Category: Workplace Culture

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Workplace Productivity Statistics and Trends You Need to Know

Woz working at a cash register

Summary

  • Productivity in the US increased in the past year, which can indicate that businesses are adapting to disruptions following the largest decline experienced in 2022.

  • Employee engagement goes hand-in-hand with workplace productivity. Low engagement levels are expected to cost US$8.9 trillion or 9% of the global GDP.

  • All-in-one payroll, HR, and workforce management software can help boost productivity through features like labor forecasting and communication platforms.

Productivity is a key measure of efficiency in any organization, but how it’s defined and measured varies widely. For hourly teams, productivity is often measured in real-time, like how efficiently shifts are managed, how well teams keep up with demand, and how businesses balance labor costs with performance. 

Understanding the direction of workplace productivity is essential, especially as wages rise, new technologies emerge, and workforce expectations evolve. Trends in efficiency, labor costs, employee engagement, and automation have a direct impact on hourly teams. Staying informed about the latest developments in these areas helps businesses stay ahead and adapt to changing workforce dynamics. 

Let’s take a look at how productivity is evolving on a national scale and what organizations can do to keep pace with these changes.

Productivity rates and its impact on quality of life

Generally speaking, productivity has seen some peaks and valleys over the years. And it has a direct correlation with quality of life. 

During a TED talk, Yves Morieux, managing director and senior partner at Boston Consulting Group, explained how a 3% increase in productivity per year leads to a doubling of the standard of living for every subsequent generation. If that growth is reduced to 1%, it will take three generations to double the standard of living – leading to every generation being less well-off than their parents. Sound familiar? 

“They will have less of everything: smaller roofs, or perhaps no roof at all, less access to education, to vitamins, to antibiotics, to vaccination – to everything. Think of all the problems that we’re facing at the moment. Chances are that they are rooted in the productivity crisis,” shares Yves Morieux.

In 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported the sharpest decline in productivity since 1947. Nonfarm productivity landed at 7.5% in the first quarter of 2022, the lowest since the third quarter of 1947. This reflects pandemic-related disruptions, supply chain issues, and labor shortages.

The BLS defines labor productivity (or output per hour) as the division of “an index of real output by an index of hours worked.” They calculate the productivity of “all persons.” This includes employees, business owners, and unpaid family workers.

However, productivity has since recovered, and the BLS saw a 1.2% increase in labor productivity in nonfarm sectors. Productivity growth can indicate that businesses have adapted to automation, training, and better labor allocation. 

Information from the BLS reflects economic trends, which can indicate changes in the labor market, wages, and overall productivity. It’s vital to stay abreast of these broader numbers and assess them with your own internal data so you can make better decisions and strategies for your team.

Hourly wage trends and impact on business costs

Hourly compensation continued to rise in the fourth quarter of 2024, with BLS reporting a 4.2% growth. Labor unit costs also grew by 3%.

Additionally, minimum wage increases took effect in over 20 states in 2025. Some states and cities implemented higher minimum wages at the start of the year, while others are scheduled to have increases later in the year.

As wages rise, businesses may face higher operational costs, which can lead to price adjustments for products and services. Labor forecasting becomes even more essential as employers balance staffing levels to maintain productivity without the risks of over- or understaffing.

Automation is also vital, especially for managers, in optimizing workforce management. Tools like time and attendance tracking, employee scheduling, performance management platforms, and payroll software can eliminate administrative burdens, allowing managers to focus on running a productive operation. With the right technology, managers can spend less time on routine tasks and more time analyzing data and making informed decisions to improve productivity.

Disengaged employees can cause lower productivity

Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2024 report shows that 62% of workers surveyed are disengaged, and low engagement is estimated to cost the global economy US$8.9 trillion or 9% of the global GDP.

The study also examined daily stress, finding that 41% of respondents experienced stress the previous day. While it’s important to note that the survey didn’t directly ask if the stress was experienced at work, consider that time spent in the workplace is also a significant factor in daily experiences and emotions.

Employee engagement is strongly linked to better business outcomes and employee retention. The study’s findings reiterate just how crucial it is for human resources professionals to prioritize employees’ mental health and maintain a good work environment to retain top talent, achieve higher productivity, and maintain healthier profits.

Automation and AI in hourly workforces

The adoption of AI and automation will continue in HR, and they’re expected to still play a major role in streamlining administrative processes such as hiring, onboarding, time tracking, labor forecasting, and payroll processing.

Also read: HR Trends for Hourly Workforces in 2025

However, while AI is often associated with productivity gains, its impact is not always straightforward. A study found that 77% of workers using AI disclosed that it added to their workload, presenting unexpected challenges in achieving the efficiency improvements employers anticipate. Furthermore, 47% of employees using AI admitted they were unsure how to meet their employers’ productivity expectations despite the technology’s implementation. 

Clearly, technology is only as effective as its implementation. While AI has the potential to drive efficiency and profitability, its success depends on how well it integrates into workflows and supports employees rather than burdening them. Leadership plays a crucial role in ensuring AI adoption leads to practical, measurable improvements rather than becoming a source of frustration or inefficiency. Business leaders that introduce AI without a clear, well-structured strategy risk making work more complicated, which can result in lost productivity.

AI adoption should go beyond industry trends and buzzwords. It should be a strategic investment that delivers tangible benefits for both businesses and their employees.

Flexibility and job satisfaction beyond remote employees

For office workers, flexibility and work-life balance is typically to remote work or hybrid work arrangements, where they have greater control over their schedules and can work from home. However, for hourly teams, flexibility takes on a different meaning—one that is just as critical to job satisfaction and overall employee experience.

For hourly employees, flexibility isn’t about location but about having clear work hours in advance. Since their roles typically require them to be on-site, knowing their schedules ahead of time allows them to plan for personal commitments, reduce stress, and maintain a healthier work-life balance. This level of predictability on their work times keeps employees engaged, while minimizing issues like absenteeism and productivity losses.

If you’re managing an hourly workforce, ensuring employees receive their schedules well in advance is one of the most effective ways to enhance job satisfaction, improve employee experience, and maintain a more reliable and efficient team.

Potential shifts with workweek structures

There’s a current push for a 32-hour workweek, and its potential benefits for salaried, white-collar workers are clear. Many can complete the same amount of work in a shorter period. But what about businesses that rely on non-exempt, hourly employees? 

For hourly workers, wages are directly tied to time worked, meaning a reduction from a 40-hour to a 32-hour schedule could significantly impact take-home pay unless accompanied by an increase in hourly wages. For businesses, especially those operating 24/7, transitioning to a shorter workweek presents operational challenges, from scheduling to maintaining productivity levels.

While it is still not in effect, businesses should monitor developments closely and consider how changes could affect operations and employee compensation.

Boost productivity with Workforce.com

Frontline teams looking to boost productivity turn to Workforce.com for solutions like scheduling, labor forecasting, employee communications, recruitment, performance management, and payroll. Having all of these functionalities housed in a single, powerful system helps simplify work models and drive better results. Here are some of the ways Workforce.com can help you do exactly that:

Automating administrative processes

Cut time spent filling shift schedules with Workforce.com’s scheduling system. Instead of manually building schedules with spreadsheets, managers can create and populate shifts in minutes and ensure employees only do work they are qualified for. This helps prevent burnout among your team and safeguards employee well-being.

Managers can also automatically approve and amend timesheets in bulk with Workforce.com’s time and attendance software. Once timesheets are finalized and approved, they can be exported to payroll, where wages, overtime, deductions, withholdings, and incentives are calculated automatically, ensuring accurate and timely pay for employees. 

By eliminating manual processes, businesses can significantly reduce administrative workload, allowing teams to focus on higher-value activities to increase revenue and improve employee experience.

Optimize Scheduling with AI-Powered Labor Forecasting

Workforce.com’s labor forecasting system employs AI to predict staffing needs based on historical sales, economic trends, booked appointments, ongoing events, weather, and practically any metric that’s relevant to your operations.

Webinar: How to Forecast Your Schedule

With data-driven insights, you can determine exactly how many staff you need, where they need to be, and when they need to be there, all while avoiding the unnecessary costs of over or understaffing.

Improve team communication

Better communication leads to higher employee engagement and productivity. Workforce.com’s employee app fosters more open and transparent processes across your company.

Management and human resources can inform their team of upcoming shifts, scheduling conflicts, and shift changes instantly and across the board. While scheduling, managers can add important notes and reminders to shifts for specific employees. Important announcements can also be sent out by team or location.

Optimize manager duties

Workforce.com empowers managers with real-time insights into frontline operations. With time and attendance software, managers are instantly alerted when employees are running late or absent, approaching overtime, or missing scheduled breaks. In addition, managers can also offer up vacant shifts to qualified and available staff in case of no-shows or last-minute absences.

Workforce.com facilitates two-way shift feedback with staff members. Management can provide staff members with feedback on their performance per shift, and staff can also provide management with on-the-ground insights through feedback on staffing levels, communication, and teamwork. 

Workforce.com has a proven track record of improving work productivity and employee satisfaction in various industries worldwide. Check out these client success stories or book a demo today to see the platform in action. 

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Are DEI programs at risk? What the new executive orders mean for businesses

Within his first few days back in office, President Trump issued executive orders halting DEI programs in federal agencies. On January 20, the first executive order directed the shutdown of federal DEI programs. Federal DEI staff were also put on leave, and federal grantees had to discontinue DEI practices deemed discriminatory or preferential.

The next day, the White House published another executive order emphasizing merit-based opportunities, individual initiative, and hard work. It also instructed the Attorney General to recommend strategies for enforcing civil rights laws and ways to “encourage businesses to end illegal discrimination and preferences, including DEI.”

