One disgruntled employee unattended equals a team that has gone unproductive. Learn how to identify and handle disgruntlement in your team. Read on!
Disgruntled employee
A disgruntled employee is a person working in an organization but not happy with his or her job. The person may be unhappy with the work environment, the behavior of the supervisor or co-workers, or the company’s leadership. In this article, we will discuss the definition of disgruntled employee and how to manage disgruntled employees.
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Disgruntled employees definition
What is a disgruntled employee? Disgruntled employees definition states professionals grumbling about the company they are working for. They are either not in sync with the company’s policies and norms or the behavioral characteristics of any other employee. They need to be heard out and that’s how the HR department or the managers come into the vigilance.
What does disgruntled mean
What does disgruntled mean? The word “disgruntled” essentially means dissatisfied, angry, or discontented. And when it comes to what is a disgruntled employee, the person is upset with his or her professional life or maybe even with personal life. The reason can be a lack of recognition, disrespect, or a lack of satisfactory compensation package.
Disgruntled employee meaning
Elaborating on disgruntled employee meaning, they are quick on spreading hatred and dissatisfaction among other employees in the company. Often they resort to causing harm to the organization. They need to be controlled on an urgent basis for the security of the employees and the organization. And more importantly, they need to be identified fast.
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Why handling a disgruntled worker is important?
Handling a disgruntled worker is important and crucial. Though studies have proved the majority of them are harmless but there are exceptions. So before they cause serious damage to the company’s stature and its assets, it’s vital to understand their grievance and usher in restoration at the earliest.
An angry employee spreads negativity
An angry employee can spread negative thoughts about the company’s reputation, its norms, and policies. Besides a disgruntled employee may even inculcate wrong messages about any employee or supervisor. Remember, a disgruntled worker does not dread being suspended or expelled from the company; hence dealing with their aggressions is critical.
An unhappy employee hampers productivity
An unhappy employee lacks the motivation to contribute to the company. He or she does not possess the zeal to complete the assigned tasks as per the stipulated time. Such kind of a disgruntled worker hampers the overall productivity of a team, unit or department. Projects and programs fail to achieve the desired objectives.
Angry employees disbalance teamwork
Teamwork is an essential aspect of a program’s success. Angry employees seldom are interested to support the team and its members. This may affect the work continuity and flawless output. A disgruntled worker thus disbalances the interpersonal relationship between the team members; thus hampering the bonding and integrity.
Disgruntled employees avoid communication
They ignore and avoid communicating with peers and supervisors. They do not help or assist others. Or may even deviate or distract others from their work. They may refrain from responding to important official emails and may be absent from meetings and discussions that would demand mandatory presence.
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How to identify a disgruntled employee?
You have to notice the signs of dissatisfaction and disgruntlement among the employees. The early you notice symptoms, the faster you will be able to reduce unavoidable situations and damages to the company’s reputation.
The negative attitude among unhappy employees
Unhappy employees are never positive about a program’s success and productivity. They tend to oppose all decisions of the management and the team where they belong to. A disgruntled employee disagrees with the target dates of tasks. He or she do not align their mindset with the other team members.
An upset employee with a lack of motivation
A sad or upset employee with low motivational and inspirational levels is a disgruntled employee and needs serious attention. They do not complete their work as per the schedule and do not engage freely with the other team members. Lethargy is another point to be noticed among them, lacking serious commitment and dedication.
Opting excessive breaks are disgruntled employee signs
When you look for disgruntled employee signs, check whether an individual is opting for excessive breaks or leaves. They would often vanish from the office for few days without even prior intimation, stating ill-health or any other personal issues. He or she may select critical timelines in a project or a program for leaves.
A disgruntled person spreading negative feedback
Be aware of a disgruntled person spreading negative feedback about co-workers or supervisors. Besides they may also percolate inappropriate comments about the company’s vision, mission, and objectives. They are normally not happy with the company’s policies and wages too and try to express vengeance.
A mad employee resorting to verbal abuse
If you ever observe a mad employee frequently using aggressive and abusive comments, then you must rest assured the person is a disgruntled employee. They may constantly utter remarks related to their personal or financial issues. Often they resort to comments that may instigate violence within the organization.
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How to deal with a disgruntled employee?
The next crucial step is how to deal with a disgruntled employee. This demands patience, being professional, and showing empathy. Let us discuss the ways and means to do so.
Be professional while dealing with disgruntled employees
While dealing with this, wear your professional hat. If you are acting as the mediator between a disgruntled employee and his or her manager or peer, you ought to remain neutral. There may be heated discussions or arguments during the mediation but you need to stay unbiased. You need to use your judgment to decide who is wrong and who is right.
