Confusion in the Workplace: Three Possible Causes

In many cases today, we perceive employee confusion and lack of understanding as laziness, disinterest, and overall unhappiness. However, can you think back to a time in your life when you were so overwhelmed with confusion that you felt unmotivated and intimidated by the project at hand? You weren’t necessarily lazy or disinterested; you just didn’t know where to begin or how to finish what was in front of you.

That same phenomenon occurs in workplaces every single day, with employee confusion leading to a lack of productivity. But before you draw conclusions, it’s worth sitting back and reflecting on what might be confusing your employees.

Here are three places to start looking:

  1. Communication Structure: How do you communicate in your workplace? Do you have software? Do you have a mixed structure with two different e-mails and a workplace e-mail that only functions on your computers there? You get the picture. If you have more than one communication channel, chances are, miscommunications are happening left and right. Employees end up spending time on projects, only to be told they did it wrong. Their futile efforts leave them discouraged and unhappy with their role in the agency.
  2. False Expectations: Have you made it perfectly clear what is and isn’t expected of your employees? Beyond that, do you change up these expectations when it’s convenient for you? If you’re lacking a centralized software that outlines workflow and traffic management, expectations become intangible ideas that are applicable when beneficial. If an employee feels like they could be hit with a brand new expectation with no warning, they’ll start to “flinch” at the thought of going above and beyond. Humans are creatures of habit, which is why you need your expectations clearly stated and drawn out for all to observe.
  3. Project Assignments: Do you make it clear who’s to work on which part of a project, who’s to communicate with the client, and who’s to look over the project before it’s complete? If employees feel confused about their role in the traffic management structure, they’re more likely to step back and not participate at all, than risk being yelled at for something they didn’t mean to do. Why take on a project if you feel like you’re going to be reprimanded, no matter your performance?

CurrentTrack®

Without a centralized platform that aggregates all of this information — reporting, communication, and more — it’s common for workplaces to fall victim to this type of confusion. However, that’s exactly what we set out to mitigate with CurrentTrack. Now, communication, expectations, project assignments, and more are accessible by everyone, in real-time, effectively removing any confusion altogether. With everyone feeling certain about their role and what’s expected of them, they’ll be more likely to show up and perform to the best of their ability.

Say goodbye to workplace miscommunications with CurrentTrack this year!

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