The top 3 reasons employees don't like their job

How can you help your staff like their jobs more?

The situation is a familiar one up and down the country: morale is low, and staff find themselves struggling to stay positive. There’s a lack of energy in the room and good staff don’t stay long. Turnover is high and productivity is low.

There can be lots of reasons why a workplace can feel like this. Some probably we cannot solve. But there are things that we can do, particularly those of us in HR, to make staff feel rewarded, and engaged and stick around for longer. In this article, we aim to uncover three reasons why employees might be struggling to enjoy their job, and how employee benefits surveys might help you uncover ways to help them enjoy work more.

1.    They Feel Unappreciated.

One of the biggest reasons people don’t enjoy their work is because they feel unappreciated. This feeling comes from not being recognised for the value they bring to the organisation. It’s easy to see when you’re doing something wrong, but it’s much harder to recognise when you’re providing value.

2.    They Have Too Much Or Too Little Work To Do.

If you’ve ever worked at a company where there was too much work to do, you know how frustrating it can be.

The reverse could also be true. You might even find yourself thinking “I wish I had more work to do.” If employees do not have a sufficient challenge then they struggle to feel fulfilled; they struggle to feel like they’ve made a difference.

3.    They Aren’t Being Developed.

Employees who feel trapped, like they have no means of improving their skills or routes for progression within their workplace often feel frustrated. Conscientious workers in particular, often become cross that they can’t do a better job when their options for training are limited. Those who want to progress up the ladder feel stifled.

These three reasons are common to so many workplaces up and down the country. So what is the solution? How can we unpick why employees are disliking their jobs and what we can do to make things better for them?

What are employee benefits surveys?

Employee benefits surveys are questionnaires that aim to uncover what employees think about their work and their current work benefits (if indeed they have any) and what additional benefits would help them feel rewarded and engaged at work.

How do employee benefits surveys help?

Employee Benefits Surveys are a great way to learn how your employees feel about their jobs. They also provide valuable information that can help you improve your company culture.

1.    They measure how they feel about each benefit

Ask your employees to rate each benefit they already receive on a scale of 1-10 in terms of how much it helps them to feel rewarded or engaged at work. You can then decide whether to discard those benefits that are not working to encourage your team.

2.    They measure how they feel about work

How is their general wellbeing at work? If it is poor, there are employee benefits that could help. Where are the pressure points that are causing them distress? Determining those will help you find potential solutions.

If they are concerned about their workload, a digital platform like Smart Hive, that allows them to access their benefits from one central location, will ensure that minimal administration is added to their load. If their mental wellbeing is poor, then an Employee Assistance Programme could help. If they do not feel rewarded for the value they add to the company, then a Reward and Recognise digital platform could help them feel appreciated by their team.

There are a myriad of benefits that could help employees feel more cared for and less stressed at work.

3.    They measure their work-life balance

Surveys are a great way to determine how well employees feel supported in balancing their commitments at work and at home. Ask your staff to what extent they feel their life is in balance and whether they feel work is supporting them in this regard.

If employees are struggling, there are benefits that can help, including our MyMindPal digital platform, which helps build mental resilience and reduces stress and burnout and our Wellbeing Coaching scheme that helps employees make positive lifestyle changes.

It’s hard to provide solutions if you don’t know the problem

Ultimately, you cannot provide employee benefits that will reward, engage and motivate your team if you do not know what their struggles are. Benefits are only effective if they are the right products for your situation. Employee benefits surveys seek to uncover this information and provide more effective solutions for your team.

Our Client Success Managers work hard to ensure that we are providing the very best employee benefits packages for your situation. We work to determine the different problems that your team are facing in order to build a solution that helps your team thrive in their workplace.