Ensuring privacy is one of the means of how to deal with angry employees
When it comes to how to deal with angry employees, it is vital to ensure the privacy of the issue being faced by the concerned employee. The reason being if you need to deep dive into the problems, you can protect the integrity of the individual. They will open up and share with you all the information in confidence. Unhappy employees seek trust and faith while sharing their grievances.
Listen to the problems of a pissed off employee
Listening to the problems of a pissed off employee and offer solutions to heal up their situations. Instead of punishing them for their behavior, initiate a dialogue to understand the underlying problem. Provide a constructive solution to the problem for a seamless and acceptable resolution. Follow up with the solution so that there is continuity.
Be kind and show empathy to unhappy employees in the workplace
Though it is understood that many a time unhappy employees in the workplace welcome disturbance in the workplace, yet we need to be kind to them so that they open up with their issues. Hence as an answer to your query of how to deal with a disgruntled employee, show empathy and kindness to keep them comfortable.
Leverage examples of disgruntled employees and how they recovered from situations
Sought past examples of disgruntled employees in your communication and how their issues were resolved. Leverage them as a learning and as a practical scenario to ease out of problems; set aside any kind of disgruntlement and distress. Prior examples also act as a reference to find out solutions to the toughest of problems. Sometimes you may need to undertake legal actions too if things start falling apart.
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How to handle a disgruntled employee when in remote?
There is a considerable difference between how to handle a disgruntled employee operating remotely and operating from office premises. Since remote team members do not meet face to face often, there can be multiple chances of dissatisfaction.
Isolation and lack of attention are the major contributors to feel unhappy. Hence you need to be extra cautious while dealing with a remote disgruntled employee.
Avoid firing while deciding how to deal with disgruntled employee
While deliberating on how to deal with disgruntled employee or how to handle a disgruntled employee, avoid firing the person from the company. Do not punish them upfront for their behavior or penalize them. The suggestion is to help them out of the situation and give them a chance to be fine.
Maintain a file as a best practice on how to deal with unhappy employees
“How to deal with unhappy employees?” – One of the best answers to the question is to maintain a well-documented file. The file must contain all the information exchanged and the occurrence of conversations. This is to ensure that you are following all the ethical norms and HR guidelines while handling the disgruntled employees.
Guide unhappy employees what to do to handle distress
Guiding and assisting unhappy employees what to do to handle distress and trouble is one of the best ways to help a disgruntled employee. Many a time a person finds it tough to tackle a problem on their own and resort to erratic behavior. You can act as a savior and aid them in resolving the issues by providing appropriate guidance and support.
Talk one on one while dealing with unhappy employees
While dealing with unhappy employees working remotely, it is suggested to speak with them through a one on one meeting. They can feel at ease and confide in you their problems. You can enquire about their well-being and listen to their problems for a resolution and a safe solution.
Dealing with angry employees tips for managers
Here are some dealing with angry employees tips for managers to refer to. Supervisors or managers must never overreact with them. Sit with them and calmly understand the problems bothering angry employees. Seek for mitigation of the problem by acting as a negotiator.
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Best practices – disgruntled employees human resources strategies
In this section, we will discuss the best practices or disgruntled employees human resources strategies which will eventually guide you in adopting the appropriate methods to handle a disgruntled employee. They will serve as a good guide and reference while pacifying unhappy employees and resolving problems.
Be fast to handle unsatisfied employees
Unsatisfied employees must never be ignored or neglected. They should be handled as fast as possible to avoid any kind of major damages to the company. It is recommended to listen to a disgruntled employee, analyze his or her problems and seek a faster resolution.
Check out for the disgruntled employee of the month
It is recommended that you check for the disgruntled employee of the month and ensure the same person is not repeated the next month. It is one of the best disgruntled employees human resources strategies to ensure all dissatisfactions are handled and move into restoring the ill-will existing within them.
Handling disgruntled employees with calmness
While handling disgruntled employees, show empathy, kindness and try to maintain composure. Listen to their problems, analyze them well and offer acceptable solutions. It is not advisable to show aggression or even humiliate them in the company. Problems can have different facets and hence must be handled with generosity.
Record all information while you are on how to handle angry employees
“How to handle angry employees?” Well, it’s one of the responsibilities of the HR department or the Ethical counsellor in a company. But since they are operating under legal bindings and company norms, they must be professional and record every interaction with the troubled employee. It is one of the mandatory disgruntled employees human resources strategies to ensure there are no gaps and misunderstandings in between.
Maintain confidentiality while managing disgruntled employees
While managing disgruntled employees, it is crucial to maintain the confidentiality and privacy of the individuals. Else they would be a deterrent to share their personal grievances. You may not even be able to decode the problems associated with the employee. Also, it helps to maintain the integrity of the employee, allowing them to speak their minds out.
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