While the definition of “illegal DEI” remains unclear, these executive actions and the Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action in college admissions have prompted some private sector companies to rethink their DEI policies.

How businesses are responding

While the executive orders primarily target federal agencies, grantees, and contractors, their impact was also felt across the private sector as companies reassess their DEI commitments.

Even before these orders, some major corporations had begun scaling back DEI initiatives. Last year, Walmart discontinued its DEI training and chose not to renew its racial equity center, instead shifting its language to emphasize “belonging“. Similarly, Target ended its three-year DEI goals and will no longer participate in diversity-focused surveys, including HRC’s Corporate Quality Index. McDonald’s announced restructuring its DEI efforts, transitioning its diversity team into a broader Global Inclusion Team, and will conclude its Supply Chain’s Mutual Commitment to DEI pledge.

However, some businesses are standing firm. Costco shareholders turned down a proposal to evaluate their current DEI practices. Cosmetics brand e.l.f. also has a similar stance and reaffirmed its commitment, maintaining its policies despite broader industry pullbacks.

What does it mean for your business?

Should you roll back your DEI programs? While recent executive orders may create pressure to scale back, it would be best to evaluate your policies before making any drastic changes. 

Workplace fairness should always be a priority whether you have formal DEI initiatives or not. If you manage an hourly team, here are some ways to practice fairness and equality across your organization. 

Hire without bias. If your hiring process includes explicit demographic quotas, it may be legally risky under the new executive orders. Instead, focus on qualifications, skills, and experience rather than factors like race, age, or gender. Use structured hiring practices that prioritize job-related qualifications. Workforce.com’s HR platform allows hiring teams to set preliminary screening questions on job listings, helping filter candidates based on essential qualifications, not personal demographics.

Distribute work hours fairly. Shift assignments should be fair and consistent to avoid unintentional favoritism. Use a scheduling system that allows you to distribute work hours and overtime evenly among team members. Workforce.com’s scheduling software enables managers to allocate work hours based on demand, availability, maximum hours allowed, and other compliance requirements.

Audit your current policies. While there’s still no definitive list of practices or policies deemed “illegal” under the executive orders, it’s wise to assess your current policies for anything that could be interpreted as preferential treatment. Review existing DEI programs to ensure they focus on merit, skills, and equal opportunity rather than demographic-based preferences. In addition, if your company receives federal grants or is a federal contractor, ensure that your policies align with the latest executive directives to avoid compliance risks.

Do businesses need to abandon DEI practices? Not necessarily, but they have to do it smarter. Focus on fairness, merit, and equal opportunity so that policies can remain compliant, maintain an inclusive work environment, and stay pace with evolving federal regulations. 

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Should You Implement Tip Pooling? Pros, Cons, and Best Practices for Restaurants

Summary

  • 77% of diners say that quality of service influences how much they tip, which begs the question: should tips be pooled and distributed to the whole team? 
  • Tip pooling is an arrangement wherein tips earned are pooled together and redistributed among all eligible restaurant workers. 
  • Payroll software simplifies tip and wage calculations, helping employers stay organized and compliant 

Tipping in restaurants isn’t just about the food; it’s about the entire dining experience—and it relies on teamwork. Serving food is as important as cooking dishes, cleaning plates, and resetting tables. While a study shows that 77% of diners say the quality of service influences how much they tip, it’s worth considering: should tips be shared beyond servers and also among the broader team of restaurant employees that contributes behind the scenes? After all, a good experience is a collective effort involving both front-of-house (FOH) and back-of-house (BOH) staff. This is where tip pooling comes in.

Tip pooling in restaurants defined

Everyone is familiar with the traditional tipping model: diners pay a voluntary but socially expected tip of at least 15% for good service. This is usually a cash tip directly handed to their server and kept by that server. Tip pooling is a formal arrangement that allows the restaurant to collect all gratuities and then redistribute the total amount of tips between workers.

Tip pooling is based on the idea that a gratuity is given for the overall dining experience, not just how quickly and politely the food was served. This means kitchen staff, bartenders, bussers, and front-of-house hosts all share in the reward.

The way the mandatory tip pool is handled can vary from restaurant to restaurant. There is no legally mandated method of working out how tips are pooled. Common ways of working out the tip split include:

  • Percentage-based pooling – Tips are pooled and redistributed according to pre-established percentages.
  • Role-based allocation – Tips are split based on roles, e.g., 60% to servers, 20% to bussers, and 20% to bartenders. 
  • Hour-based distribution – This method is based on the number of hours an employee worked in a shift. The employee will get tips that are proportional to the hours they worked. 
  • Shift-based pooling – Tip pools are created on a per shift basis, and only employees who worked a particular shift are eligible to get tips from the pool. 
  • Team-based pooling – Tips are distributed among teams. For instance, FOH workers get 70% of the pool, while BOH staff receive 30%.
  • Points system – Staff earn points based on their roles, experience, or contribution. At the end of the shift, points are totaled, and each point is assigned a dollar value calculated from the total tips earned.
  • Equal distribution – The most straightforward method wherein all tips are pooled and divided equally among all eligible staff. For instance, a pool of $1,000 is equally split among 10 employees. Therefore, each one takes $100 each.  
  • Combination or hybrid method – It’s the employer’s prerogative how to structure a tip pooling system. Therefore, the option to use a method or two from usual structures may be needed to address specific concerns.

What you need to know about tip pooling laws

Given how central tipping is to the service industry economy, it’s no wonder it’s been a legislative battleground. Federal law governing tips has undergone several significant changes over the years, including who’s entitled to keep their tips, who’s eligible for tip pooling, determining tip-facing occupations, recordkeeping rules for employers, and how tip credits can come into play. 

But after all of the rigorous changes, from new rules being enacted to some being repealed, here are the fundamental principles of federal tip laws:

Tips are exclusive to employees

The US Department of Labor strictly prohibits employers, including managers and supervisors, from keeping any portion of employees’ tips, whether the tips are received directly or via a tip pool. They are explicitly not allowed to demand, request, or coerce staff members to surrender their tips outside a legally compliant tip pooling or distribution system. 

Tip pooling

Employers can establish a system to manage gratuities and require employees to pool tips. However, managers and supervisors are not eligible for tips from these pools. It could include, however, non-tipped employees such as kitchen staff as long as the employer doesn’t take a tip credit and pays employees the full minimum wage. 

Tip credit

Employers can pay employees less than the federal minimum wage through a tip credit. For instance, employers can pay as little as $2.13 per hour if tips bring the employee’s total earnings to at least the federal minimum wage. 

If an employee performs dual roles, the employer can only take a tip credit on the job that has tipped tasks such as serving customers. For instance, an employee is working as a server and a janitor. In this case, the employer can’t use a tip credit for the hours the employee performs janitorial work because that’s not a tipped job. 

Service charges

Unlike tips, service charges are mandatory fees added to a client’s bill and are considered as property of the employer. Should restaurant owners choose to allocate a portion of the service charges to employees, those amounts would be classified as wages, and not tips. However, employers can use those amounts to meet federal minimum wage requirements under the FLSA.

Some states impose additional rules around service charges. For instance, in New York, restaurant owners must explicitly disclose how service charges are allocated in contracts, invoices, or menus. If a portion of the service charge will be shared with employees, the allocation must also be disclosed.

The main thing to remember is that unless a formal tip pooling system is in place, tips belong to employees, not the restaurant. While restaurants are allowed to bring in a tip pooling system, best practice says it should be done with the employees’ agreement and clearly explained in their contracts.As always, with any labor legislation, there may be local or state laws relating to gratuities. For instance, California doesn’t allow employers to take tip credits. Be sure to check your exposure or seek legal advice in this area before proceeding with any decisions regarding the income of tipped employees.

The pros of tip pooling

The main benefit of tip pooling is that it addresses the imbalance between front-of-house servers and other staff by pooling gratuities and disbursing them to all staff. Although well established, traditional tipping is an erratic way of being paid. Tips can also be vulnerable to discrimination since they rely entirely on social expectations rather than legislation. This means that even for serving staff who benefit from tips, the amount earned can vary wildly depending on myriad factors.

Tips can also create an “us and them” situation between front-of-house (FOH) and back-of-house (BOH) staff. Most restaurants experience this friction, where cooks and bussers are out-earned by servers simply because one group earns tips and the other doesn’t. Hiring kitchen and other backroom staff is easier when they’re not at a disadvantage compared to tipped front-of-house workers.In theory, tip pooling can strengthen teamwork by encouraging a greater focus on the overall dining experience.

The cons of tip pooling

Anything that impacts how much money staff takes home each shift is bound to cause friction, and tip pooling is no exception. As you’d expect for a system that takes money from one group and hands some of it to others, it’s divisive. Implementing such a system can introduce negativity into the workplace if handled poorly.

While some locations have found a workable tip pooling model, with buy-in from all staff, there is a strong chance that it simply takes a small pool of money and spreads it more thinly. Research has shown that although diners expect and prefer their server to keep all of their tips, a tip pooling system doesn’t change the amount people tip.

Tipped employees mostly rely on their tips more than their contracted salary to make ends meet. This means anything that cuts into that income can have an immediate impact on their quality of life and, by extension, their engagement at work. Introduce a tip pooling system to an existing restaurant, and your best front-of-house staff, the ones used to earning the most in tips, may well leave for a restaurant that uses traditional tipping to maintain their income level.

Tips for implementing an effective restaurant tip pooling system

Implementing a tip pooling arrangement is a balancing act. When done right, it can foster teamwork and fairness. However, if mismanaged, it risks impacting employee retention and morale. If you believe every team member contributing to the guest experience deserves a a part of the tip, getting it right from the start is crucial. Here are some practical tips for building a tip pooling system: 

Create clear and fair policies. 

