Workplace Issues You Need to Address

No matter how much you try to make your company the most ideal place to work in, you may still have to deal with several common crises in the workplace. Even the most successful entrepreneurs have had their fair share of office concerns they had to settle to achieve a harmonious working space.

As employer, you can expect employees to perform their jobs at the best of their abilities, but their performance can easily be affected by the conditions around them and how you deal with them. To keep your workforce intact, keep an eye out on these common issues that could be lurking around your workplace.

Stress leading to burnout

Stress and anxiety can take its toll on an employee, leading to poor job performance and  decreased quality of colleague relationships. If not addressed immediately, the stress can become chronic or long-term, which can lead to more serious physical and psychological health problems.

Make sure that your employees are not overloaded with work. Collaborate with your managers to find out how your workers are handling the workload and find ways on how you can make it lighter for them. Initiating break times and fun icebreaker activities can help release some steam off.

Harassment and bullying

Harassment and bullying in the workplace are very serious issues that should be dealt with right away. No employee has to experience any physical or mental harm, threats, intimidation, degradation, or humiliation, especially in his or her place of work.

As an employer, it is your responsibility to prevent such situations, which might extend to social office gatherings, parties, or outings. Keep a listening ear out to any employee who may be dealing with such problems and address the situation accordingly.

Too much distractions

In today’s day and age, employees can be easily distracted by all the available resources that can be accessed through the web, which can compromise the quality of work and slow down the work pace.

While self-discipline is key to keeping distractions at bay, the management may need to interfere with such habits to place employees back on track. Regulate the use of the internet by putting together a reasonable policy and educating your employees about its rules and regulations.

Drug and alcohol abuse

It is estimated that 70% of Americans who use illegal drugs have jobs, which spells big trouble in the workplace. Drug and alcohol abuse among employees have been linked to increased absenteeism, theft, injuries, and decreased productivity and employee morale—and you don’t want your company to deal with any of that.

A possible solution would be to require a marijuana drug test during the hiring process to ensure that new hires are clean of any drug influence. Since marijuana is the most commonly abused illegal drug among employees, a marijuana urine test is one of the most relevant drug tests to consider. You can also establish an employee assistance program that will provide assessment, counseling, and referral of current employees with drug abuse problems.

With so many different types of personalities working together under the same roof, problems within the workplace can easily arise. However, such issues can be simply addressed by hearing out your employees and placing yourself in their shoes from time to time.