Diagnosing the Workplace
by Joan Lloyd

Employee complaints...Absenteeism...Turnover...

These telltale behaviors often telegraph a deeper problem. Like good medical doctors, smart business owners and managers look for patterns of behavior that will lead to the source of the problem. They pay attention, ask good questions, listen to what is said (as well as what isn't) and test their hypotheses. Let's look at some symptoms of organizational ills and some potential causes:

Symptom: Employee complaints about not being treated fairly.

A business owner usually starts hearing this complaint once the organization grows beyond 25 employees. The company has moved from a casual, family atmosphere to a more complex organization. Leaders who have never managed people now find themselves faced with decisions about vacation policies and flexible schedules.

Since "fairness" is in the eye of the beholder, every manager is going to hear an occasional employee complaint about a decision that's supposedly unfair. But when individual complaints turn into a chorus of discontent, something else is wrong.
In the case of the entrepreneur, there is a good chance the business is ready for some policies and guidelines. Although many entrepreneurs are repelled by the mere thought of potential bureaucracy, they eventually realize that a few policies and guidelines are going to save endless hours behind closed doors with upset employees.
If the organization already has policies in place, there is a good chance that the complaints will point to a manager who is either too lax, too strict and "by the book" or, indeed, too prone to playing favorites.

Symptom: Coworkers have turned against one employee, they do anything to avoid working with him or her, and you are constantly intervening in skirmishes.

It's tempting to proclaim, "I want you all to get along! Stop these petty personality attacks!" The problem is that it's rarely just a matter of "personality." Often, there are deeper problems, such as confusion about how much authority a person has.

In cases such as this, I find that about 50 percent of the time it is a problem of job structure, scope, responsibility and/or authority. In the other cases, the problem employee has brought on his or her own troubles because of personal style or other behaviors. For example, in one case the disliked employee was impossibly condescending and righteous, and in another case the employee was a control freak who was irrationally paranoid about everyone.

Symptom: Turnover.

Although most exit interviews are rife with politically correct reasons for leaving, sometimes there is more behind the words. We only need to stop to look at the patterns or to dig a little deeper to hear what's really being said.

For example, "I'm leaving for more money," can sometimes be translated into, "I'm really leaving because I was never thanked or recognized for all of my hard work." When people don't feel valued or appreciated they often start complaining about how little they're paid. Of course, in this tight employee market, leaving for more money is often the actual reason, and there is no other hidden message. However, money is a tangible measure of appreciation, and in the absence of personal recognition, it becomes the demand that isn't embarrassing to make.

"I'm leaving for more responsibility and advancement opportunity" can sometimes really mean, "My boss gave me no feedback and acted like I was a piece of furniture." Smart managers know that some of the best ways to keep people today are to challenge them, to coach them and to care about them. If one area is losing employees faster than it can find new ones, the cause can often be traced to the manager.

Symptom: Absenteeism.

As with the rest of these symptoms, the cause might be resting with the employees themselves; but it could also be hinting at a bigger issue. For example, the job might be hideously boring, or the working conditions might be unnecessarily stressful. In other cases, it might be a manager who is either a wimp or a bully. In many cases, an organizational fix can make a big difference. For example, in one troubled department, employees participated in designing a cross-training and job-rotation program that cut the absenteeism rate in half.

If you find yourself facing a similar workplace issue, do your own investigation to determine if you should take it at face value, or dig a little deeper for the real cause of the problem.

Joan Lloyd is a speaker, trainer and consultant for companies of all sizes, from start-ups to the Fortune 500, as well as trade and professional associations across the U.S.
Reach her at (800) 348-1944, info@joanlloyd.com, or www.joanlloyd.com.