Frustration in the workplace is not a rare emotion. What are the causes and how do we tackle them?
I was talking to a dear friend and ex colleague just the other day about why she is not looking for a similar SLT role as her next job. She explained that she was so exhausted from the politics involved in her last two roles, spanning five years, that she’d rather take a lesser paid job and be free of the relentless, pointless shenanigans that take up so much time, cause frustration and annihilate energy. Yes, this sounds extremely draining and definitely not for most people although some do thrive off it.
What a shame this is because she is fantastic at what she does and has travelled around the world spreading her magic with those who she has led and managed. She is a loss to that business, and a loss to senior leadership. A prime example of lost top talent.
The conversation prodded my thinking around some of the key feedback we have received from mentoring initiatives, which centers around the ability to share frustrations in a safe, highly confidential environment..
Mentees have told us creating safe spaces helps:
Share insight in how to deal with being micromanaged, which derives mostly from lack of trust in the mentees ability to perform a task or run a project
Mentors provided an alternative view on a frustrating situation. Exploring the possible ‘Why?’ to certain approaches such as micro management, bias’s and differences of opinion.
Learn how to respond to negative behaviour traits and incapable colleagues
I checked in with my new favourite AI tool Perplexity which provides sources to its data, as to what the possible causes of frustrating situations could be, and this is a summary of what it came up with:
Top workplace frustrations in the UK
Underperforming colleagues: The most common frustration, cited by two-thirds of workers, is colleagues failing to perform their duties properly. This can harm relationships, reduce productivity, and lead to workplace conflicts.
- Micromanagement
- Noise disruptions: Loud conversations and speakerphone use
- Messy communal areas as well as disputes over office temperature are a top annoyance for 42% of workers
- Lack of recognition: Employees often feel overlooked for their contributions, leading to dissatisfaction
- Stress and mental health issues: Conditions such as anxiety and depression are prevalent, with 1 in 6 employees reporting mental health challenges. These issues account for significant productivity losses and absenteeism
- Unprepared younger workers: Over half of Gen Z employees feel ill-prepared for professional roles due to insufficient training or soft skill development, creating additional workplace tensions
In my research on this topic the solution that keeps appearing, among others but the most frequent, is effective communication. Being open and transparent with colleagues and employees is key to workplace happiness and productivity. I have seen many situations where people work in silos which create mixed messages and confusion leading to frustration. A fear of collaboration is another which is often caused by insecurity and creates exclusivity.
What is the solution? Obviously mentoring or even a mentoring approach is the answer to everything! How can I state this?
Research and statistics prove that with mentoring both mentors and mentees learn how to listen and understand what to do with the information they receive. This results in increased confidence leading to what I call being ‘comfortable in your own skin’. When this happens, we embrace feedback rather than shying away from it. This then leads to openness, clarity on plans, change as well as expectations from everyone involved. Mentoring statistics to prove this are:
- Improve staff retention rates – rates are 20% higher when employees receive mentoring. Increase productivity – companies that implement formal mentoring programmes experience a 72% increase in productivity.
- Positive cultural change – 100% of Executives cited an increase in job satisfaction.
- Develop leadership skills – 97% of mentors in the workplace say participation in a programme has helped them to develop their leadership skills.
- Increase company profits – Companies with mentoring programmes had profits that were 18% better than average.
When we are listened to, we feel valued and good things happen. For example, healthy people management, necessary leadership for those underperforming, inclusion for those who should be and the creation of a work environment that limits stress and anxiety whilst catering for a varying request of room temperature.
If you are interested in finding out more about effective mentoring initiatives whether you’re involved with one or not, let’s chat!