While there’s no specific FLSA-mandated structure to building a tip pooling system, creating a system that works for your team is essential. Employers must develop a policy that is fair to all employees. Start by assessing your operations and determining the best distribution method. Should tips be allocated based on roles, hours worked, or shifts? Outline clear factors for determining allocations to ensure everyone understands and agrees on the system’s fairness.

Monitor, evaluate, and adjust.

Like any company policy, your tip pooling rules should not be set in stone. Since they directly affect employees’ wages, reviewing them regularly is crucial.  Is the system meeting your team’s needs? Are there gaps in fairness or clarity? Gather feedback and make adjustments as needed to enhance employee reception or ensure compliance with legal updates.

Understand the legal framework.

While you have the flexibility to structure your tip pooling policy, it must comply with federal and state laws. It is essential to understand the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and any applicable local regulations regarding tip pooling and wage distribution. Maintaining compliance ensures that your system is both fair and lawful, helping you avoid costly penalties.

Communicate with your employees.

Transparency is vital to successful implementation. Explain the policy to your employees during onboarding and provide them with accessible resources for reference, such as an employee handbook. Managers should also be prepared to address questions or concerns along the way. 

Use technology to stay on top of tip pooling calculations

Managing a restaurant involves many complexities, and handling payroll for various staff and teams is challenging on its own. Adding tip pooling to the equation can make it even more demanding.

The good news is that technology can simplify the process, ensuring that eligible employees receive the tips they rightfully earn.

Workforce.com is a system that can do that and more. Here are some of the ways it can help you manage tip pooling and wages.

  • Classifying employees – Workforce.com automatically knows who’s entitled to what. Whether your tip pooling system is based on roles, shifts, or hours worked, it can make accurate and automated calculations based on an employee’s qualifications. This can be easily set as early as onboarding and updated anytime on the system.  
  • Centralized records – Employee profiles created during onboarding sync across scheduling, payroll, and attendance systems, reducing errors and duplication. That means there’s only one source of truth for wages and tip calculations. 
  • Automated tip pooling – Tips can be pooled and distributed automatically, in line with your chosen method, and integrated directly into payroll. Workforce.com even allows integration with your POS to calculate and share tips seamlessly.
  • Streamlined payroll – Simplify payroll calculations, even with pooled tips. Payroll computations even with pooled tips are simpler. Workforce.com’s payroll system automates calculations, from hourly wages, deductions, and tip distributions, using employee data and predefined rules. No complications every pay period, just accurate wages, all the time.
  • Recordkeeping – Employers must adhere to recordkeeping rules regarding tip pooling. Stay audit-ready with detailed records of tip pooling distributions. Workforce.com ensures compliance and provides accessible data for employee inquiries or regulatory checks.

If implementing a tip pooling system feels overwhelming, let Workforce.com simplify it. It can help you comply with wage laws while streamlining the entire process. Ready to see how Workforce.com can help you with tip pooling, payroll, and managing your restaurant team? Book a demo and see it in action.

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3 Mistakes with Employee Conflict Resolution – How to Avoid

Summary:

  • 85% of employees report experiencing workplace conflict.
  • Conflict at work results in personal attacks, frequent absences, and even health issues when not handled properly.
  • Conflict resolution takes up valuable time. Have processes and automation in place to handle HR admin work while dealing with workplace issues.  

Workplace conflicts are inevitable to some degree, but mishandling them can lead to more significant problems. Whether it’s personality clashes, differences in work styles, or disagreements over responsibilities, managing these conflicts effectively is crucial for maintaining a healthy company culture and productive work environment.

According to a study by CPP Inc., 85% of employees experience some kind of conflict. When managed right, conflicts can result in a better understanding and working relationship among the employees, fostering a more positive work environment. But when not handled properly, conflict can transform into bigger problems such as personal attacks, frequent absences, and, yes, even health issues. 

Unfortunately, many managers and HR professionals make common mistakes when dealing with employee disputes, often exacerbating the situation rather than resolving it. In this article, we will explore some of the most frequent pitfalls in employee conflict management and provide practical strategies for avoiding them. 

Mistake 1: Sweeping things under the rug

A study by CIPD found that approximately 31% of employees who experienced conflict felt that their concerns were not taken seriously by the person they reported to, and 48% believed that the interests of the other party were given priority over their own. 

Conflicts are typical in the workplace, but like most problems, they’re never really out of sight or out of mind. If anything, unaddressed conflicts can escalate to bigger issues, such as people leaving jobs, reduced productivity, or a full-blown outburst that can compromise safety and operations. So, the best thing is to tackle conflicts head-on. 

How to avoid: 

Unfortunately, managers and team leaders may tend to avoid conflict simply because they don’t know how to deal with it properly. The good news is conflict resolution skills can be developed. Equip your frontline managers with the right tools and training to help them navigate different communication styles and improve their problem-solving skills.

According to the same study from CPP, Inc., 60% of employees didn’t receive basic training on conflict management and resolution. The others who did, on the other hand, said that the training equipped them to manage workplace conflict and reach positive outcomes or solutions. 

Train your managers to identify different types of conflict effectively. More often than not, the root of the problem is something deeper and something that’s not always apparent on the surface. Is the issue rooted around a task, or is the problem more relational? If it’s the latter, conflict typically stems from differences in values and emotions. Emotional intelligence comes in handy in such cases. Train managers to improve or develop how they read emotions, empathize with others, and manage feelings. Active listening and knowing to use neutral language are also vital for managers and HR professionals.

Administrative tools are equally important as conflict management training, enabling managers to spend more time on the frontlines spotting issues and resolving conflict. Software like Workforce.com streamlines and automates HR processes, scheduling, timesheets, and payroll. When frontline managers finish admin tasks quickly, they get more time on the floor with staff, leading to better conflict management. 

Aside from the functionality mentioned above, Workforce.com also has a shift feedback feature that allows employees to rate their shifts. They can also say what was effective and what needs improvement. Using this information, managers and supervisors can help spot potential conflict or have a clearer perspective of what’s causing tension or challenges.

Webinar: How to Design a Retention Strategy for Hourly Staff

Mistake 2: Not communicating the outcome of the investigation

It’s great when employees are given the chance and platform to air their grievances, but that’s just the start. Employers often miss the other important part of conflict management, which is letting all parties involved know the outcome of the investigation and what next steps to take. 

Some team leaders may treat post-conflict procedures as an out-of-sight, out-of-mind matter—this definitely won’t work. Just because time has passed after the initial conflict doesn’t mean that everything should go back to normal. If anything, leaving team members hanging would further fester ill feelings, cause disengagement among staff, and even increase attrition. 

How to avoid:

Establish a process for conflict resolution and stick with it. Designating clear ground rules sets the tone and direction. The clearer the steps, the higher the chances of issues being resolved. It’s also easier to track the case’s progress and determine roadblocks to conflict resolution.

Every organization’s conflict resolution process differs, but here’s a brief framework to help you create yours. 

  • Determine the source of conflict – Gather information. You can begin by getting statements from all involved parties but don’t take anything at face value. Ask the right questions to probe further and determine the root cause of the issue. Watch out for possible indicators to better understand the reason. For instance, is the issue really about a co-worker, or could it be because of another underlying issue rooted in your operations? In addition, you can look at supporting data from your systems if needed, such as performance evaluation or time and attendance data.
  • Define possible solutions – Ask the people involved how they would want to see the issue resolved. Doing so will give you insight into their point of view and what they value most, and that’s key to coming up with the best possible solution that everyone can agree on.
  • Communicate the solution – Once you develop a solution, communicate it — whatever it is. Make sure to explain how the resolution benefits all parties involved and the organization as a whole. The key here is not always to create a perfect situation for everyone but a space where both sides can move forward, agree, and collaborate.
  • Document the process and agreement – Make sure to document the agreement and ask them for steps they would take to avoid the same issue or conflict moving forward. Note that preventive measures ideally must come from all parties involved, including the organization, if need be. If it would result in change in company policies, ensure that it is appropriately communicated to everyone else and reflected in your employee handbook. 

When conflicts arise, staff must see accountability from the parties involved. It’s not about revenge or getting back at the other but about being heard and seeing the company’s rules correctly implemented. 

Furthermore, seeing conflicts resolved and given the proper attention would encourage staff to speak up and provide feedback. Having that culture would be beneficial in terms of improving your operations and employee engagement. 

Mistake 3: Having a reactive approach to managing conflict

In an ideal world, there would be no conflict in the workplace. But we’re not in an ideal world. Conflict will always eventually arise. However, most organizations tend to fall into the trap of taking a reactive approach to conflict or not taking an approach at all. And this is where things can get messy. 

Typically, most organizations’ policies tend to be reactive, which means they only take action once conflict presents itself. While conflict cannot be completely avoided because people are…well… people, having a more active approach to dealing with issues is still key. 

How to avoid: 

Create a work environment that’s less prone to conflict. What does that look like exactly? 

First, you must equip your organization with tools that allow work to be clear. Sure, the job may have nuances, but it’s best to have a system for clearly black-and-white areas. Take, for instance, software like Workforce.com. It helps reduce or avoid disputes around time and attendance, scheduling, PTOs, and payroll because it’s automated. Should there be any concerns, they are easy to clarify or correct since there is only one source of data. 

Furthermore, you need to create a feedback system that helps spot conflicts and prevent them from blowing up. Aside from regularly scheduled check-ins and performance reviews, it also helps to incorporate a more spontaneous feedback process. Workforce.com’s shift rating and feedback can help. Asking people to rate their shifts can be crucial to identifying conflict early on. 

For instance, if consistent feedback or comments about how a certain piece of equipment delays closing time occurs, you can address it before it causes any further tension among staff. Another example would be if you’re getting reports about staff not endorsing properly for the next shift; you can also address it more ahead of time. 

