What are the 4 employee responses to job dissatisfaction

The Hawthorne research, carried out in the 1930s brought up the issue of the relationship between a happy employee and the level of productivity, which pioneered other studies on the topic of job satisfaction and employee performance. It shows that businesses which provide their employees with a comfortable work environment have more productive workers thus highlighting the importance of looking into factors which cause employee dissatisfaction and resolving them.

Low Salary and Wages

Monetary motivation in terms of salary and wages proves a useful motivator for the performance of employees. According to the research conducted by Accenture, a globally recognized company, 47 and 44 percent of women and men respectively felt dissatisfaction for their jobs because their employers offered them low salaries. An Employee who feels his work performance does not correspond with his payment is more likely to lose his or her morale. The low morale results in poor performance.

Work Relationships

The work relationships employees foster in a workplace have an effect on the level of job satisfaction and the quality of work performed. This includes the relationship between the managers and the employees, for example, the level of fairness managers offer the different employees and the standards of supervision. In addition, the relationship between co-workers is important for example, an employee who suffers from bullying in the workplace has less chance of gaining satisfaction with his job which may negatively affect his quality of productivity.

Job Stress

The stress that an employee undergoes at work can negatively affect his performance and lead to dissatisfaction with his job. This stress may present itself when the demands of the job do not correspond with the skills of the employee or the resources which he or she has in the job thus leading to feelings of incompetence and lack of satisfaction with their work. Job stress is harmful to an employee’s health and can lead to fatigue, loss of appetite and depression, disrupting his or her work schedule. Although challenge in a workplace is important for molding of work talent excessive stress is harmful to the productivity of the business.

Inadequate Opportunities

Employees who feel their work does not offer them opportunities for growth or advancement in their careers are likely to become dissatisfied with their work and deliver poor quality work. This is because the interest the employee derives from his or her job increases when they have better opportunities to look forward to. The business should have in place a program to advance the careers of their employees such as promotions.

Lack of Appreciation

Employees who feel their employer appreciates and respect their work derive more satisfaction from their jobs and as a result, boost their work productivity. Employers who do not respect the work done by their workers de-motivate them which may result in reduced productivity of workers. Respect in the workplace gives employees the morale to work even harder to maintain their ratings.

Job dissatisfaction affects all employees in different degrees at different times. Like stress, how we choose to respond is more important than trying to deny or painfully suffer the consequences.

Many years ago, I learned about the EVLN Model in an organisational textbook. The simplicity of the model has always stuck with me, and often when in a teaching or facilitation moment, I share the model as an awareness tool for where dissatisfied staff may find themselves.

Employees respond to job dissatisfaction in one of the four ways:

Exit refers to leaving the organisation, transferring to another work unit, or at least trying to exit the dissatisfying situation. Exit usually follows specific “shock events,” such as when your boss treats you unfairly. These shock events generate strong emotions that energize employees to think about and search for an alternative employment.

Voice refers to any attempt to change, rather than escape from, the dissatisfying situation. Voice can be constructive response, such as recommending ways for management to improve the situation, or it can be more confrontational, such as by filing formal grievances. In the extreme, some employees might engage in counterproductive behaviours to get attention and force changes in the organization.

Loyalty has been described in different ways, but the most widely held view is that “loyalists” are employees who respond to dissatisfaction by patiently waiting – some say they “suffer in silence” – for the problem to work itself out or get resolved by others.

Neglect includes reducing work efforts, paying less attention to quality, and increasing absenteeism and lateness. It is generally considered a passive activity that has negative consequences for the organization. (1)

Which of these four do employees use most?

That depends on many factors. I would suggest they depend on situational factors (‘macro’- environmental, ‘micro’ – company) and personal factors. These may include

1. Employment prospects

2. Culture in the organisation

3. Relationship with manager

4. One’s personality

5. Consequence of positive or negative behaviours

Job dissatisfaction does not always result in poor job output (neglect). It is quite possible for employees to be productive whilst they complain or provide positive feedback (voice); or look for another job (exit) or patiently wait for the problem to fix itself (loyal). (2)

Organisations should focus on:

1. Developing managers (“people don’t quit companies, people quit management”)

2. Selecting the right staff (“many claim that 66% of employees are in jobs that they not suited to” – job fit)

3. Engagement with staff (“you win the team over one at a time” – go one on one)

Employees should focus on:

1. Choosing career paths carefully (career counselling – before further studies or when transitioning)

2. Their strengths (Markus Buckingham is a great author on the subject of playing to your strengths, and doing what is right for you)

3. Engage with people they trust (the more one speaks about their situation, the more the self aware and likely they are to find alternatives and solutions. If you don’t have a good relationship with your boss, work is going to be a drag.)

Where are you on the EVLN model? How shall you continue?

