10 Secrets Your Employees Want You To Know
I have interviewed hundreds of employees while conducting current state assessments on Corporate Culture. I have narrowed down the Top 10 secrets employees want their boss's to know.
#1 It's Not Me, It's You!
When corporate culture is negative and company morale is low, the only person to blame is the one at the top. The "boss" drives culture, and if it is negative, your employees want you to know that it is not them, it is YOU.
#2 No Accountability For Mistakes
This is a huge leadership fail and employees are frustrated when they are blamed for things out of their control. Accountability requires the checks and balances are in place to ensure every employee have the tools, systems, and training to succeed. Without these, errors will be made. The role of leadership is to make sure all of these are consistently measured and monitored for quality standards.
#3 Employees don't understand your Vision
If you don't know who you are and what you want, then how can you expect employees to know? Without Vision, employees will perform based upon their own interpretation. Products and services will be inconsistent and customer service could fail.
#4 Employees need to know, "What's the Plan?"
This is similar to Vision. If you don't know where you are going, then how can you expect employees to understand how to get there? Unending projects, equipment failures, missed deadlines, marketing failures and decrease in sales can all be attributed to lack of planning. Employees want you to know, they need a plan. If you don't have one, then give them permission, and support, for plans they create.
#5 Employees are more than a payroll expense.
Although payroll is a budgeted item, employees want you to know their value is more than a number. Value should be acknowledged and rewarded. Many times, employers take this for granted. If an employee feels undervalued, they will leave; which in the end will create a greater cost to the employer to hire and train their replacement.
#6 You're a Bully!
Stress is a common factor in every company. It's how you handle the stress that can leave an employee resentful if not handled properly. Employees want you to know there isn't enough money in the world to bear the brunt of a bullish boss.
#7 "It's not my job" and Job Creep
"It's not my job", can be seen as a negative when employees say this, but sometimes, this statement is necessary. When an employee doesn't have a formal job description and is expected to wear multiple hats, their work load can become overwhelming and performance can suffer. Employees want, and need, a formal description of what the job expectations are, and what success looks like for them. It's okay to encourage employees to go above and beyond their roles once in a while, but when this becomes an expectation, job creep will cause resentment and burnout.
#8 Employees want to be a part of a solution process.
Employees want to be heard and valued for their ideas and solutions. When employees are ignored, their self-worth within their job, will vanish. Who better to offer solutions to problems they experience? You guessed it, your employees.
#9 Where to go when they have a complaint?
Employees need to know who they can go to when they need advice, or help, regarding an internal problem. People and situations are not perfect. When those situations get out of hand, employees need to know how the process works, and who is the designated confidential resource.
#10 Employees want, and need, acknowledgment when they succeed.
Employees are often told when they do something wrong, and rarely acknowledged when they do something well. Employee/Team achievements should be acknowledged and celebrated. Praise and appreciation goes a long way. Employees want to succeed and it is up to leadership to help pave the way. Let employees know what success looks like and share in the celebration when goals are achieved.