It's the beginning of the year, so we decided to make a retrospective of 2022. To understand how employees felt about this rollercoaster year, we started looking at statistics. And we want to start by telling all the team leaders out there, that the numbers don't look great.
A recent study by Gallup found that a staggering 60% of people feel emotionally detached from their work. Furthermore, an additional 19% reported being outright miserable on the job. We already know we cannot treat personal and professional happiness as two distinctive aspects. Therefore the next part presented in the Gallup report didn't come as a surprise. At this level of dissatisfaction, there are severe consequences for both the individual and their loved ones.
In fact, disengaged workers in Germany were 51% more likely to report poor behavior toward their families due to job stress.
But what do you think caused all of this discontent? Well, the biggest culprit was a perception of unfair treatment at work. This was followed by an unmanageable workload, unclear tasks, a lack of support from managers, and unreasonable time pressure.
Thus, it's more than clear that in 2023 things need to change. Something needs to be done to address these issues and improve the overall well-being of workers. But where do organizations start?
Well, here is our simple three-step approach that all team leaders can work with in order not to repeat the same mistakes all over again:
One solution could be to focus on improving communication and offering support to their teams. After all, it's no surprise that a lack of clear dialogue and support can lead to a feeling of unfair treatment and increased stress.
Another potential solution is to address workload issues. In today's fast-paced world, it's easy for employees to feel overwhelmed by the never-ending demands placed on them. Implementing strategies such as better time management techniques or redistributing work among team members, leaders could help ease this burden. But to do so, they need to understand each employee's core problem and act accordingly.
It's also important to recognize that burnout and job dissatisfaction are not solely an individual's responsibility. Employers have a significant role in creating a healthy and supportive work environment. This could include providing resources for stress management and promoting work-life balance.
Ultimately, the solution to the problem of widespread job dissatisfaction is a complex one. Thus, it will require efforts from both employees and employers. This is why our advice today is for everyone to read and apply.
2022 was a hard and bumpy year, and only time will show us what 2023 will look like. However, one thing is for sure. Repeating the mistakes from last year will make things worse for all parties involved. And only by working together we can create a better future for employees and employers alike. Only by doing so we can help each other feel more fulfilled and satisfied in our careers. And the first step in doing just that is establishing a transparent and honest communication path.
