Editor’s Note: Readers frequently ask about past TLNT articles, so every Friday, we republish a Classic TLNT post.
The world is an unhappy place when you don’t like your job.
Job dissatisfaction is the gateway to disengagement, disengagement leads to lowered performance, and lowered performance affects your bottom line.
However, if an employee is disengaged, they rarely verbalize it to their manager — which is a problem. Managers must not only be able to recognize the non-verbal cues of disengagement, but also take steps to re-engage the employee in a positive way.
How can you tell when an employee is unhappy at work? The warning signs are fairly obvious:
Realizing the first signs of discontent can help you identify a disengaged employee and take the necessary steps to try to get them back on board – starting with engaging them on a personal level.
It’s important for the manager to be a good listener in these discussions, as unhappy employees may find it socially awkward to air their grievances, or they may fear repercussions for speaking up.
Make them feel safe from those things and have a candid conversation that gets to the root of the issue — it will put them on the road to happiness.
This was originally published on the Michael C. Fina blog.
