We’ve all been there. The problems aren’t big, but they’re frequent and persistent. Each day, you head home feeling irritable, exhausted, and drained. When the road is bumpy with you team, frustration is an emotion that can overtake not just you, but your entire culture.
Frustration in the workplace is a symptom of a bigger problem, and if not dealt with, it can be a breeding ground for new problems like burnout, broken relationships, and high turnover.
How do you know if frustration is pervasive in your business? Why do some periods of time in your workplace cause higher frustration than others? Why does it matter? How do you nip it in the bud?
If your company has a problem with workplace frustration, you may begin to notice your team exhibiting the following behaviors:
- Decreased motivation
- Emotional outbursts
- Decreased productivity
- Cynicism
If you’re a leader at your company in Human Resources, management, or a small business owner, you may be tempted to blame the employee for their bad attitude. But, you hired them for a reason and something has soured; as their leader, it’s on you to figure out how what’s the root cause of their frustration.
Many things can contribute to frustration among your employees: stressful seasons with higher than usual output expectations; upside-down work/life balance; lack of financial incentives; unfair treatment; bad processes; lacking opportunities for professional growth… but the number one contributing factor to employee frustration is poor communication.
Communication is a two-way street. Your employees need to hear from you and gain understanding about systems, processes, intentionality behind decisions (especially when it comes to changes), your appreciation of them, and of the successes your company is experiencing. And, your employees need to feel heard and that their input matters to those leading them.
When businesses aren’t communicating effectively, frustration is a guarantee. When communication is open, frequent and clear, even when small conflicts arise, they can quickly be resolved.
Effective communication requires intentionality, strategy, and persistence – but that doesn’t mean it needs to be time consuming or difficult.
If you’d like to learn more about how to communicate more effectively with your employees, check out our free downloadable Human Resources Guide to Effective Communication, in which you’ll find dozens of great tools and strategies for upgrading your internal communications. Click here to get the eBook free in your inbox.