Complacency is a major issue in the workplace, especially if you let it get too bad. This can not only negatively impact productivity in the workplace, but this can also lead to some very serious injuries depending on the industry you are in. What is complacency in the workplace? What can you do about complacency? By reading on, you can learn everything that you need to know about complacency and what your operations can do to overcome this very serious problem.
What is Complacency?
The actual definition of complacency is “the feeling of smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or their actions”. But what does this mean when it comes to your organization? There’s organizational complacency, which refers to when an organization is a leader in the industry without taking the necessary steps to ensure that it is the leader in the industry. There’s also an issue with individual complacency in the workplace, where the individual seems disengaged and just operates with a “business as usual” mentality. When it comes to individual complacency, there are a variety of different factors responsible for this including low-performance standards, lack of feedback from management, or an absence of any real problems for the employee to handle. Complacency happens when employees just auto-pilot through their workday every day.
When your employees are complacent, this has a negative impact on your company. Employees will be less inspired to strive for innovation and they won’t have the loyalty you need to succeed. This can lead to issues such as a high turnover rate. If complacency is an issue I the workplace, one of the biggest areas to suffer is your productivity. Complacent employees don’t easily accept new initiatives. If you don’t intervene as soon as possible, your employees will become even more resistant to any change.
One thing that you should be certain to do is not confuse productivity with your employees constantly being busy. In fact, busy schedules can often further hinder productivity. There needs to be a focus on the same end goal with all of the employees, who are working towards some greater purpose for the company. Without this, you may end up suffering from the complacency that can significantly impact your business.
Examples of Complacency in the Workplace
Here are a few different examples of complacency in the workplace:
- An employee that is complacent knows that they may be doing something unsafe and not according to the standards of the company. They are overconfident in their abilities, which causes them to make choices that aren’t very safe. They also want to get the job done as fast as possible, meaning that they are cutting safety corners to save time or because they don’t want to go through some overly complicated process.
- An employee who is stuck in their ways, using old and unsafe practices to accomplish tasks. They have been doing things this way for a long time, maybe once knowing the proper practices but forgot them because the employee is too used to doing things their own way.
- An employee that works in an unsafe manner because they may not know how to properly do the job safely. This could be a problem with complacent management, who doesn’t put in the time to properly train their employees. It can be hard to fix these problems as they tend to come from the top failing in their duties as management.
- An employee working at their desk but only doing the bare minimum to get by. This employee isn’t inspired to create anything and is only doing the minimum that is asked of them. They don’t have any will to do more because there’s no movement for them to grow in the industry. Or the management doesn’t offer any feedback that lets them know whether or not they are doing a good job at the company.
These are just a few examples of complacency that you may notice around the workplace. If you notice complacency in the workplace, you should act as soon as possible as you notice signs to prevent this from becoming a bigger situation that you need to deal with. If you let these problems go on, they will not only get worse but there’s the potential that these issues can spread to other employees in the workplace.
Dealing with Safety Complacency
When it comes to hazardous industries, workplace complacency can be particularly problematic. This can impact the quality of work as well as how safe the environment is to work in. Workplace complacency in these industries is a serious problem because this could actually kill someone. Employers in these riskier industries need to take a great deal of care when it comes to ensuring the safety of their employees.
There are some things that you can do that can help you resolve safety complacency. The first thing that you should do is remind your fellow employees of the mission at your company. Remind them of the company’s mission and purpose, ensuring that the employees can connect themselves with the company’s goals. This is an important part of the process because it makes the employee feel like they matter; that they have an impact on how successful the company is. Emphasize this point to them because you want them to know that their behaviors do impact the company, negatively and positively depending on the behavior.
It’s also a good idea to avoid routines in dangerous areas. While you may think that routines are important to productivity, this can actually lead to issues like the employee just sort of being on auto-pilot while working. This may prevent them from seeing any hazards that could lead to very serious injuries or potentially death. Add in some variety for their daily routines, which not only helps prevents complacency but will also help them be more alert while working.
Another thing that you can do to help with safety complacency is encouraging your employees to observe each other. This can be good for two reasons. One reason is that they can help their peers do things in a safer manner right away, rather than risk waiting until you see the bad behavior to fix it. The other reason why this helps is that it can make the observing employee more aware of their own mistakes so that they can fix these issues themselves.
Lastly, you should put some practices in place that can correct these bad habits. You can put in mentoring programs, where your experienced and stellar employees can take new employees (or under-performing ones) under their wing. You could also consider hiring an outside company to come in to help identify issues and put new practices into place that will ensure the safety of all of your employees.
Safety is first and you can’t afford to have any complacency when it comes to safety in the workplace.
Signs Complacency is a Problem in Your Workplace
Knowing that complacency is a problem in the workplace is one of the best ways to help overcome this issue. You need your employees to want to thrive, but complacency can get in the way of this. There are signs that you can look for, no matter what industry you are in, to determine if your employees are getting complacent. As soon as you start noticing these signs, you need to take the appropriate steps to prevent the issue from getting worse and start getting your employees back on the right track. Here are some signs to look for.
Your Employees are Disengaged.
