Employee Wellbeing: Employee Attitude Matters, It Matters A Lot
When it comes to employee or workplace wellbeing, I deeply believe the wise employer will focus on the fundamentals. A focus on the fundamentals will never steer an employer wrong.
While focusing on fundamentals is key, I do see one exception to the rule. The one exception I see is employers also need to stay on top of employee attitudes. Why? The attitudes of an employee play a critical, significant role in employee behavior.
In the workplace, employee behavior is responsible for performance and productivity. In other words, attitude informs the performance edge of an employee.
What is attitude?
Attitude refers to a person’s general outlook, perspective, or disposition towards a particular object, person, situation, or idea. It encompasses a person’s thoughts, feelings and behavioral tendencies towards something. In other words, an employee’s attitude reflects their inner, intra-personal world and realm. And we known that an employee’s inner realm or world or their internal guidance system drives their outer inter-personal behavior.
Attitudes can be positive, negative, or neutral. Attitudes can be influenced by various factors such as personal experiences, cultural and social norms, beliefs, values and individual personality traits. Attitudes can also be shaped by conscious and unconscious cognitive processes, including perception, memory, and reasoning.
Attitudes can therefore have a significant impact on a person’s behavior and inter-personal interactions, as well as their decision-making. Therefore, the wise employer seeks to understand their employees’ attitudes as part of the employer’s efforts to address employee wellbeing.
Given the importance of employee attitudes to the performance edge of employees, employers need to know how to learn about or assess their employees’ attitudes. There are any number of ways an employer can accomplish this task. The following list offers broad strategies an employer might consider:
- Conduct employee surveys
- Hold focus groups
- Monitor employee social media posts, especially the posts on sites such as Glassdoor
- Encourage open communication through an organizational culture that supports transparency and actively seeks feedback
- Analyze employee behavior
- Conduct stay interviews
- Conduct exit interviews
This then raises the question of how often an employer should seek to assess their employees’ attitudes. There is no concrete answer. The frequency of assessing employees’ attitudes will depend on the specific needs of the employer and its employees. Personally, I believe an employer should assess their employees’ attitudes on a regular basis to ensure that they are happy, engaged, and motivated.
The frequency will vary depending upon a number of factors such as:
- Company size
- Industry
- Turnover rate
- Method or methods used to gather employee feedback
- If employee feedback is incorporated into the organization’s employee performance review process and how often employee reviews are conducted
In general, I believe employers should aim to assess employee attitudes at least once a year, but may choose to do so more frequently as need or circumstances dictate.
When it comes to employee attitudes, the wise employer will also know how to change employee attitudes, as employee attitudes can certainly be changed. I view attitude change as involving two separate approaches.
One approach involves employers helping employees to change their own attitudes. How does an employee change their own attitude? An employee changing their own attitude is a complex and individual process that can depend on various factors such as the nature of the attitude, the level of commitment and the underlying beliefs and values of the attitude. Here are some strategies an employer can encourage their employees to try:
- Self-reflection and awareness
- Challenging their negative thoughts
- Seeking out new information
- Engaging in positive experiences
- Practicing mindfulness
- Setting achievable goals
It’s important to note that changing attitudes takes time and effort so it will not likely happen overnight. It can be helpful to seek support from an industrial/organizational psychologist, an occupational social worker, therapist or counselor who can provide guidance and support to the employer throughout the process.
The second approach involves the employer taking a more directive role in the change process. Changing employee attitudes can be a challenging task for employers, but it is possible with the right approach. Here are some strategies that employers can use to help employees change their attitudes:
- Identify the root cause of the employee’s negative attitude — Before trying to change an employee’s attitude, it is important for the employer to understand the underlying causes of the negative attitude. Is the cause personal or originating in the workplace? Employers should try to have open and honest conversations with employees to identify the source of their negative attitude. This can involve asking questions, providing feedback and actively listening to the employee’s perspective.
- Provide feedback to the employee about how their attitude is being seen by others
- Offer support and resources
- Use positive reinforcement
- Lead by example, inspiring employees to adopt similar attitudes and behaviors
- Create a positive workplace culture and positive workplace environments
- Allow for a gradual change since changing attitudes is a gradual process and employees may need time and support to make the necessary changes
Changing employee attitudes can be a challenging task for employers, but change is possible with the right approach. By taking a proactive and supportive approach to changing employee attitudes, employers can improve workplace performance and create a positive workplace environment.
An employer’s focus on the fundamentals of employee wellbeing is essential to create a healthy and productive workplace. However, it is equally important for employers to stay on top of their employees’ attitudes, as they play a critical role in shaping their behavior and performance. Attitudes can be influenced by various factors and understanding them can help employers identify areas of improvement and for addressing employee wellbeing.
Regular assessments of employee attitudes can be conducted through surveys, focus groups, social media monitoring, open communication, behavioral analysis, and interviews. While the frequency of assessments may vary depending on company size, industry, turnover rate and other factors, employers should aim to assess employee attitudes regularly.
Changing employee attitudes is a gradual process and employers can take a proactive and supportive approach by identifying the root cause of negative attitudes, providing feedback, offering support and resources, using positive reinforcement, leading by example, creating a positive workplace culture and workplace environments and allowing for gradual change. By doing so, employers can improve workplace performance and create a positive workplace environment which benefits both employees and the organization.