Typically, conflict starts with small things or minor grievances. By creating a working environment where you can identify those triggers, you can manage conflict before it becomes big enough to disrupt your operations. 

Also read: 10 Best Practices for Employee Surveys

Tips to improve your conflict resolution strategy:

Have an open-door policy

Conflict needs to be brought to light before it can be solved. But how would that happen if employees don’t feel safe speaking up?

Staff may refuse to talk about conflict or concerns bothering them because they fear retaliation. In some instances, they don’t know where to begin. Having an open-door policy promotes open communication and a safe space for your employees to come up and talk to you if they’re facing any issues. 

When you implement such a system, ensure staff are aware of it. Reiterate that they can access their superiors if they need to raise concerns. Ensure, as well, that whatever’s discussed will be confidential or only be disclosed to others to the extent necessary to resolve issues. 

Practice active listening

In conflict management, facilitators must know how to listen, not just to respond but to understand. 

Active listening is vital to gathering information for conflict resolution. It takes into account everything being communicated, including nonverbal cues. When you listen actively, you become more conscious not just of the facts being stated but also of the person’s tone and emotions. 

Furthermore, it also pays to ask questions to validate information and recap what was discussed. 

Understand different conflict management styles

People tend to approach conflict in different ways. Here’s a general overview of these styles and why people resort to them. 

  1. Accommodating – This approach means setting aside one’s needs to give way to the other party’s needs and concerns. People tend to lean toward this approach when they want to keep the peace or if they realize they’re at fault and just want to move forward.
  2. Avoiding – As the word suggests, it means to steer clear of conflict. Some people approach conflict this way when they think the issue is trivial or not worth fighting over. Meanwhile, others avoid facing the problem because they need more time or space to think about it.
  3. Compromising – This approach aims to reach a common ground between two conflicting parties. Note that this approach aims to reach a solution that both parties can be okay with but not necessarily fully satisfied with. While it is not the most ideal, reaching a compromise can cause things to move forward, especially when there’s a deadline.
  4. Collaborating – Unlike compromising, collaborating is about reaching a win-win situation for both parties. This approach aims to reach a resolution that both parties can be happy with.
  5. Competing – Unlike accommodating, competing means standing one’s ground and not budging until the issue is resolved how they see fit. This approach is common among people who think that a rule or law was violated or if they believe that they are in the right. 

Understanding conflict resolution approaches is not just about finding the best way to tackle issues as a manager. It’s also a way to gain deeper insight into why employees approach a situation differently. For instance, if you learned of an issue concerning an employee, yet they chose not to report to you, you would want to probe if it’s just a non-issue for them or if they fear resentment.  

Use a system that keeps employee and workforce data accurate

Conflict can stem from workplace disputes around time and attendance, schedules, payroll, PTOs, and other employee information. That’s why it’s best to use a system that records all of this information, giving you a paper trail to refer back on.  

Information and data from a single source can help thwart conflicts or clarify things more easily. 

Don’t fall behind while resolving conflict 

Conflict resolution is a stressful and time-consuming responsibility for HR practitioners, especially in smaller companies. Resolving issues eats up valuable time, which is often spent on administrative tasks. To prepare for inevitable workplace conflicts, equip yourself with software that handles the admin work for you so you don’t fall behind. 

Discover how Workforce.com can streamline PTO requests, payroll processing, timesheet approvals, applicant tracking, and more so that you can handle strategic HR better. 

Schedule a demo today. 

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10 Best Practices for Employee Surveys

Painting of a hand filling out a survey on a tablet

Summary:

  • Employee surveys are useful for judging general sentiment across a workforce.

  • Positive responses should not always be taken at face value – conducting follow-up discussions can provide valuable context. 

  • Follow through with specific action plans using an employee engagement platform. 

Job satisfaction is currently at its highest. A survey from The Conference Board found that competitive pay plays a part in it, but employee retention is also attributed to experience and culture. While such results are notable and perceived to be primarily positive, it isn’t easy to generalize that the findings apply to every organization. 

For instance, survey findings show that a hybrid workforce is more satisfied than fully remote or on-site employees. But if you run an hourly workforce for a retail store, hotel chain, or healthcare facility, offering remote work is obviously out of the question. Does this mean that you’re doomed to have an unsatisfied team? Definitely not. The key here is optimizing employee experience by making their jobs easier and more fulfilling. Conducting surveys helps you get this done. 

Employee surveys shed light on employee satisfaction, pain points, and performance issues. Here are 10 best practices to get valuable insights from your employee surveys. 

1. Take time to build the groundwork.

If you want to make the most of employee surveys, you need to take time to plan them out.  

First, you need to determine why you’re doing one. Doing one annually “just because” is not a good enough reason. If you’re conducting a survey just for the sake of it, you’re wasting resources, getting unreliable or skewed answers, and potentially risking low participation rates. 

Before you roll out an employee survey program, here are things you need to plan for:

  • The reason for doing the survey. There are several reasons why organizations do employee surveys. Commonly, it’s a way to assess developments from the last poll, measure employee engagement, and investigate what’s causing productivity dips. Whatever the reason, you need to be clear about what you’re trying to measure, as it will set the direction for the entire process and the correct type of survey.
  • The timeline for the survey. When do you plan to conduct the survey, and what is the timeframe for which you will gather and validate the responses?
  • The participants of the survey. Who needs to answer the survey? Will it be conducted across the board, or will only selected staff members need to respond? Again, the reason for the survey will help determine this. If it’s an employee engagement survey, you should probably distribute it across your entire organization. But if it’s to gauge interest in something specific, let’s say a new tip pooling policy, it might make sene to only ask frontline team members to participate and not managers.
  • The set of questions to use. Questions should align with what you’re trying to measure. If you’re assessing progress from the previous survey results, using the same set of questions might make sense. However, it’s important to still look at that questionnaire and weed out any unnecessary items or add more to help with your evaluation.
  • Implementation of findings. Who will implement programs or changes as warranted by the survey results? Follow-through is crucial for every type of employee survey. Yes, human resources has a huge role to play in this, but managers are at the forefront of making sure that initiatives are implemented. It’s vital that results are turned into initiatives and programs that improves business outcomes and workplace culture. 

2. Time it well.

The best time to conduct an employee survey depends on several factors. But as a general rule of thumb, it should be avoided during public holidays or busy seasons. 

If you’re trying to benchmark or see progress, you can schedule employee surveys at regular intervals, say once per quarter. For instance, if the survey aims to improve employee engagement levels, regular check-ins following the initial study will be good for tracking progress and changing current programs to improve results. 

It may also be a good idea to conduct surveys at significant employment milestones, such as while onboarding, during performance reviews, before and after a promotion, or during offboarding. 

If a company is about to undergo a significant change, consider conducting surveys before and after this restructuring as well; this will help you gauge how perceptions and sentiments change during a major shift.  

3. Formulate the right questions.

If you want your employee surveys to uncover the true state of what you’re trying to measure, you must ask the right questions. While it seems obvious, many organizations tend to stumble at this part because wording survey questions can be trickier than it looks.  

Remember that each person or respondent has some form of bias. Survey questions must be carefully worded to get as specific and objective answers as possible.  

Here are some tips: 

  • Use neutral wording. Experts at HBR advise using neutral terms instead of words that can have strong associations. So, for instance, terms like strong or taking long strides may have associations with male leaders, which can result in higher rankings of male leaders compared to female leaders.

Suppose you want to measure how your managers tackle complicated issues at work. In that case, it may be best to phrase the question “Does your manager discuss complex issues with precision and clarity?” instead of “Does your manager have a strong grasp of complex problems?”. Both may have the same meaning, but the former sounds more specific and neutral.

  • Keep questions focused on a single item. While it’s easy to clump related items together, it’s best to keep things separate so that it’s easier for respondents. For instance, you wanted to measure how employees perceive their salary and benefits. While both are part of your compensation package, it’s best to create two separate questions for them because employees may have different perspectives on the two. Employees may be satisfied with their pay but may not be too happy with their leave benefits.
  • Use rating scales and multiple-choice questions. These types of questions are good at getting specific answers and engaging respondents. Ensure that each question flows from one to the next and doesn’t jump from one topic to another. For instance, you want to ensure that questions about work responsibilities and tasks are grouped together while questions about leadership are also categorized differently.
  • Use some open-ended questions. Context is important when processing survey results, and open-ended questions can help. Such questions allow respondents to provide answers in their own words, enabling them to explain their thoughts and responses better. Two open-ended questions per 15 ranking or scale-type survey questions is a common practice for employee surveys.  
  • Keep it short. If you want a high response rate, keep your surveys concise. Respondents are likelier to engage with the questions if they are direct and varied.

Also read: A complete guide to employee engagement for shift-based work

4. Develop a communication plan

Proper communication is critical if you intend to achieve high response rates for your employee surveys. Think of it like a marketing plan, but this time, your employees are your target audience. You need to get their buy-in and make them see what’s in it for them. Communicate the goal of the survey in a way that highlights how the end result will benefit them.  

Aside from discussing goals and objectives, you also need to inform them of the survey process—when the survey will take place and how it will be conducted. 

Realize that communication is not just a one-off email announcement. A best practice is to communicate the survey through different channels, such as a series of well-scheduled email messages, face-to-face announcements by team leads, and push notifications via an employee app if you have it. Equip managers to also answer questions regarding the survey, if needed.  

5. Use data to identify critical issues

Maximize your data and use it to identify gaps and spot low-lying opportunities. 

For instance, does your time and attendance data indicate an increase in no-shows or tardiness? Using this indicator, you can frame your surveys to identify what’s causing the issue. Is this a logistical hitch, or is an underlying management problem causing it? You can find possible answers from your data, such as employee schedules being sent out frequently late. You can use your survey to confirm if that’s the case or uncover any other reason. 

