Previously, we got a glimpse of the three main causes of job misery as described by Patrick Lencioni in the book “The Three Signs of a Miserable Job”.   

1. �
   1. Anonymity (Lack of Recognition)
   2. Irrelevance (Lack of Relevance)
   3. Immeasurement (Lack of Rulers or ways to measure success)

Now let’s take a look at the personal and economic impact of job misery. 

The Personal Impact of Job Misery   As we all know, when we’re miserable at work, that misery tends to bleed into our personal lives.  We spread our frustration, negativity and apathy to our families, friends and even strangers.  Before long, these negative emotions can build up and cause family tension, psychological and emotional problems, and even health issues. 

For example, imagine that you’ve been working all year without much guidance or feedback from your supervisor, yet on your own, you’ve done your best to determine and fulfill what’s needed and expected.  You head into your annual performance review confident that you were meeting the expectations of your position and hoping to have earned a promotion, only to discover that neither is true.  Your employer is disappointed with your job performance and you’re frustrated that clearer expectations weren’t initially explained.  The scenario replays itself over and over on your way home until you walk in the front door, your spouse asks where the dry cleaning is (which you forgot to pick up) and you snap!  Stress from the workplace just entered the home.  That question probably wouldn’t have bothered you on its own, but pair it with the activities of the day and it becomes just one more way someone else is unhappy with the way you performed. 

The Economic Impact of Job Misery   Whether our thoughts, feelings and attitudes are positive or negative, they tend to infiltrate our conversations.  And just as happiness and joy can spread from person to person, misery can be contagious.  If we are unhappy and unfulfilled in our jobs, we will likely share this with co-workers. Before long, that misery can quickly permeate the work culture, and when negativity invades the workplace, the evidence quickly appears in the form of higher absenteeism and turnover, as well as decreased performance and productivity levels. But the flip side is where there is contentment and optimism, solutions to these problems are close at hand.

Patrick Lencioni conducted several case studies to learn how companies are impacted when these three signs of job misery are addressed or are not addressed by management.  This is what he learned: 

(Click on chart to see details.)

 A Closer Look at the Economic Impact of Job Misery . . . Show me the Money!   In today’s economy, it’s critical for every business to be sensitive to where their losses are coming from and how they can be prevented.  For example, most companies expect to have a percentage of turnover each year, but unless the rehire process has been evaluated, they may be shocked by the actual cost involved in hiring a new employee, versus keeping the current one. 

Will Helmlinger, a VP in Human Resources for a major software company, recently wrote an article addressing the cost of turnover, featuring a company hiring a Customer Service Representative making $18,000/year.  When the actual expense of hiring the new employee was calculated, the total was an alarming $58,000!  The first inclination may be to quickly dismiss this figure and assume that this isn’t the reality for your company. But it’s likely the featured company hadn’t thought that the process of hiring a new employee would be that expensive either!  To help determine the actual cost of hiring a new employee, below is a formula that Mr. Helmlinger recommends:

(Click on chart to see details.)

 Anyone that takes the time to complete this chart will likely be surprised by the expense of losing just one employee.  But the expense may not stop there.  Let’s dig a little deeper and determine the company wide impact.  For a practical example, let’s assume that the cost of losing one employee is $7,000.  Assuming a 30% annual turnover rate at a company with 50 employees, the losses quickly add up.

(Click on chart to see details.)

 This scenario sheds a whole new light on the term, “Love the One You’re With”.  If you focused on counteracting the three signs of job misery and were able to reduce your turnover rate by 10% or 15%, how much would this save your company? Imagine if even a fraction of that money was spent on keeping existing employees rather than continually replacing them.  The savings would likely be substantial.

Time Spent is Money Saved   One of the greatest gifts you can give someone is time.  In a technically savvy world, we have more ways than ever to stay connected with one another. Yet with all of that technology, it’s easy to lose touch with those within arm’s reach.  How many times have you sat in a restaurant and observed someone texting when there is a live person right in front of them?  It is equally easy to lose touch in the workplace, so take the time to connect with your staff and prevent the signs of job misery.  Are they Recognized regularly?  Has it been expressed to them how Relevant they are to the success of the business?  Do they understand the Rulers with which they can measure their success?  The answers to these questions may not be obvious and it may take an investment of time to get an accurate pulse on your team’s level of job satisfaction.  But considering the potential expense of losing even one employee, isn’t it well worth the effort?  Spend some time to determine whether Recognition, Relevance, or Rulers are being utilized or if they need more time and attention.  Devoting some time preventing job misery in your staff could result in big savings down the road!  

In our next article, we will reveal tools that will help create an environment in which your employees will get the Recognition they need, understand their Relevance to the company, and learn how to use Rulers of self assessment. Until then, digging a little deeper to determine your employee’s level of job satisfaction (or misery) is guaranteed to be an excellent use of your time.