Shiny Happy People

A national employee survey by job site Glassdoor has revealed the worst companies to work for in the UK, and employees at three of these companies have cited lone working as one of the reasons behind their despondency.

The survey ranks bookmakers Ladbrokes, health food store Holland & Barrett, JD Sports, Mitie and Laura Ashley amongst those near the bottom of the pile of worst companies to work for in the UK, and it’s comments from employees at the first two companies that I’d like to focus on today.

Employee satisfaction is hugely important and it can significantly impact the productivity, sales, and reputation of your company. Despite this, many companies, including large organisations, struggle to keep their employees happy. If you’ve ever had a job that filled you with dread every time you walked in the door, or felt like you’d rather be anywhere else than at work, then you’ll know the importance of employee satisfaction. Unhappy employees are not productive employees.

It’s interesting that many of the businesses mentioned in the survey are from the retail sector. What is it about this sector that generates such disdain from its employees? Let’s be clear, not all retail businesses have unsatisfied employees, but clearly there is an issue in a great number of companies within this industry.

It’s difficult to know exactly why employees in the retail sector are unhappy in their jobs. It could be a social issue or something to do with policies and procedures, it could just be irrationally disgruntled staff, there’s often a great deal of added risks when in a customer facing role, and this could very well lead to added stress. They may feel undervalued, they may lack trust in senior management, it could have something to do with pay or perks, or they could feel unsafe when performing their day-to-day duties.

The latter appears to have been an issue when Ladbrokes employees were filling out the Glassdoor survey. Some of the betting firm workforce complained of repeated spells of lone working and issues dealing with abusive and aggressive customers. Similar complaints were made by Holland and Barrett staff; the high street retailer employees explained that their jobs involved "lone working for substantial periods of time".

Whilst working alone is perfectly legal, all employers owe their staff a duty of care, and as such they need to consider the risks to their worker's safety in the workplace. There are lone worker roles in every industry and it’s thought there over 6 million lone workers in the U.K.

While providing a duty of care is important, the most important thing here is employee safety. Creating an environment where your workforce feels safe and where they’re able to carry out their duties, knowing that if an incident were to occur they would have the best protection, is priceless, and will certainly improve productivity and employee satisfaction.

Brand perception is hugely important, the general public’s perception of your company can be the difference between success and failure. But where are they getting their views from?

Internal brand perception – what do your employees think about your company, how do they view your brand? If the people you work with can’t be positive about your company, then how can you expect potential customers to show an interest?

Keeping employees happy can help improve productivity, it will help keep your most valued members of staff, therefore saving money on expensive recruitment processes. The knock-on effect of a happy workplace can be invaluable, and I don’t think it’s an over exaggeration to say it could also increase a company’s share price and profits.

Find out more about our lone worker solutions