Solving problems at the workplace

IN any organisation, inevitably there will be some problems at the workplace. The crucial thing is not to dwell on these problems or to let them remain unresolved until they affect the performance of the employees and cause unhappiness.

Unresolved problems can cause stress and unpleasantness among staff. It is the management’s responsibility to understand the problems and to find solutions to settle the issues so that the working environment can be pleasant.

Incompetence When the employees are unable to perform well in their jobs, it is important to find out why. Is it due to a lack of skills or knowledge, lack of motivation, heavy work overload, or is that the person is just not cut out for the job?

When the cause has been established, then the right solutions have to be applied. For instance, a lack of skills means the employee needs to be properly trained and equipped with the right knowledge. If the person’s personality is not suitable for the job, then it may be wise to assign the employee to another role where performance will likely be better.

This issue needs careful observation and a lot of tact to resolve. The best thing is to carefully assess a person’s competency before hiring or assigning the person to take on a job. Ambiguity of authority Some organisations do not have a clear- cut and welldefined chain of command spelt out. As a result, some employees may choose to disobey orders from their superior and may even override the superior’s decisions. It is important for the organisation to make the hierarchy and chain of command clear to employees. Otherwise, the organisation will experience chaos as employees play the power game and make life miserable and confusing for other staff. Unbalanced distribution

of work This is quite a common issue for most organisations. We often find certain employees are overloaded with work while others have very light duties and responsibilities although they may have the same job scope.

It is the duty of the manager to review the workload of the employees and distribute the work as evenly as possible so that the overloaded employees will not feel overburdened. Of course, the competence of the employees needs to be given due consideration as well. If certain employees have to carry out more work due to their capabilities, make sure that they are rewarded accordingly. Avoid lengthy and unfruitful meetings Some managers like to hold meaningless meetings where they harp on issues that are insignificant and waste resources and time. To overcome this problem, ensure that everyone is clear that meetings are only necessary for important matters and that only the relevant persons should be called to the meeting.

Keep time during the meeting and ensure that discussions do not go beyond a certain hour unless it is really necessary. At all meetings, take down minutes and assign tasks to the relevant persons and the deadlines to complete them so that the meeting is productive. Lack of recognition

and reward If an organisation does not recognise or reward employees accordingly and in a fair manner, it will create a lot of dismay among the employees. Sooner or later, the employees will not be motivated to work as their efforts are not appreciated.

Always ensure that high achievers are given due recognition by acknowledging their work and rewarding them. Do not forget to show appreciation to employees who are able to deliver their work, as they are the support base of the organisation. Non-performing staff need to be motivated as well. In fact, these employees need more morale boosts than others.

These are just some of the common issues in the workplace. No matter what problems your organisation may be facing, there are always solutions to the problems. As long as you are willing to acknowledge the issues and find ways to solve them, you will find that they can be resolved.

Priscilla Hiu is a career guidance consultant of Gracia Management and a certified behavioural consultant of DISC Personality Profiling System, Institution of Motivation Living, USA and Extended DISC Personality Profiling System, Extended DISC Northgate.