The 5 Most Common Issues Employees Have With Their Office Workplace

Employees are bound to have gripes with the way an office is run or set up. Some concerns are unique to specific workplaces while others are more widespread. Today, we’re delving into some of the most common issues an employee moans about regarding their office. This might include problems with the way the office is designed, issues with how managers operate the office and so on.

Why is learning about these things a good idea? Because it helps you prevent the issues from appearing in your workplace. Understand what annoys employees and you can actively work to keep the common problems at bay. You’ll end up with a far happier workplace and a more efficient business. So, let’s find out what annoys workers the most…

Bad Communication

Employees hate it when communication is awful in the office. The biggest example of this is getting told to do different things at once. A coworker asks you to do something or says a manager told you to do something. You start doing it, but then a manager appears and wonders why you’re doing this task as they want you to do something else.

It’s the most frustrating part of working in an office and signifies the whole place is poorly run.

You don’t want to cause frustration for your employees, so work on creating a good communication system at work. In days gone by, you may start the day with meetings so everyone knows what their jobs are for the day. This wastes time. Instead, use messaging and collaboration apps like Slack or WhatsApp to bring team members together. This can be where people message one another with questions about what needs to be done. If a worker gets conflicting information, they can fire a message to the group and get a response from the person in charge to clarify everything.

Outdated Equipment & Systems

It’s bizarre how many offices still operate under outdated equipment and systems. We’re talking about hardware and software here – slow PCs and inefficient printers or copiers make life hell. Your workers are accustomed to using the latest equipment at home, so this needs to be reflected in the workplace. You can’t try to save money by using decades-old stuff; invest in modern equipment and it pays for itself in the productivity benefits!

The same goes for modern systems and software. If your office still uses outdated Windows OS or does things in an archaic fashion, it makes life difficult for the employees. The most apparent example of this is when you still use old-school filing systems to store data. Maybe you’ve got filing cabinets filled with contracts or employee information – it’s how you always kept things, so you stuck with it.

Systems like this are awful. Not only are they inefficient, but they make your employees get so frustrated with how the business is run. Switch to modern digital filing and data storage solutions to make life easier for everyone. Likewise, if you’re using old software applications when newer and better ones exist, be sure to switch to them so people aren’t left annoyed by how slow and outdated they are.

Poor Workplace Security

Employees regularly worry about security in the workplace. This is a common issue when your office doesn’t have many security solutions in place. Primarily, it’s easy for anyone to just walk in without needing to pass an access system. Another frequent complaint is when businesses share office space with other companies and there’s a worry about employees from these different companies stealing personal equipment.

Two very simple ways of improving workplace security are to install an access system and get a few metal lockers for employees to store their belongings in. The access system can be as simple as a door lock that needs a code or where you have to swipe an ID card to get in. It controls who enters the office and means nobody from the street can wander in. With the lockers, you have a secure place for employees to keep their stuff while they work. It’s ideal in all offices, particularly co-working spaces when you don’t technically know the other people working in the space.

Uncomfortable Working Conditions

The physical working conditions are a big gripe for many employees around the world. While offices tend to have better conditions than other places of work, they can still be highly uncomfortable. We’ve identified a few key areas where employees are most likely to complain:

• Poor office ergonomics – this means desks and chairs that feel uncomfortable and cause lots of nagging back/neck pain.
• Noisy offices – excessive noise causes many distractions and makes it hard to focus.
• Bad temperature controls – when it’s too hot in the office, employees get sweaty and feel highly uncomfortable. If it’s too cold, they start to shiver and feel equally uncomfortable. Both result in a huge lack of productivity in the workplace.

Address all three of these concerns in your office to ensure you provide comfortable working conditions for every employee. It gives them one less thing to worry about and they will focus on their work.

Unnecessary Office Politics

We’ve saved the biggest annoyance for last. Unnecessary office politics makes many employees hate their jobs. This is when there’s blatant favouritism at work or perhaps a lot of office gossip flowing around. It feels like the office splits into factions and this makes working a lot harder than it should be.

As the business owner, you must ensure none of this happens. Keep a close eye on things and shut down any office politics when you see it. Maintain a level playing field and an open office environment for everyone. All of your employees should feel equal and cliques shouldn’t form.

Being aware of these five common issues is the first step in dealing with them. You might have them in your office already, in which case your task is to wipe them out. If your office is free from these concerns, then your job differs. The focus shifts to preventing them from becoming issues in the future, so you maintain a happy workforce.