10 Challenges Faced by Employees in The Workplace and How HR Can Address Them

The workplace is an environment where productivity is needed at maximum levels. But if employees aren't at their best, they may not be able to produce the best work. At the core of every business' growth is the total contribution of employees working in that organization. Managing a workplace with different employees occupying different roles doesn’t come without some challenges. But you're not alone.

There are different kinds of challenges faced by employees in the workplace that may affect their productivity. Hence certain HR practices need to be in place to help address these issues. Here are some common challenges faced by employees in the workplace and how to address them.

1. Lack of Communication

A challenge faced by many employees is finding the proper means or style of communication that is most effective. The lack of an effective communication style or standards in the workplace may hamper the team's efficiency and impact the level of productivity of the employees. Trust is an essential aspect of a team. When there is no effective prioritization of communication in the team, it may reduce the trust level amongst workers and the management.

Effective communication will help organizational success by improving employee morale, satisfaction, and engagement. One effective way HR can address communication issues is to develop clear and consistent communication channels and organize conflict management training. Employees should also be trained to seek clarity from co-workers to avoid misunderstanding.

2. Remaining motivated in work

Employees face the challenge of losing interest during work and becoming unmotivated. In a survey carried out in 20212, only 36% of workers in the US reported that they remained engaged in their jobs actively. The percentage of workers engaged in their work globally is 20%. Elements that encourage engagement include clarity of expectations, opportunities for development, and opinions counting at work. When these are not present, employees become less involved and enthusiastic about their work.

Ways to improve employee engagement in the workplace, include prioritizing feedback, recognizing top performers and rewarding achievements, and carrying out frequent employee engagement surveys.

3. Poor Project Management and Organization

It is not enough to have a team of employees that are highly engaged and communicate effectively in the workplace. They must effectively handle projects and manage tasks without any hurdles. Lack of organization is one problem faced by many employees.

A consistent management system is essential for the effectiveness of the employees. HR can address these issues by effectively overseeing vital organizational components such as budgets, schedules, material acquisition, KPIs, etc. certain tools can be used to measure the performance of the employees and provide needed feedback.

4. Issues of Hierarchy and Bureaucracy

One of the most typical challenges faced by employees in the workplace is dealing with bureaucratic bottlenecks slowing down the work process or working under a disgruntled boss that affects the morale and mood of the team. Sometimes, workers struggle with a system that makes it difficult to complete tasks due to so many red tapes.

HR can solve this issue by providing clearly defined management procedures and allowing staff to become autonomous and take ownership of their roles. This will improve effectiveness and work ethics.

5. Coping with drastic change

Change is one aspect of an organization that is essential for its growth. It can occur in any form from the changes in management and staff or clients or procedural changes. Whatever way it comes, employees usually have a challenge dealing with changes.

HR can address this challenge and make the change process seamless by prioritizing communication and providing extraordinary support where needed.

6. Countering Negativity

Maintaining a positive morale in the workplace is one challenge faced by employees. Many employees may face different issues that may bring their enthusiasm down. This negativity may be a result of frustration in the workplace. The more frustrations they face, the more negative they may become.

One way HR can boost employees' morale is by providing essential benefits for workers in the workplace, improving flexibility, establishing better channels of communication, and prioritizing work-life balance.

7. Ability to remain creative

Creativity is an essential aspect of productivity. It is a challenge for anyone to be creative most of the time in the workplace. This is one issue that many workers face, which affects the amount of good work they can produce.

HR can address this issue by sprucing up the workspace and allowing a more flexible schedule, and promoting knowledge sharing while making work fun.

8. Problem Solving

Problem-solving is one of the most critical challenges faced by employees in the workplace. It is common for employees to solve a problem through a particular perspective continually. This problem of 'same-think' rut is one challenge that many employees may be facing in the workplace, and when this is not managed correctly, it may lead to stagnation.

HR can address this issue by providing training that offers employees new tools and perspectives for solving different work problems. The training or conferences will cause a shift in the mindset of the employees and help them address issues through a lens of opportunity.

9. Getting new skills and professional development

Everyone loves growth, and there is no place where growth is more needed than in the workplace. Employees tend to face the challenge of learning new skills and advancing in their careers. This challenge, if not addressed, may affect their job satisfaction.

Effective HR can encourage employees' professional development by offering training and development programs, supporting mentoring and coaching, helping employees develop soft skills, and encouraging cross-departmental teamwork.

10. Dealing with demanding clients or patrons

Employees may have the problem of dealing with demanding clients and patrons. This is a result of clients and employees not having a mutual understanding. This is an opportunity for employees to challenge assumptions and develop a better communication style.

HR can assist by helping employees develop better empathy through training in communication and dialogues.

Generally, there are benefits of outsourcing these HR services to manage your employees effectively. As a small business owner, you might consider partnering with a PEO company to get the best employee management service and drive better productivity.

Let Us Help You Grow

At Mission, we are interested in providing businesses and companies like yours, with expert HR solutions and services, growth hacking strategies, and HR tips to help you manage challenges faced by employees and quickly scale your business. Based on our years of experience providing businesses with answers to all their bugging HR and outsourcing questions, we also provide you with the insights and information you need to accelerate your growth.

Have more questions on how to address specific challenges faced by your employees, PEO benefits, or HR outsourcing? Don't hesitate to contact us today.