References:

1. Wikipedia (see EVLN model)

2. McShane – Von Glinow. Organisational Behavior (2004)

For more information, click on one of the following links:

1. Job fit – https://www.synout.co.za/profiling.php

2. Management Development – https://www.synout.co.za/training.php

3. Career Counselling – https://www.synout.co.za/career.php

Anil Salick is the founder of Synergistic Outcomes. (www.synout.co.za ) He can be contacted via email on

Job dissatisfaction is when an employee does not feel content in their job. This can be due to various professional and personal reasons such as lack of advancement, poor management, limited work-life balance, and more. 

What Causes Job Dissatisfaction?

Work takes up a significant percentage of one’s life, and people have expectations of what their job should be like. When these expectations are not met, it brings feelings of disappointment, bitterness, and lack of interest, leading to job dissatisfaction. 

Job dissatisfaction can grow from a variety of reasons, like: 

• Being underpaid

• Having an unsupportive or untrustworthy boss

• Limited career growth at an organization

• Lack of meaning behind a role

• Lack of work-life balance

• Poor management

What Happens When Workers Are Not Satisfied?

When workers are not satisfied, this can compel them to find job opportunities elsewhere. 

Others may choose to stay and remain unhappy. This might be due to fear of change, lack of updated skills, or an unwillingness to let go of certain benefits (their current pay, healthcare, retirement plan, etc.). 

Employee Response to Job Dissatisfaction

Employee response to job dissatisfaction can be broken down into four categories: 

1. Exit: The exit response is when employees leave an organization or transfer to a different department to get away from their unhappy situation.

1. Voice: Employees who fall in the voice category would speak up about their negative experience to management and provide recommendations on improving. This is considered the most constructive approach to job dissatisfaction.

1. Loyalty: Those who respond with loyalty will not take any action. They will simply stay at their job with the hope that changes will one day be made.

1. Neglect: Workers who respond with neglect perform their job duties poorly rather than actively seeking to improve their situation. They might call in sick frequently, submit lackluster work, and be unresponsive in messages/emails.

Job Dissatisfaction Effects

Not only does job dissatisfaction decrease work performance and morale, it can also negatively impact your bottom line. When employees are not engaged in their work, they are less likely to have the motivation to be productive and carry out quality services. 

Studies have shown a connection between a positive employee experience and a higher return on assets and sales. Companies that were ranked in the top 25 percent on employee experience reported nearly three times the return on assets and double the return on sales compared to businesses in the bottom quartile. 

5 Signs of Job Dissatisfaction

There are five key signs of job dissatisfaction. Employers can use these to help them better gauge the level of dissatisfaction in their workplace and make necessary changes.  

Texting friends, browsing through social media, or simply staring at the ceiling can illustrate a lack of interest in one’s work. One of the early signs of job dissatisfaction, disinterest progressively grows worse over time and can impact work performance.

A lack of interest can drive employees to procrastinate. People who procrastinate generally: 

• Wait until the last minute to complete a task

• Make excuses for not working on projects earlier

• Fail to put sufficient organization and thought into their work due to their limited time working on it 

Though every job carries its own set of stressful moments, if employees are constantly stressed out and in an irritable mood, this only makes job dissatisfaction worse. Irritability not only adversely affects one’s mental health, but it also affects their colleagues around them. 

When people aren’t happy with their jobs, they don’t want to carry out their responsibilities. Thus, they have a tendency to call in sick frequently. Frequent absences show an employee is unengaged and uncommitted to their work. 

When an employee isn’t fully investing their expertise and talents into their position, this is a sign they are not content. People who are satisfied with their jobs generally have more zeal to succeed in their roles. 

How Do You Overcome Job Dissatisfaction?

Overcoming job dissatisfaction requires tapping into employee issues and enhancing their experience. There are a number of ways your team can boost employee experience: 

• Provide recognition: Celebrate milestones and praise employees for their hard work during company meetings. Consider incorporating a reward system where workers receive some sort of compensation (money, more paid time off, team outings, etc.). 

• Create a payroll strategy that's tied with performance: Are you paying your employees well? Great. But do you have a payroll and compensation strategy that keeps your employees productive and satisfied? Consider an employee’s career trajectory and tie that into compensation to boost motivation, morale, and productivity.

• Provide training and mentoring: Nine in ten workers who have mentors say they are happy with their jobs. Mentoring can provide an opportunity for employees to train well in their roles, be given candid yet caring feedback, and be offered tips on climbing the ladder. 

• Engage your hourly employees: Hourly workers have an annual turnover rate of 49 percent. By providing accurate compensation and efficient communication, you can effectively meet the unique needs hourly employees require. 

• Listening and responding: We mentioned earlier that the most constructive response an employee can take to job dissatisfaction is to be vocal and bring up their concerns to management. Accordingly, managers can respond positively to that feedback. It will help if the employee feels heard and if management takes steps to address the needs that aren’t being met.