Webinar: Tackling Critical Workplace Issues with SHRM

Numbers don’t lie. Your data can give you insights into current issues, and you can tailor your surveys to get to the bottom of these hiccups. On the other hand, data can also tell you what your organization is doing right, and the survey can help you identify different ways to reinforce that.  

6. Involve employees in survey design

Invite a small group of employees to do a test run of the survey. They can provide feedback on the questions and how it was conducted. This way, you can spot vague questions, improve unclear areas or statements, and remove or add more questions necessary. This extra step ensures that your survey will yield valuable results. 

7. Address confidentiality concerns

People tend to give honest feedback when they know that responses are confidential, especially on questions about critical matters. Disclose how the answers are collected and clarify if the survey is fully confidential or if they have the option to disclose their identity or not. 

8. Validate your findings.

Employee survey results should not be taken at face value. After collecting feedback, it’s best to validate your findings. Correlate answers with other relevant information you have, such as sales metrics and attrition rates. 

Sometimes survey data might seem optimistic, but there are cases where it’s indicative of another issue. For instance, while a team may rate their manager highly, this could be because the manager does not hold staff accountable for productivity or workplace professionalism. 

If anything is unclear, don’t stop until you get to the bottom of it. If answers are inconclusive, you can conduct a follow-up study. A focused discussion among a small group of employees can provide a clearer picture of what’s happening.  

9. Follow-through.

The point of conducting surveys is to improve your operations by understanding employee sentiment. What sets successful organizations apart is how they utilize survey results to optimize their workforce management and improve their work environment. 

Make sure to communicate survey results to the respondents. You can share high-level findings with everyone and be open to clarifications should some employees want to learn more. If necessary, develop action plans for specific employees, or outline a company-wide strategic initiative for all your managers. Doing either or both of these things promotes transparency, makes employees feel heard, and ensures appropriate action is taken. 

10. Use the right survey tools

An employee engagement platform is sometimes necessary to distribute surveys and organize responses across your workforce. 

The right platform helps in two ways. For one, you need to have an efficient way to distribute surveys and record responses in a single system that houses all of these so you can analyze them later on. 

The other important aspect is accessibility. Make it convenient for employees to access surveys and respond. It’s advisable to allow employees to answer surveys via their mobile devices as this gives them flexibility on when to answer the survey. 

It’s good to consider what avenues are actually accessible for your staff. Do they really have the time or desire to download a new app to complete surveys? This might be more work for them. Think about how to incorporate surveys into their day-to-day tools – perhaps via a time clock app or a self-service app that houses things they routinely access, such as their schedule, time off balances, and paystubs. 

Distributing surveys through regularly accessed channels is critical for a good survey response rate. This also keeps things as unintrusive as possible. Employees are busy getting things done; they don’t have time to answer survey questions on a clunky, one-use platform.

If a company is about to undergo a significant change, consider conducting surveys before and after this restructuring as well; this will help you gauge how perceptions and sentiments change during a major shift. 

Make your surveys a part of a comprehensive feedback system.

Feedback should go beyond annual employee surveys. There are issues you can address more spontaneously if you gather feedback more quickly and frequently. 

An excellent example of this is allowing your employees to rate their shifts in real-time, right after their shift, directly from a time clock. This method helps you quickly identify top-of-mind problems for your staff. 

The key here is a sound feedback system that integrates short- and long-term feedback processes. Workforce.com, for instance, has an employee engagement system that allows you to collect regular data from shift feedback and irregular data from one-off pulse surveys. A system like this helps you navigate through responses and turn them into action plans for maintaining employee happiness, improving company culture, and increasing profitability. 

See it in action and book a call today. 

Interested in more ways to engage your employees but tired of reading? Check out our webinar below featuring Laura Timbrook, an NBC-HWC, CHC, and AADP certified coach and podcaster, where she covers actionable solutions for managing things like absenteeism and turnover.

Webinar: How to Drive Engagement for Hourly Workers

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A guide to writing employee performance reviews

oil painting of a hand writing on paper

Summary

  • Provide employees with clear, constructive, and actionable feedback.

  • Give employees an opportunity to offer valuable peer and managerial feedback with performance management software. 

  • Use objective, measurable criteria when reviewing or setting performance goals.

  • Focus where an employee has room for growth and opportunities to improve.

Without regular performance reviews, an employee’s work may not align with the job they’re paid to do. This can negatively impact managers, from missing early indications of underperformance to losing out on opportunities to celebrate an employee’s achievements. 

Annual performance reviews can also have a significant impact on your company culture. These assessments help confirm that team members’ overall performance supports the company’s goals. They also strengthen working relationships by ensuring a continual feedback loop with your employees. 

When conducting performance evaluations — especially for the first time — it helps to work from an established template to ensure your evaluations are thorough and your performance review period goes smoothly. In this guide, we’ll review some critical areas to cover in a performance review. When done right, performance reviews can keep employees motivated and engaged while resulting in higher achievements for the team.

1. Evaluate how the employee’s current duties fit with their job description

As a starting point, compare what an employee does daily to their duties as outlined in their job description. This provides a baseline for determining if the employee is doing their primary job functions as assigned.

If an employee isn’t meeting the duties of their job description, you can begin to plan the next steps to address performance issues. If they’re performing their job duties as expected, you can move forward with your standard process for evaluation.

Comparing an employee’s current duties with their assigned duties also helps identify who might be going above and beyond in the workplace. If an employee has taken on more responsibility than their job description, they may be on track for a promotion or a raise, or they could be at risk for burnout.

2. Be comprehensive in employee evaluations 

Performance appraisals are about more than whether or not an employee is fulfilling their daily responsibilities. Evaluations also help address their competencies holistically. Below are various areas to consider including in your performance review template.

  • Attendance and punctuality: Is the employee working their assigned days and shifts? Do they consistently arrive at work on time and stay until their scheduled end time?
  • Quantity of work: Is the employee completing the amount of work they’re supposed to? Are they meeting productivity requirements?
  • Quality of work: Is the employee’s work being accomplished to your expected quality standards? Are there frequent errors? Are they going above and beyond?
  • Achievement: Is the employee meeting other standards or metrics for success?
  • Problem-solving: Does the employee help solve problems and find solutions when faced with challenges?
  • Time management: Does the employee meet deadlines as assigned?
  • Communication skills: Is the employee communicative about the status of their work and proactive with issues that arise?
  • Teamwork: Does the employee work well with the rest of the team and clientele?

3. Be specific and use objective criteria

Vagueness can create uncertainty and confusion in performance reviews. Use specific language and examples whenever possible. 

For example, instead of relying on general phrases like, “Is usually good with customers,” try, “Excels at helping customers find the product they need and find alternatives when a product is out of stock.” Do point out where someone makes mistakes in their work but frame it as constructive criticism. Help employees understand how to do better, especially if it involves a skill they already have and could further develop.

Use objective, measurable criteria when you review or set performance goals, such as deadlines met, tardiness and absences, or sales goals. You should have solid data to support your performance assessments. This can also help when considering promotions, bonuses, and other incentives.

4. Use relevant data when applicable

As mentioned in the previous point, numbers are essential. Broad discussions about performance goals tend to go nowhere, especially when conducted too frequently. It helps to back up your performance reviews with concrete, historical data. 

For hourly staff in general, this could take the form of attendance points. When conducting a review, ensure all the points an employee has accumulated for attendance infractions are clearly laid out for them. Visualizing these numbers brings urgency to the conversation and helps employees better understand where they fall short with attendance and how to improve. 

Webinar: Points-Based Attendance

For sales associates, relevant data could be closed deals, while for retail workers, it could be something like time taken to serve a customer or sales per labor hour. No matter your industry, there is almost data to back up a staff member’s performance. Just be sure that your performance review does not hinge entirely on data – account for the human behind the numbers as well. 

5. Cover areas of improvement and where the employee has already improved 

Review areas where employees need performance improvement and provide constructive feedback. Also, offer positive feedback on areas where they’ve shown improvement since their last review. 

Don’t just tell an employee what is going wrong — provide examples and make it a conversation. In addition to telling them about potential solutions you see, ask for their ideas and feedback. Invite them to collaborate and offer their own ideas.

Cover both strengths and weaknesses of the employee throughout their review. You might tell a direct report, “Your knowledge of our add-on products could be more thorough, and I know with your demonstrated work ethic that you can master those.”

Review areas where the employee has shown improvement and reflect on their growth. Discuss how these improvements have positively impacted the employee’s work, team, or company, if possible.

6. Set realistic, actionable goals and plans

Create plans that include specific goals for employees with clear expectations for their professional development.

Wherever possible, use SMART goals — Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. If you’re setting goals for an employee who is frequently late, a SMART goal might be for them to arrive to work on time for every shift for the next quarter.

Be transparent about what’s needed from employees so they understand what they’re doing well and what they need to work on. Provide a written plan at the end of the review or send them a follow-up later. Include potential development opportunities where they can grow in their position and their career.

7. Consider adding self-evaluations and other employee feedback.    

When you include a self-assessment as part of the performance review process, you may capture insights that would be otherwise missed. Employees may have ideas for their own development that help support their career goals and the company. This participation can increase employee engagement.

You can go beyond a manager-to-employee review and self-assessment by incorporating 360-degree feedback. With this Workforce feature, employees can provide feedback to each other at all levels. Peers can review each other, employees can review managers, managers can review direct reports, and more.

Performance review periods also present an opportunity to ask employees to engage in other types of assessments. If there are business processes you want to improve, for example, consider sending a survey to employees for their feedback. Or, promote employee recognition by asking your team to offer positive feedback to their coworkers.

