In a celebration of the obvious, a new Harris Interactive study has found that low pay is the top reason why employees say they are stressed on the job.
I want you to ignore this finding because, it’s a common answer (people always think they are worth more than what they receive) and because pay rate is not something that can be quickly and easily changed.
Instead, I want you to focus on the #2 reason (just 1% lower) why people say they are stressed out at work: Annoying Coworkers. If you want to Clear the Path to a more productive organization, this is where you can make some big changes.
Annoying coworkers are the people who put petty before productivity. You won’t see them helping out unless there’s something in it for them. They have to be right all the time and only they can bend the rules. They’re the type of people who love to finish other people’s sentences, even when they don’t know what they’re talking about.
Here’s the biggest problem with these annoying coworkers: They’re allowed to get away with all of it. They are allowed to run wild because they’ve been with a company for a long time and/or have created a perception that their skills can’t be easily replaced.
This kind of tolerance is what quicksand is to a level foundation. Do you really want to keep someone around who distracts your entire team and acts like he or she owns the place?
As a leader, you’re saying a lot if you let this kind of behavior continue. Fix the problem or remove it. But don’t let it stay. Otherwise, you’re giving someone the ability to sabotage your organization on a daily basis. It’s not a fun management move but it’s necessary.
Please note: Most annoying coworkers don’t think they’re annoying. But as soon as they’ve been removed or retrained, you’ll likely notice your team running much smoother.
And when you boost the productivity in your organization, suddenly there may be money to give everyone a raise.
