Listen to this article:
Abstract: This article explores the major factors that contribute to employee unhappiness and low engagement based on organizational behavior theory and empirical research. It identifies unclear role expectations, lack of autonomy, poor leadership, and unhealthy workplace cultures as key sources of job dissatisfaction. Research shows only 30% of workers worldwide feel engaged in their jobs, indicating widespread unhappiness comes at a cost to both individual well-being and organizational performance. The article outlines specific strategies organizations can implement to address each issue, such as providing detailed job descriptions, setting clear performance goals, empowering employees with control and input, developing effective leadership skills, and fostering a positive values-driven culture. Additional considerations like workload concerns, growth opportunities, recognition programs, and coworker relations are also discussed. By understanding why jobs so often fail to inspire and implementing targeted improvement initiatives, leaders can systematically transform work into a fulfilling experience that maximizes employee potential and engagement. This enhances organizational competitiveness by differentiating companies as employers of choice.
Employment should be energizing and fulfilling, providing purpose and motivating individuals to achieve their personal best. However, for many workers today, the opposite is true - their jobs are draining, stressful, and unfulfilling. Gallup studies have found that only 30% of employees worldwide are engaged and enthusiastic about their work (Gallup, 2017). This widespread unhappiness at work comes at a cost to both individual well-being and organizational performance.
Today we will explore the major factors that research shows contribute to employee unhappiness and low engagement. Drawing from organizational behavior theory and empirical studies, key sources of misery like unclear expectations, lack of autonomy, poor leadership, and unhealthy workplace cultures will be explored. Practical strategies and examples will then be proposed for how organizations can address these issues to boost productivity, morale, and worker well-being. The goal is to provide organizational leaders with research-backed insights and tools to create happier, higher-performing workplaces.
Lack of Role Clarity
One of the most prominent predictors of unhappiness at work is a lack of clarity around job responsibilities and performance expectations (Hackman and Oldham, 1976). Not understanding what is required for success and how one will be evaluated causes significant stress. Employees struggle to stay on task without clear guidelines and worry constantly about under- or over-performing without transparent goals (Morgeson and Humphrey, 2006).
Providing Job Descriptions and Goal Setting
To establish role clarity, organizations must thoughtfully define each job role through a written job description. Descriptions should outline core responsibilities, required qualifications, reporting structures, and key performance metrics. Regular one-on-one meetings then allow managers to set specific, measurable quarterly and annual goals with their direct reports that align with these role definitions (Locke and Latham, 1990). For example, at Intuit, job descriptions are very detailed and specific goals and OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) are set collaboratively during check-ins to ensure employees understand expectations. This limits ambiguity.
Lack of Autonomy and Control
Another major driver of workplace misery is feeling like one has little control or autonomy in how they do their job (Hackman and Oldham, 1976). Micromanagement, rigid processes, and lack of input into decisions breed helplessness, apathy, and disengagement. Research shows autonomy dramatically improves motivation, performance, and satisfaction (Deci and Ryan, 1985).
Empowering Employees through Responsibility and Input
To foster autonomy, managers must decentralize control and empower employees. For instance, at companies like GitHub and Buffer, team members are given significant responsibility and control over their work and the tools/technology they use. Managers focus on coaching versus command-and-control. Companies also implement practices like self-managing teams where groups have autonomy to structure their own workflows and make operational decisions (Denison et al., 2004). Additionally, involving staff in strategic planning and new initiative discussions gives them ownership and input, improving buy-in and dedication to outcomes.
Toxic Leadership
Poor leadership has consistently been cited as a core driver of employee unhappiness across multiple research studies (Kelloway et al., 2012; Schyns and Schilling, 2013). Toxic behaviors like micromanagement, lack of support, abusive treatment, and unfairness undermine motivation and well-being. They also foster distrust and low morale throughout the organization.
Developing Effective Leadership Skills
To mitigate toxic leadership, evaluation and development of management competencies must be a priority. Annual 360 reviews provide feedback on a leader's strengths and blind spots. Coaching and training then aims to build skills in areas like effective communication, emotional intelligence, constructive feedback, and developing/inspiring direct reports. Additionally, clearly communicating and enforcing anti-harassment policies with real consequences deters toxic behaviors. For high-performing companies, leadership excellence is also prioritized in hiring practices. At Google, for example, vetting a candidate's people skills is just as important as technical abilities.
Unhealthy Company Culture
An organization's prevailing norms, values, and assumptions - its corporate culture - exert a powerful influence on worker attitudes and performance (Schein, 2010). Dysfunctional cultures characterized by politics, turf wars, lack of trust, and an "every person for themselves" mentality undermine teamwork and care for colleagues. They promote instability, stress, and disengagement (O'Reilly et al., 1991).
Fostering a Positive, Values-Driven Culture
Leaders must proactively shape and sustain a culture that inspires the best in its people. This involves clearly articulating a shared set of core values like integrity, collaboration, innovation and customer obsession. Hiring, promotions, and rewards are then tied to demonstrating these values in action. Rituals and symbols reinforce the culture, and role modeling by leadership is critical for propagation. Healthy subcultures are supported across divisions/functions as well. For example, at SAS Institute, employees universally cite the empowering, family-like culture as their top motivation - a key driver of the company's 50+ year success.