Make use of tools that can help you track ongoing performance.

While formal performance reviews typically happen on a fixed schedule, be sure to connect with employees regularly. Workforce.com can help you do both with performance management software that’s mobile-first, non-intrusive, and designed for shift-based workforces.

To find out more, get in touch with our team today.

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5 tips to reduce employee no call no shows (2023)

Summary

  • No call, no shows are damaging to businesses.

  • High no call, no show rates could suggest problems with company attendance policies.

  • Employers can use Workforce.com software to reduce employee no call, no shows.

The Society for Human Resource Management reports that unscheduled absences (also known as no call, no shows) cause a 36.6% loss in productivity. This loss in productivity can not only have a big financial impact on the business, but it can also place a strain on other employees. However, continuous employee absenteeism could reveal issues in company policies that are up to leadership to address. While fully preventing 100% of no call, no shows is virtually impossible, employers can use the following tips to reduce employee no call, no shows.

1. Make sure staff are made fully aware of their shifts

One of the reasons why staff might not show up is that they are not aware of their scheduled shifts. This can either be because of a miscommunication, or they simply forgot. It’s important to give your employees the benefit of the doubt — one-off no call, no shows are not a huge cause for concern. However, continuously missing work without a good excuse is a warning sign of job abandonment.

But it’s still important to make sure all staff are aware of their shifts. This can be done by having a clear schedule, where employees always know which shifts they are working.

Employers should also do the following:

  • Communicate shifts to employees clearly. Having an employee schedule where staff can easily see their shifts eliminates confusion.
  • Remind staff about upcoming shifts ahead of time. You can do this by emailing staff, or if you have workforce management software, by enabling push notifications on a scheduling app.

2. Require staff to accept their shifts with management

To avoid the typical “he said/she said” excuses from absent employees that might sound like “The manager said I could have today off” or “I didn’t know I was supposed to be working today,” require staff to accept their shifts with management, so there is no confusion. Both staff and management will know who is scheduled to work.

Employers should:

  • Make sure shifts are confirmed as soon as possible by employees in a timely manner while also complying with predictive scheduling laws.
  • Make sure that accepted shifts are recorded in a place that is visible to both employees and other management staff. This could be a physical printed copy of a rota in the staff break room, or for a more direct approach, it could be an employee app.
  • Make sure that any open shifts (when employees have not accepted shifts) are clearly visible on the schedule. Employees who are looking for extra shifts should be able to claim some.

3. Address any employee scheduling problems

If you have an employee who has a high track record of no call, no shows, this could expose a scheduling issue. Employers should work with employees to address any scheduling problems.

  • Does your schedule work for all employees? Consider sitting down with employees who have the highest no call, no shows and asking if there are any scheduling challenges leading to these no call, no shows.
  • Work with employees to address any scheduling problems. It’s possible that some staff live too far or have difficulties with other arrangements like childcare. If possible, make changes to this employee’s schedule that will reduce no call, no shows.
  • Consider using smart and automated scheduling systems that collect data on employee attendance. For instance, AI-assisted scheduling can recognize when employees most commonly miss shifts, and it will adjust future schedules accordingly.

Tackle employee scheduling problems with shift replacements

One way to tackle employee scheduling problems is to allow shift replacements via a mobile workforce management app. This is where employees exchange scheduled shifts with managerial approval. Instead of the responsibility of finding a replacement falling squarely on a manager, shift replacement software streamlines the whole process, automatically picking the best fit employees as replacements – all a manager needs to do is approve the swap. Managers can also post open shifts in a centralized location where qualified employees can receive notifications about available shifts.

Presenting employees with flexible shift options like this leads to fewer no call, no shows.

Create an on-call list

On-call lists should be used as a last resort for last-minute spontaneous absences when there is no time for shift swaps. Make sure that the on-call list is well planned and handled by management to eliminate further confusion.

At the beginning of each week (or whenever you are shift planning), ask employees if they are available to be on an optional on-call list for each day.

Make sure employees know what the on-call list is and how it works. Think of ways to incentivize staff to be on the on-call list. You could offer a few dollars an hour extra for workers working on-call shifts.

Outline a clear procedure for the on-call list. It could look something like this:

  • If an hour and a half have passed and an employee scheduled to work has not arrived and hasn’t reported their absence via a phone call, this is a no call, no show.
  • Management will call other team members who are on the on-call list and ask if they are available to cover the shift. It is important to give on-call members enough advance notice. For example, it’s not reasonable to call employees at 10 am to come in at 10:30 am.
  • If another member of staff is available, they will come in and cover the shift.

4. Evaluate your attendance and absence policy

Loads of no call, no shows could indicate issues with your employee attendance policy. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a service worker in the service industry has an average absence rate of 4.2%.

If your employees have an absence rate higher than this, it’s possible that your employees are not familiar with the attendance and absence policy.

There are a few things to consider:

  • Have you clearly indicated what absences (PTO or sick leave) employees are entitled to? It’s possible that employees are committing no calls, no shows when they should be using their PTO or sick leave.
  • It’s also possible that staff may have family members to look after, and this is has caused a lot of no call, no shows in the past. If this is the case, the employee may be entitled to absences under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and the employee should have notified management. It’s important to note that if the employee did not apply for FLMA leave and does not show up, despite the family circumstances, it is still a no call, no show.
  • Do your employees know how to request time off? Sometimes, employees aren’t aware of their PTO and may not show up and not call.
  • Do your employees know how to report absences? Is the information about company policies in the employee handbook?

Absences could also be due to unusual circumstances (medical emergencies, car accidents, etc.), and it’s important that your attendance policy accounts for unexpected occasional absences.

5. Create a fair no-call, no-show policy

Creating a formal no-show policy that has consequences such as disciplinary actions or written warnings will reduce no call, no shows. When employees realize there are repercussions for their actions, it can make them reconsider their conduct.

However, it’s important that the no-show policy is fair; having a zero-tolerance policy (one strike and you’re out approach) for no call, no shows is ineffective. You might end up risking high-quality employees over one mistake, and it is already challenging to attract quality workers in today’s job market.

Instead, consider an approach like this:

  • An employee has missed work for three consecutive days. The first two days, the employee reported the absence as per the company policy, but the third day they did not show up. This employee should be given a verbal warning. However, if the no call, no shows persist, the employee can be given a write-up — including the dates of the absences and further consequences.
  • On a separate occasion, the same employee has had repeated no call, no shows spanning a three-month period. This employee should be given a formal disciplinary review with a chance to fix their attendance. If the employee does not fix their attendance within the agreed-upon timeframe, terminating their employment may be the next step.

Companies should make sure no-call, no-show policies and the consequences stay in line with labor and employment laws.

Use no call, no shows as an opportunity to refine your scheduling

Identifying potential problems and taking actionable, preventative steps will help reduce employee no call, no shows. Workforce.com can assist you with this by optimizing your shift scheduling and timekeeping requirements to best mitigate unforeseen employee absences. Master your attendance and contact us today to reduce the damage no call, no shows can have on your business.

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9 crucial employee burnout statistics & trends (2023)

Summary

  • Fifty-nine percent of US workers are burnt out in their current job. – More 

  • Workplace stress was at a record high in the past year. – More 

  • More than half of the workforce cannot find a work-life balance. – More 

  • Employees with the least financial security are most likely to be burnt out. – More 

  • Employees aren’t using well-being perks and benefits. – More 

  • Hourly and shift-based industries are more prone to employee burnout. – More

Employee burnout is by no means a new concept. It was first introduced in 1974 by psychologist Herbert Freudenberger. He described it as an “onslaught” that staff members experience as a result of “excessive demands” on their energy, strength, and resources, rendering a person “inoperative.” 

Decades have passed since then, and our personal and professional lives have become more fast-paced, increasing the risk of burnout and work-related stress. In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) listed burnout as a syndrome and an occupational phenomenon in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11).  

The WHO says burnout is caused by “chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” It is said to have three dimensions:

  • “feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;
  • increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and
  • reduced professional efficacy.”

Less than a year after burnout was recognized by the WHO, the COVID-19 pandemic caused people to lose their jobs and frontline workers to fear for their safety, and many people’s homes doubled as their workplaces. This sent job burnout levels through the roof. 

Workplace burnout is a symptom that negatively affects employee well-being, wreaking havoc on the work environment as well as employee output. Here’s a look at some of the latest burnout statistics to help you better understand and tackle it.  

More than half of US workers experience burnout

The American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus (Aflac) conducted a study between August and September 2022 and found that most US workers experience burnout. Thirty-six percent rated their level of burnout as moderate, 15% as high, and 8% as very high. 

These levels of work burnout are significantly higher than those reported in 2021 (nine percentage points more) and are two percentage points higher than 2020 levels.  

Workplace stress is at an all-time high

Stress is one of the main drivers behind burnout, so it is important to look at employee stress levels when trying to understand the prevalence of burnout.  

The latest Gallup State of the Global Workplace report found that workers around the world were experiencing record-high levels of daily stress. Pre-COVID, 38% of respondents said that they experienced stress during much of the previous day. When COVID hit, that percentage rose to 43%, and it rose to 44% in 2021 — the highest Gallup has ever recorded. 

Work-life balance is in jeopardy

A workplace culture and environment that provides workers with a sense of satisfaction and well-being helps people achieve a better work-life balance. Striking that balance means having the time and energy for family, personal relationships, and leisure, as well as employee engagement at the workplace. 

Harvard Business Review found that 55% of employees have been unable to establish a work-life balance. They also found that personal relationships have been negatively affected, with workers not being able to maintain a strong connection with family (25%), colleagues (39%), or friends (50%). 

