‘Polite’ suggestions instrument might help managers have exhausting conversations
A clever new tool has been designed to help workers find the perfect words when dealing with lazy or sickie-throwing colleagues and atrocious tea-makers.
This nifty generator simply requires you to enter your workplace dilemma, and it will cough up a tactful way to handle it.
Based on a survey of 2,000 office workers, conducted by Brother UK, which also rolled out its ingenious Fabulous Feedback Formula, it turns out that impolite bosses, rubbish tech and pointless pow-wows are among the top 20 mojo killers at work.
Brother UK’s own Greig Millar pointed out: “Many common aspects of the working day, from back-to-back meetings to out of date tech, have a big impact on staff’s motivation levels and general mood, and this is impacting UK companies’ productivity.”
“Managers are key to fostering a thriving workplace environment, and that includes the knack for giving both kudos and criticism. And hey, this little gadget isn’t just handy for the bosses any level of staff can use it to figure out how to best dish out feedback to their workmates.”
Reportedly, a quarter of the folks surveyed reckon that a steady stream of comments from their higher-ups could really give their drive a boost. And when they do get some form of feedback, employees are feeling all kinds of good motivated (44%), uplifted (43%) and chirpy (38%).
The study has revealed that a whopping 46% of employees ride the wave of good vibes for at least a week after receiving positive feedback. Yet, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows, as three in 10 workers feel utterly demotivated when they’re stuck with only negative comments and no praise.
A concerning one in five get performance insights less frequently than once a month, and 23% are left in the dark, getting updates only during scheduled meetings. To keep spirits high, 20% depend on their ‘office cheerleaders’, while nearly half admit they often dish out kudos to their workmates to boost morale.
An overwhelming 90% of those surveyed reckon regular applause is key for keeping productivity buzzing, holding onto staff, and maintaining a jolly team spirit.
When it comes to how they like their feedback served, over half of the workforce prefer a good old face-to-face chat, while emails are the go-to for 16%.
Navigating performance chats can be tricky for one in five employees. What’s more, over a third of bosses find it tough to give any sort of feedback, whether it’s a pat on the back or a gentle nudge for improvement.
Greig Millar chimed in: “Giving feedback is an important skill in the workplace for everyone, but particularly managers.”
“Businesses have a responsibility to ensure that staff are receiving feedback that’s delivered well and consistently.”
“While they could love their role and enjoy working with colleagues, if an employer is rude or doesn’t offer positive or constructive feedback regularly it’s likely to put people off.”
Top 20 things that demotivate employees:
- Rude managers
- Poor technology to work from
- Constant calls/meetings with no time to do actual work
- Lack of flexibility
- Only ever getting negative feedback, rather than positive
- Hearing others got a pay rise when I didn’t
- Managers/senior staff not sharing any updates/news with me
- Not getting the recognition I deserve from a team project
- Colleagues regularly moaning about work
- Repetitive tasks
- Being stuck in the office when it’s nice outside
- Seeing others get promoted while I’m still in the same position I always have been
- A boring/long commute
- Never/rarely getting feedback from my manager
- When there’s a domino effect of people leaving to go elsewhere
- Having to work in silence – chatting/music is banned
- Running out of annual leave too soon into the year
- A bland/outdated office space
- Seeing others get shoutouts on social media / internal emails while I don’t
- Eating lunch at my desk
