useful.
Before arriving at a solution, discuss the matter with the administration or an executive, always taking into account the seriousness of the issue.
Immediate implementation is required after the final decision! Employee complaints that have been “left in the drawer” negatively affect team performance and cause friction.
In some cases you may not be able to find a solution. This does not mean that you are doing something wrong. Psychologically, just listening to the employee and trying to address his/her concerns gives the company another identity and culture. It shows that it respects and encourages the employee to feel intimate and secure in their work environment. Try it and you will understand what I mean!