According to psychologist Michael Leiter:

“These survey responses make it clear that a lot of people are having serious disruptions in their relationship with work […] It’s not surprising that people are more exhausted — people are working hard to keep their work and personal lives afloat.”

The most “financially fragile” are the most burnt out

Aflac’s study shows, perhaps unsurprisingly, that the groups with the most financial struggles are the ones that exhibit the most burnout symptoms — namely younger workers and Hispanic populations. US workers who reported “at least moderate levels” of burnout include:

  • 71% of Gen Z 
  • 69% of Hispanics
  • 65% of millennials
  • 57% of Gen X
  • 38% of baby boomers

They also found that more women reported feeling burnout (62%) than men (57%). The study also found that people who had more than one job were more likely to experience burnout than those with one job. 

Webinar: How to Manage Burnout of Younger Employees

Burned-out employees are struggling with mental health issues

According to the WHO’s guidelines on mental health at work, the workplace can be either a protective or a disruptive force for employees’ mental health. Workplace stressors and burnout have been found to go hand in hand with a number of mental health challenges, according to research done by Aflac. The most prevalent issues are anxiety, depression, and trouble sleeping.  

Webinar: How to Support the Mental Health of Hourly Staff

Job satisfaction, performance, and employee retention are negatively affected by burnout

Burnout also spells bad news for employers. It has been strongly linked with lower job satisfaction and job loyalty. It also affects workers’ opinions on whether or not their companies care for them. This effect can be seen when looking at the difference between employees who experience moderate, high, and low or no levels of burnout:

Job satisfaction rate “I believe my employer cares about my physical & mental health” The likelihood of looking for another job
High burnout 55% 47% 56%
Moderate burnout 57% 51% 29%
Low/no burnout 80% 67% 18%

All of this results in employees who are less productive at work. Nearly half (46%) of employees self-reported that their mental health situation has had a negative impact on their job performance. Similarly, just over half (51%) of employers interviewed said that the poor state of employee mental health has had an impact on the organization as a whole. 

This negative effect on mental health is felt somewhat stronger by hybrid workers (52%) and remote workers (49%) when compared to their on-site (41%) co-workers. 

Webinar: How to Stop Employee Turnover

Employee well-being programs aren’t utilized

In an attempt to safeguard employees’ physical and mental health, organizations are implementing different types of health and wellness perks and benefits for their employees. These include:

    • Paid sick days for the benefit of their mental well-being, to tackle emotional exhaustion, or when feeling overwhelmed.
    • Stipends for health and wellness expenses such as gym membership, therapy, healthcare costs, etc. 
    • Courses on stress management
    • Flexible work hours to help employees better manage their work-life balance.

In one study, Deloitte found that 68% of workers surveyed are not using the well-being resources and perks that their organizations are offering them. This is because they find them “too time-consuming, confusing, or cumbersome.” 

Shift-based industries have some of the highest burnout rates

One study surveyed employees from various industries to see which ones have the highest rates of burnout. The hotel, food services, and hospitality industry topped the list, with 80.3% of employees feeling burnt out by their workload. 

The next highest are manufacturing (77.4%) and medical and healthcare (76.8%). Wholesale and retail ranked sixth highest at 75%. 

One of the main causes of burnout? Your boss

Gallup found that the biggest contributors to employee burnout are “unfair treatment at work,” an unmanageable workload, unclear communication and support from management, and unreasonable time pressure. 

These factors are something management can address to reduce their staff’s burnout.

Download our whitepaper on how to reduce burnout of hourly employees

We’re living through a burnout epidemic, and as employers and human resources professionals, you have an important role to play in helping your employees and your organization. In our whitepaper, How to Reduce Burnout of Hourly Employees, we dive a bit deeper into the causes and costs of burnout as well as how to reduce it. 

Download the whitepaper here. 

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The real causes of manager disengagement

Summary

  • The causes of disengagement differ for managers and frontline staff.

  • Autonomy, mastery, and purpose are at the heart of managerial engagement.

  • The easiest way to improve manager engagement is to remove friction rather than start new engagement programs.

Almost all manager engagement programs won’t work. It’s not because the programs themselves are bad; rather, it’s because they are based on the assumption that the causes of manager disengagement are the same as front-line staff – like how you’re not actually bad at basketball when you keep missing the shots at a carnival.

a person playing a basketball hoop carnival game
While the hoops at a carnival appear the same at first glance, they’re not exactly regulation dimensions (see below).

real hoop size

What you need to do is adjust your approach. If we’re still talking about winning the carnival prize, then you’re better off not playing or looking online. Unfortunately, choosing to ignore manager disengagement is a bad strategy, although you can also find help online too.

The fundamentals between manager disengagement and front-line employee disengagement stem from what motivates each. For front-line staff, the primary driver of motivation often comes from extrinsic motivators, such as compensation or piece-rate bonuses/tips. While these are also important for managers, it’s not what primarily motivates and keeps them engaged.

Daniel Pink’s Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us explores this in depth. To save you time, it shows that managers are motivated by intrinsic factors. What it practically means is that they are motivated by having autonomy, mastery, and purpose in their role. And when you have a manager that is disengaged, and you dig to the root cause, it’s going to be one of these factors.

Autonomy

Autonomy for managers is the extent to which they are able to make decisions without approval. 

It includes both explicit approvals (e.g. a policy requiring managers to get sign-off), as well as implicit approvals (e.g. there’s no policy, but the manager feels like they need to show their manager first). Implicit approvals are the most dangerous because if it were a risk the company should already have a formal approval process. This means it’s probably not a major risk for the manager to make the decision themselves, but they are paralyzed to make the call. 

How do you identify if a manager doesn’t have enough autonomy?

If you see a manager constantly asking for permission, they believe they need implicit approval and don’t have autonomy. The other side is when there are too many formal approval processes that impede great managers from making the best decisions. Whether you have the right balance between internal controls and manager autonomy is its own topic. However, one early sign is managers becoming hyper-agreeable and passive because they don’t feel like they can contribute new ideas. This will manifest as an increased turnover of high-quality managers. 

How do you give managers more autonomy without creating anarchy?

The first step starts with who you hire and promote as managers. When you have great managers, they make great decisions, not anarchy. When you’re not confident in your managers’ ability, it causes you to add in approval processes as guard rails to prevent bad decision-making. Hiring and promoting the right people creates a loop of needing less process, creating more engaged managers and better business outcomes.

Secondly, many businesses suffer from a culture of implicit approvals because they focus on tasks instead of outcomes or projects. Focusing on small tasks creates an environment that requires constant checking in for the next tasks and entrenches the implicit approval approach. 

The better way to manage workload is to assign outcomes (e.g. customer satisfaction, sales per labor hour, revenue), or specific projects (e.g. creating a summer menu, running a promotional event, etc.) So how do you deal with specific tasks that still need to get done?

You can keep task management simple by creating lists of tasks that you can regularly check on for completion. This way, you can see that work is getting done without constantly having to micromanage managers.

Mastery

Mastery is the continual pursuit of becoming the best at your role or a skill within it.

It’s what turns a job into a calling. Managers find meaning in becoming the best at what they do, which helps to insulate their engagement levels from fluctuating environmental factors (e.g. strategy changes, layoffs, new management). It also has the added benefit of making them more effective and productive in their role.

What are the signs that managers lack the ability to master their role?

A major sign is that there is little or no investment from the company in skills development and training of their workforce. This flags to managers that senior management doesn’t care to invest in their development. Usually based on the belief that training and development yields little ROI – it’s actually the opposite.

Another sign, albeit unconventional, is when the organizational structure creates layers of general managers instead of functional leadership. It stems from the idea that those that have the most expertise within a domain should be the ones making the decisions. Experts leading other experts. This gives the opportunity for managers to learn and be mentored, as well as promote a culture of excellence within a function. 

When a company relies more heavily on general managers, they have to hire managers that are functional experts that know more in their domain. It means these managers don’t have someone more senior to learn from. X is then prioritized over domain excellence and dilutes the mastery culture that thrives in functional leadership structures.

How do you create a culture that fosters managers to master their craft?

Before updating training and development programs, you need to know what skills each team and individual should focus on improving. Conduct a skills gap analysis to identify these skill deficiencies, and then you can start to develop a training program.

The effectiveness of these training programs is also much more likely to be successful when you can lean on functional leadership that has a deep understanding of how to train and improve it. That’s why you should consider whether you have an organizational structure that has senior management with functional expertise.

It then also enables you to run mentoring programs for managers so they have support to master their roles.

Finally, culture is partly a sum of who you promote and recognize. If you have managers that simply want to coast and show no interest in improving, then you need to consider whether they are right for your company.

Purpose

Purpose is how a manager can see how their role improves their company, customers, and society. 

It’s what helps them persevere through the parts of the job they don’t like without being worn out. Managers that don’t have a purpose will still have to do this tedious work, but it will grind them down and make them disillusioned with their role.

What are the signs that a manager lacks purpose?

The most immediate sign is that the company itself cannot articulate its purpose. Whether by not having an overarching purpose or having a meaningless purpose. Most of these companies see their purpose as making a profit and don’t see the need to have a bigger vision. Don’t get me wrong, making a profit is probably the most important thing a company needs to do; otherwise, they’ll go out of business. But if they want to keep their best staff and get them to consistently perform at a high level, then they need to motivate them through purpose.

Secondly, a telltale sign of managers lacking purpose is when they believe their role doesn’t add value. It’s often caused when they are a first-time manager transitioning from being an individual contributor where it’s easy for them to define their output, to an overseeing role where they are coordinating and not directly producing tangible output themselves.

Finally, a manager looking for the next opportunity is potentially a sign that they don’t have a purpose in their current role – particularly when they are looking to do a different role within the company or asking to transfer teams. This is a flag that, while they may align with the company’s overall purpose, their values may not align with their individual role’s purpose. 