Additional Considerations
While the above factors represent major contributors to workplace unhappiness, other issues warrant attention as well to design a truly fulfilling work experience:
Workload concerns - Unreasonable time pressures, significant overtime without compensation, or unclear workload distribution breed resentment and burnout (Maslach et al., 2001). Balancing work/life fit is crucial.
Growth and development - Minimal training or mentorship opportunities deny staff the chance to learn, progress, and find purpose in their roles (Hackman and Oldham, 1976). Continuous skills development should be supported.
Recognition and rewards - When contributions go unacknowledged and hard work isn't appropriately recognized through compensation, incentives, or praise, fulfillment suffers (Grant, 2008). Meaningful recognition programs boost engagement.
Coworker and social relations - Difficult, unsupportive relationships with peers or interpersonal conflicts prove highly disruptive (Hansen et al., 2018). Empathy and cooperation should be actively cultivated.
Conclusion
In today's competitive job market, employee well-being and engagement have become strategic imperatives for achieving competitive advantage. By gaining a deep understanding of why jobs so often fail to satisfy and inspire, leaders can systematically address root causes through focused initiatives. Adapting factors within an organization's control like role design, autonomy support, leadership development, culture shaping, and workload management provides opportunities to transform work into a fulfilling experience that maximizes potential. While not exhaustive, this paper highlights research-backed approaches any organizational leader can apply to assess sources of worker unhappiness and take targeted actions to improve productivity, care for staff, and make their workplace a place people genuinely want to be each day. In doing so, organizations can differentiate themselves through an empowering culture and become employers of choice within their industry.
References
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. Springer Science & Business Media.
Denison, D. R., Hooijberg, R., & Quinn, R. E. (1995). Paradox and performance: Toward a theory of behavioral complexity in managerial leadership. Organization Science, 6(5), 524-540.
Gallup. (2017, January). State of the American workplace. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/238085/state-american-workplace-report-2017.aspx
Grant, A. M. (2008). Does intrinsic motivation fuel the prosocial fire? Motivational synergy in predicting persistence, performance, and productivity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(1), 48.
Hackman, J. R., & Oldham, G. R. (1976). Motivation through the design of work: Test of a theory. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 16(2), 250-279.
Hansen, A. M., Byrne, Z. S., & Kiersch, C. E. (2018). How interpersonal leadership relates to employee engagement. Journal of Managerial Psychology.
Kelloway, E. K., Francis, L., Prosser, M., & Cameron, J. E. (2010). Counterproductive work behavior as protest. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 15(4), 410.
Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (1990). A theory of goal setting & task performance. Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W. B., & Leiter, M. P. (2001). Job burnout. Annual Review of Psychology, 52(1), 397-422.
Morgeson, F. P., & Humphrey, S. E. (2006). The Work Design Questionnaire (WDQ): Developing and validating a comprehensive measure for assessing job design and the nature of work. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(6), 1321.
O'Reilly, C. A., Caldwell, D. F., & Barnett, W. P. (1989). Work group demography, social integration, and turnover. Administrative Science Quarterly, 21-37.
Schein, E. H. (2010). Organizational culture and leadership (Vol. 2). John Wiley & Sons.
Schyns, B., & Schilling, J. (2013). How bad are the effects of bad leaders? A meta-analysis of destructive leadership and its outcomes. The Leadership Quarterly, 24(1), 138-158.
Additional Reading
Westover, J. H. (2024). Optimizing Organizations: Reinvention through People, Adapted Mindsets, and the Dynamics of Change. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.3
Westover, J. H. (2024). Reinventing Leadership: People-Centered Strategies for Empowering Organizational Change. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.4
Westover, J. H. (2024). Cultivating Engagement: Mastering Inclusive Leadership, Culture Change, and Data-Informed Decision Making. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.5
Westover, J. H. (2024). Energizing Innovation: Inspiring Peak Performance through Talent, Culture, and Growth. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.6
Westover, J. H. (2024). Championing Performance: Aligning Organizational and Employee Trust, Purpose, and Well-Being. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.7
Citation: Westover, J. H. (2024). Workforce Evolution: Strategies for Adapting to Changing Human Capital Needs. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.8
Westover, J. H. (2024). Navigating Change: Keys to Organizational Agility, Innovation, and Impact. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.11
Jonathan H. Westover, PhD is Chief Academic & Learning Officer (HCI Academy); Chair/Professor, Organizational Leadership (UVU); OD Consultant (Human Capital Innovations). Read Jonathan Westover's executive profile here.
Suggested Citation: Westover, J. H. (2024). What's Draining Your Workplace Energy and Joy? Identifying and Addressing Sources of Unhappiness to Boost Productivity and Morale. Human Capital Leadership Review, 14(2). doi.org/10.70175/hclreview.2020.14.2.3