One of the first signs that you may notice is that your employees seem disengaged. They may not be as focused on their work as you would like them to be. When you ask them to perform new tasks as part of their job, look at how excited this prospect makes them. Look at how engaged they are with their co-workers. Do you notice that they take the initiative to collaborate with their co-workers? Are they focused heavily on taking the objectives of their department forward, without any urging from management? Or, are you noticing that they are spending a lot of time daydreaming? Do you notice that they are just doing the bare minimum to get by, without taking any initiative to stand out?
If your employee doesn’t seem engaged, this is a sign that they may have checked out for some reason. You want to see why they have lost their passion for the company. Maybe they don’t feel as though there is room for them to grow at the company. Maybe the employee doesn’t feel appreciated by you. You should take the time to see why your employee isn’t engaged in their work and figure out what you can do to help bring them back around.
They Just Simply Go with the Flow.
If you have an employee that is no longer asking any questions or is no longer challenging themselves in the workplace, this employee is likely now complacent in their job. This is a problem for a couple of reasons. For one thing, this means that this is an employee that is no longer adding value to your company. They aren’t concerned about thinking; they just do what they are told and go with it. Even if they can come up with a better and more efficient approach. Thinking outside of the box brings value, not just going with whatever the boss tells them to.
They could be just going with the flow because they don’t want to risk losing their job. Or they could just be doing it so that they can do what they need to without putting in any additional effort. In either case, you have an employee that isn’t working up to their true potential and aren’t adding any extra value to your company.
They No Longer Take Any Initiative.
As employees stop thinking for themselves and become complacent at work, they will stop taking any initiative in the workplace. They won’t step up to take the lead on any assignments. They no longer can inspire their peers. Their attitude will become distant and they will start just following along. You don’t want employees that become disconnected from other co-workers will end up being more of a distraction than a value to your company.
Why does this happen? A common cause for this is because the employee is getting more responsibilities but they aren’t getting any extra pay. They get tired from the added work and lose motivation to continue on. Understanding why the employee is no longer going the extra mile can be helpful to resolve this issue.
The Employee Doesn’t Invest in Themselves.
Employees that continue to invest in themselves are incredibly valuable to the company. They are constantly learning to develop more skills. They are networking to build working relationships to help their career. You want employees that are always developing or learning new skill sets because they will always be working to the latest standards in the industry. However, once they stop investing in themselves you need to be concerned.
They could have stopped learning because they feel as though they already know everything, a dangerous sign of complacency. It could be as major as stop investing in additional training or networking, or just a seemingly simple change as not investing as much in their work attire. You want employees that are completely invested in their career because these are employees that are going to be the most valuable.
They Are Constantly Taking Shortcuts.
Complacent employees are the most likely to take shortcuts in their work. Now there is a difference between finding a faster and more effective way to get something done and just simply cutting corners to get through the task. By taking shortcuts, they aren’t as detail-oriented as you may want or need for your business. They may think that they are untouchable, so they allow themselves to get lazy.
If they start taking shortcuts, this could mean that the employee no longer has the drive to complete in their career. This can be very disruptive to the workplace, interfering with the overall productivity of the company. Eventually, these employees can become a total liability for your business.
The Employee Won’t Take Any Risks.
It’s hard to get ahead in the business if you aren’t willing to take any risks. It’s normal for employees to be hesitant in taking risks, but by being courageous and taking risks your employees can stand out. It’s important that employees are willing to take those calculated risks to succeed in the business world.
While an employee only taking little risks here and there isn’t a concern, those employees who aren’t even willing to take any risks are a problem. Employees that tend to play things a little too safe may be complacent and would rather just work in the background than be an important part of the team.
The Employee No Longer Has Passion.
Employees that lose their passion for their work tend to lose their excitement about going into work every day. Passion is what fuels your best employees, inspiring them to take the initiative to do a lot for your company. If they lose this passion, they aren’t working as hard for your company. Even worse, they can impact your workplace by causing others to lose their passions as well. Most companies have a highly competitive environment, which fuels the highest level of performance in the organization. When one person loses their passion and the will to compete, this could cause others to have the same feeling.
They Are Unhappy in Their Careers.
Employees that are complacent have become unhappy with their careers. This could be because they haven’t climbed up the ranks as quickly as they would have hoped as they worked hard for their company. This could also be because they feel as though there’s no place to grow in the company. In either case, this leads to the employee suffering from complacency.
How to Overcome Complacency in the Workplace
Now that you understand the signs of complacency, what can you do about it? Employers should want to make sure that their employees are working to their greatest potential. You want them to feel comfortable, but not so comfortable that they sink into complacency. As an organization, there are things that you can do to help.
- Meetings: Through regular meetings, you can inform employees of how the company is doing and how their role has helped their company to achieve success. By the employee knowing that they are playing their part in the business’s success, they are more likely to continue to work hard rather than become complacent.
- Be Transparent: Opening the lines of communication between the management and the employees can crucial. Give them feedback on how they are doing and get their opinions on different topics. This helps the employee feel valued.
- Give Them Purposeful Work: Employees get complacent when they feel as though their work doesn’t matter. They want to know that they add value and are making contributions to the company.
These are just a few ways that you can prevent your employees from being complacent and start them back on the path of being valuable assets to your company.
