81% of Irish workers admit to hating their jobs. 79% say that negative criticism from their management has made them cry, whilst 76% feel intimidated due to increasing pressure to outperform their co-workers.
Peninsula Ireland questioned 947 respondents.
- 81% of Irish workers admit to hating their job.
- 79% say that negative criticism from management has made them cry.
- 76% feel intimidated at work due to increasing pressure to outperform their co-workers.
Alan Price, managing director of Peninsula Ireland said today, “It only takes one disgruntled employee to create a negative impression of your brand, often leading to bad publicity, or worse negative legal implications for your business.”
“Work should not be a place that instils fear in the hearts of employees, but rather it should operate as a place that fuels passion and creativity, fulfilling ones professional ambitions, whilst helping the company to progress and develop. It is simply unacceptable that organisations are incorporating fear and intimidation into the everyday practices of running their business, regardless of whether it is intentional or a by-product of stressful targets and demands.”
Price adds “Management sometimes mistake fear and intimidation for a way to gain respect from their employees or to encourage them to work harder. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Making employees anxious to come to work and intimidated to the point where they are broken emotionally can have disastrous effects on workplace morale and productivity, whilst also increasing staff turnover, putting extra strain on your financial resources due to recruitment costs.”
“The workplace should facilitate learned progression and receiving constructive feedback and criticism is all a part of that. But what appears to be happening is quite the opposite; employers are supplying their staff with negative criticism, which serves no purpose other than to relieve management’s frustration with their employees.
Price Continues “This is wholly unacceptable, as management should maintain a high degree of professional integrity at all times, not allowing personal feelings to interfere with how they run the business. What’s more, this oppressive nature has filtered across to the relationships employees have with their colleagues, driving an unhealthy sense of competition, stemming from the fear of losing their professional standing within the company or being viewed as an incompetent worker.
“Employers have a legal and ethical responsibility to their employees to create a work environment that has their best interests in mind, motivating staff to perform optimally and encouraging positive collaboration. Employees spend a significant part of their lives at work, therefore providing them with the opportunity to help fulfil their ambitions and professional self-esteem is extremely important.”
“Creating a working culture based on fear and intimidation will only bring forth negative consequences for the business. If employees feel mistreated a work it could well lead to tribunal action, which will not only hurt a company financially, but also tarnish their reputation publically. Fear has no place in today’s business community.”
Price concludes, “Employees represent the heart of any organisation and therefore hiring and retaining talent should be of the upmost importance. Employers should ensure that their management teams not only have high business acumen, but also understand how to effectively communicate with their employees in order to get the best out of them. If businesses want to focus on building a brighter future then looking at the internal structure of an organisation is the best place to start. I am by no means stating that a more relaxed work environment is best, but striking a balance between pushing your staff, without making them dread coming to work, and creating an environment that is conducive to productivity and personal development is essential.”
