Employee complaints can be numerous. They’re not indicative of a bad workforce or a bad boss, by any means, but they do suggest there are issues in the workplace that need addressing. 

But as the boss yourself, it can be hard to hear negatives about the business you set up. However, you should never let personal feelings creep into a resolution. Instead, take complaints seriously and put an action plan in place to tackle them; your team will respect you all the more for it. 

With that in mind, here are three of the most common employee complaints and how you should handle them. 

They’re Doing Work Not Outlined in Their Contract

A lot of employees sign on for a job that has clearly defined expectations, but once they’re in the workplace, they’re expected to run back and forth picking up everyone’s slack. If something they see needs fixing and they don’t put the effort in, even if it’s not in their contract, they may even be called into the boss’ office for a critical chat. 

If you’ve heard some complaints from HR about this kind of issue, it’s time to assess how well your workplace is really running. You may need more staff, you may need to revise employee contracts, and you may need to head round and thank your team one by one. Whatever it is you do, make sure people no longer feel taken advantage of when on the clock. 

The Workplace is Unhygienic 

Toxic workplaces aren’t always a cultural issue. Sometimes the actual physical premises you run your company out of can be grimey and unhygienic too. This will make them very difficult to work in, and no employee should be expected to put up with this unacceptable level of dirt. 

As the boss, the quickest way to resolve this issue is to hire a janitorial company and allow them to take care of your workplace cleanliness. Whether you just need the bathrooms seen to at the end of the day or you need a once over of the office each week, outsourcing to a professional cleaning team will get rid of these complaints once and for all. 

There’s Too Much of a Blur Between Work and Life

It’s easy to think that messaging an employee outside of their work hours is no big deal. You need to send an email, usually about something that feels pressing, and you want a response back as soon as they’re able to send one. But seeing as the issue is urgent, that’s fine right? 

Many employees will end up complaining about this behavior if it occurs too often. The blur between work and life boundaries adds a layer of toxicity to the workplace, and when employees feel like they’re never off the clock, their performance is going to go down. To fix this, simply leave the message until tomorrow morning. 

When employees complain, make sure you listen, and then work together to find the solution.