How do you give managers purpose in their role?

This is probably the hardest of the three parts of motivation to actively change. Many aspects of finding purpose for managers are dependent on their outlook on life. That being said, there are some important things you should get right.

Ensure that your company has an overarching purpose that makes the world a better place. It doesn’t have to be revolutionary like going to Mars. A restaurant could simply have the purpose of serving affordable food for parents short on time. What you need to avoid is having a purpose so vague that it doesn’t convey anything. UKG has taken this to the extreme with their “people is our purpose” slogan. It’s super vague, could apply to most businesses, and your managers will be able to detect the bullshit a mile away. Try to do the opposite of UKG.

Next, you should help managers link how their role helps to achieve business outcomes, particularly when they don’t have a direct output like an individual contributor. They are taking responsibility for the work of their team, so make sure they get some credit for the good work that their team achieves.

Lastly, check that they actually want to do their role. Sometimes everything else can be in place, yet the managers still aren’t satisfied. If they fundamentally don’t enjoy or see purpose in their role, it may be best to see what opportunities exist for them to move into another role.

How to increase manager engagement

The easiest way to improve manager engagement is to remove friction rather than add new engagement programs. For managers, this means removing obstacles to autonomy, mastery, and purpose. These include:

  • Autonomy
    • Hiring managers that you trust and are capable of being autonomous, removing the ones that aren’t.
    • Setting outcomes and projects for managers, as well as automating task management and completion checking.
  • Mastery
    • Conduct a skills gap analysis to see what needs to be focused on in training and development.
    • Ensure managers have senior management with functional expertise that they can be mentored by.
    • Move on from managers that aren’t interested in self-improvement.
  • Purpose
    • Ensure the company has an overarching purpose that’s specific and makes a positive impact on the world.
    • Show managers how their role, even though indirect, has an important impact on the company’s success.
    • Check if they are passionate about the role, and if not, see if there are other roles they could move into.

Know that whatever you implement needs to take into consideration the fact that every manager is motivated and engaged by different things. Make sure your approach isn’t a blanket one.

Final thoughts

Focusing on compensation or pizza parties is not a good idea if you’re having challenges with manager engagement. The cost of disengaged managers is simply too high for a business to sustain in the long term.

You need to hone in on the extrinsic motivators of autonomy, mastery, and purpose to stand a chance of turning the tide. Be prepared to make bets on different HR policies, have difficult conversations with senior management, and leverage technology that helps increase engagement.

If you are interested in learning more about improving manager engagement, check out our webinar below:

Webinar: How to Increase Manager Engagement & Retention

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The hidden costs of disengaged managers

Summary

  • While employee disengagement is a common problem grappled with by HR, a much more costly problem is managerial disengagement.

  • The cost of manager disengagement takes the form of failed initiatives, underperforming company culture, and higher safety violations.

  • Address manager disengagement early on with daily feedback initiatives. 

Most of the employee engagement discussions have focused on front-line workers; after all, they are the staff getting the core work done. What often gets forgotten is the engagement of front-line managers, where up to two-thirds are disengaged. In fact, manager disengagement is even more detrimental to the success of hourly workforce businesses.

This probably stems from a few key misconceptions about a front-line manager’s job. Maybe it’s under the guise that they must be bought in because they’re willing to take on more responsibility. Maybe it’s because they’re willing to work overtime without being paid extra, and only someone that really enjoys their job would do that. Or, maybe it’s from the belief that managers are incompetent and only do busy work, so any investment into their engagement wastes resources.

Based on the last belief, Google undertook some of the most comprehensive field research to prove the hypothesis that managers don’t matter. Many of their individual contributors were frustrated with their overpaid and meddling managers, and they probably became even more frustrated when Google released the results.

The managers at Google were shown to significantly increase employee performance and decrease turnover when they were good managers. This distinction is essential because when front-line managers become disengaged, their performance slips, and they can become bad managers, whether they work in software or hospitality.

So what are the most significant costs to companies when front-line managers become disengaged and ineffective?

The hidden costs

Manager turnover immediately comes to mind as a significant cost amid rising disengagement. This is because one day the manager was there, the next they’re not – you can physically see the change. 

What often doesn’t get noticed is the degradation that leads up to the resignation – where the manager is still there, but they’re not present. 

 

A disengaged manager incurs significant hidden costs long before they even leave a company.

 

New initiatives fail and don’t roll out

The top reason new initiatives fail isn’t that they’re inherently a bad strategy, it’s because they weren’t executed well and never get adopted. It’s a failure to execute the change. If you reflect on your working experiences, this seems self-evident, but it isn’t the narrative on LinkedIn and other expert circles. 

Once you’re operating across multiple locations or above 100 staff, the complexity of rolling out a new initiative will require some form of basic change management. In fact, this complexity creeps up much sooner than most would expect.

A graphic showing increasingly complex lines of communication
The nature of how lines of communication scale mean that change and learning by osmosis only works for small teams.

For this to work, front-line managers must be bought in and eager to see this change through. While you can conduct the initial training, roll out the software, and run progress meetings, you won’t have the capacity to ensure all your front-line staff are following it. You need your front-line managers to step up to make sure everyone is doing the right thing every shift.

When front-line managers are disengaged, they’re less likely to go above and beyond. Instead, they will do the minimum work required. In change management terms, this means they become ‘resistors’. 

Ultimately, if your managers are disengaged, they will resist change because they don’t care to make the extra effort, and they won’t make sure their team is doing the right thing. This apathy leads to many well-designed initiatives failing and incurring massive costs.

Firstly, the investment in the initiative itself. This includes the upfront cost of resources such as software, materials, and consultants, as well as the ongoing costs like staff training, progress meetings, and reviews. When the initiative fails to materialize, it means all of these costs were for nothing.

ckup image of a Google Meet invite depicting the financial cost of having it
Unfortunately, this is only a mockup, though many meetings would probably become emails if this were made.

Secondly, the opportunity cost of not being able to do the initiative. Hopefully, the initiative was prompted because rolling it out meant it would resolve a major issue to hit a key business outcome. When you compare the cost of not hitting the business outcome, it’s usually even higher than the initial investment (i.e. it had a positive ROI). This can manifest into serious long-term consequences, such as declining market share, lower customer satisfaction, and reduced profitability.

Quickly infects company culture and lowers performance

Not only can manager disengagement prevent you from tackling new business priorities, but it can even take your organization backward – rapidly.

Gallup research found that disengaged managers had a greater negative impact on their team’s performance than engaged managers had a positive impact. This caused lower worker productivity, higher absenteeism, and more staff turnover, even when the staff members were engaged in their own right. 

What might actually be the most concerning aspect is that a disengaged manager can quickly infect the rest of the organization. Unsurprisingly, managers have a greater presence and influence in the organization based on the nature of their role in interacting with more staff. It means their impact on company culture, good or bad, is heavily amplified within the rest of the organization.

Unengaged managers can also become bottlenecks for other teams, where their lower performance makes it harder for other teams to complete their own work. When executives don’t address these manager bottlenecks, their colleagues become frustrated, and it can create a disengagement loop across teams. 

For example, a Head Chef is disengaged, creating an environment where meals are prepared slowly. This makes it harder for the Head Server and their team to get orders out promptly. Senior Management is reluctant to replace the Head Chef because they’re talented, and it would be difficult to replace them. Now the Head Server sees the problem is unlikely to be resolved, so they become disillusioned, and their team morale and engagement drop off.

Teams that interact with and rely on the Head Chef or Server (e.g. Maintenance, HR, or Payroll) are also likely to fall victim to the inertia of this disengagement. The more it spreads, the harder it is to rein in, and it spreads significantly faster when it’s the front-line managers that are disengaged.

This is why it’s vital that front-line manager disengagement is not only addressed but is fixed as soon as possible. 

Increased safety incidents

When it comes to safety, the bottom line is that disengaged managers and staff lead to 3x the number of safety incidents.

This arises from reduced attention to detail and apathy toward following safety rules. When a front-line manager displays this lax attitude toward safety, it further compounds the lack of care from the rest of the team. This managerial apathy indirectly signals to junior staff members that it’s okay to disregard essential safety measures. 

Any decent person should care about the safety of their team without qualification. Morality hasn’t always been a strong business case regarding safety. If you are trying to put a cost on safety, it’s approximately $1,100 per worker (not per injury).

Outside of direct incident costs, safety issues can cause public relations fires that lower revenue from customer boycotts, make it harder to hire staff, and start OSHA investigations and civil lawsuits. 

How to prevent manager disengagement

The most crucial aspect of avoiding manager disengagement is to find the underlying issues that are actually causing the issues. Applying general employee engagement programs may help, but it won’t be permanently solved unless the root causes are unearthed and addressed. While there may be patterns in the causes of disengagement, any program designed to fix them should be tailored to the individual manager.

You can find the issues first by ensuring you are measuring managers’ engagement. This takes two forms:

  1. Running standard satisfaction surveys or eNPS to identify which managers aren’t engaged
  2. Getting regular feedback from front-line managers and their teams so you can find issues

Satisfaction surveys will only help you find who is having issues. Collecting regular feedback will actually help you investigate what is causing disengagement. 

Because of the potential of manager disengagement to rapidly infect other managers and staff within the organization, it’s vital that you collect regular feedback. That way, you can identify the issues, investigate further, and resolve them before they snowball across the rest of the company.

Fixing manager disengagement may seem daunting – but the best time to solve it is now. Address it early on with daily feedback to prevent the hidden costs from getting out of control. 

If you are interested in learning more about improving manager engagement, check out our webinar below:

Webinar: How to Increase Manager Engagement & Retention