Most of your team members likely perform at work, enjoy a sense of accomplishment and have high job satisfaction. But, like all employers, you will sometimes have to deal with unhappy employees. Dissatisfaction occurs for various reasons (money, career, personal) and it's up to you to spot the problem and motivate them to turn things around.

A Drop in Productivity

While a drop in productivity may be difficult to measure, it’s not usually difficult to notice. When the quality or quantity of an employee’s work starts to drop, it’s important to work out why as soon as possible and find a solution to mitigate the damage to the employee and to the wider office morale.

Pulling Sickies... Often

A noticeable increase in sick days is a big red flag. Generally, if someone is happy at work, they’re happy to come to work. Of course, this kind of behavior can also be a sign of psychological issues, so it’s important to determine whether an employee has recently begun to be absent often or if it’s been a problem since they started with the company. If it’s the latter, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to find a solution and you should treat the issue with sensitivity.

Bad Attitude

A bad attitude from an employee who has previously been pleasant and hard-working is an indication that something is very wrong. If they’re only aiming their negativity at you and not their colleagues, chances are their dissatisfaction is with management.

Complaints By Others

Finally, if an employee’s behavior doesn’t signal to you that there’s a problem (or if you just miss the signs), your other employees often will. Changes in working behavior, especially negative ones, are usually not overlooked by co-workers. In these situations, it’s important not to jump to conclusions. When two employees complain about each other, it’s not always obvious who’s at fault. Instead, reserve judgment and talk to other employees.

How to Help an Unhappy Employee

Don’t talk at them – listen. The employee probably has stored up this problem for months and he or she needs time to get it out of their system, so sit back, listen and take notes to refer back to when it's your turn to talk. Try not to offer the unhappy employee false hope. If you cannot help them, just be honest and tell them that you are not able to honor their request.

Ultimately, in order to prevent this situation altogether you need to communicate with your employees, tell them what you expect of them, praise them when they do well, encourage them to move forward and give them the tools they need to do their job well.

Check out the rest of our employer advice here.