What Makes an Employee Disgruntled? Poor Management Decisions
A Look at Common Management Issues that Lead to Job Dissatisfaction in the Workforce
As someone who has been in the workforce for many years, I have had the opportunity to work with many people who became disgruntled former employees. While it is true some of these employees did not actually want to work, or were under the impression merchandise didn't have to be paid for, these are not the disgruntled former workers I am talking about. Most of the disgruntled former employees I have met had reasons to be disgruntled and to leave their employment.
Poor Managers
I have dealt with this issue in a companion article: What Makes an Employee Disgruntled? Poor Management Types. Poor managers rank as the number one reason people become dissatisfied with their jobs. (1)
Inadequate Pay
Inadequate compensation is a top reason employees loose their enthusiasm for a job, become disgruntled, and make the decision to leave. Hiring inexperienced new workers in at salaries equal to or greater than what experienced workers are making is a big cause for employee dissatisfaction. So is giving raises to your favorite employees while the office work horses get a pittance. Raises should be based upon personal performance, not tenure, favoritism, or nepotism. Raises should only be a "team" effort if you are the manager of the team and responible for the entire team.
Discrimination
Discrimination can be a serious problem in any job. In today's workplace, discrimination can work in two ways. Sometimes minorities have experienced discriminatory practices on the job. In other situations, companies afraid of lawsuits turn a blind eye to infractions by minority workers. Either situation results in workers becoming disgruntled due to unfair work practices. Discrimination and reverse discrimination are common causes for worker dissatisfaction.
Retribution
Retribution is a real problem in the workforce. An employee may receive unfair treatment because of a disability, or previous whistle-blowing activities, or for contacting the corporate office about issues on the job. Don't bother to bring up legal rights! Employees know the first thing that will happen is they will be labeled a "disgruntled employee" or worse. Usually, management knows just how much they can push the envelop without making harassment, discrimination, retribution, or other issues a legal matter. And managers can frequently find other employees in their inner circle or those desperately wanting to climb the corporate ladder to side with them, leaving one disgruntled worker with a complaint standing alone.
Downsizing, Layoffs, Closures
Store closings, office layoffs, and plant downsizings often result in some disgruntled employees. Often employees are made promises about benefits, pensions, retirement, grandfathered situations, etc. when they are hired, just to discover it all means nothing when the store or plant closes, and all the benefits they counted on for retirement go up in smoke.
Businesses are becoming increasingly canny about all of this. Now employees often have to sign disclosure agreements when they accept a severance package that they will NOT discuss any of their package details, pay, or company policies with the media. In other words, if one disgruntled worker does go public, the rest will be extremely slow to follow for fear of legal retribution. Business also have legal teams, publicity departments and other resources designed to make them look beneficent while painting the disgruntled employee as one lone slob who just didn't measure up.
Next time you hear about a whistle-blower or other former worker coming forward about problems at a previous business, don't be surprised if they are labeled as "a disgruntled former employee." This is the go-to term used for someone who probably has a legitimate complaint about a situation they were never able to address successfully while employed. And in case you are wondering, as I write this I am still gainfully employed, but one of these days as my company downsizes, I may be the "disgruntled former employee!"
SOURCES
What Makes an Employee Disgruntled? Poor Management Types
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Published by Kathryn E. Darden
An author, poet, publisher, publicist & skincare consultant, I have written for publications including CCM Magazine, The Tennessean, Barbie Bazaar Magazine, Christian Activities & several local newspapers.... View profile
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Post a CommentPART THREE
I told the parents that in the seven years I taught there I never saw one penny for my class of the tens of thousands of dollars in GATE funds but had used my own money to buy things. Needless to say, that didn't go over well.
I later retired from the district and was asked by the district to be their eyes and ears for construction of a new high school near where I lived that was flooding out people's property and a whole slew of other environmental problems. They thought I would be sympathetic to them and blunt the yelling and cussing people that were calling the school district.
After taking hundreds of photos and hours of video, I told them they had some big problems out there and showed some pictures at the next board meeting. I was never allowed to show pictures again and have had my rights to speak at the school board meeting cut. In the two years since with even more problems caused by the poorly designed and built $110 million school, I am now referred to as the "
PART TWO
For years I was called in at the end of the year and asked what I had bought specifically for my GATE class. I would explain that when I bought things (out of my own money) I did so for all my classes, GATE, college prep, and my basic classes cause I couldn't afford not to. One year I asked why they need to know and was told by the administrator "to justify our GATE funding". I asked how can I get some of the GATE funds and was told there really aren’t any. I found out that administrators were flying around staying in 4/5 star hotels going to GATE conferences with GATE funds. Later I was in the library when parents were coming in for a GATE meeting with the administrator and superintendent. I listened to them praise their program but when they said their teachers get GATE funding I raised my hand and was called on. "Here is Mr. ______ who is our wonderful GATE science teacher." I told the parents that in the seven years I taught there I never saw one penny for my class of th
For years I was the darling of science teachers. At one district the principal would parade visiting teachers and others through my class when showing off his school. One day he was escorting a big group through when I was giving a test to students. I got a note in my box asking why I was giving a test that day when he told me he was coming in that day.
In the school district I recently retired from, my students on the state test scored as high or higher than some of the top 100 ranked high schools in the country in the subject I taught, most of these schools with few minority students and few if any classified as socio-economically disadvantaged while my school was poor and low income. Teachers and administrators including the district superintendent had their kids put in my classes. I was even asked (forced) to teach courses that I was not "highly qualified to teach" according to NCLB so that their kids would have me as a teacher knowing what kind of job I would do.
For years I was
Very good thoughts.
Very true :) sheri
So right on!
I think you are right on the money with this article.
You might want to re-word the section on discrimination. Otherwise this is a really good piece IMHO.
I have always been an enthusiastic worker but became disgruntled when I got a horrible new boss. I had been at a job for nearly 6 years. I loved the job, I loved the company, I loved my bosses, couldn't have been happier then they restructored and the company controller became my boss. She was aweful, cruel, untrusting, just the worst boss you could imagine. I eventually quit after a year and a half of which 3 months of that were materinity leave, just mainly due to her. I wasn't the only one she upset and I saw fellow co-workers that I had worked with for years either quitting because of her or being let go because they could not get a long with her. I still don't understand why the higher ups did not realize that she was the problem. It is a shame she ruined what was a nice company to work for.
these are very important points! I find disgruntled employees usually have good reason for being that way. If only employers would treat their employess as equals and on the same level with themselves and customers! sigh...