Three Common Workplace Problems

I was promoted to a manager in the year 2017. Time flies and it has been 2 years that I have been in the role of being a manager. In simple terms, a manager is suppose to manage people. Recently, I came across a book that highlights the common workplace problems that burden managers. It hit the nail right on the spot and this is the problem I faced currently at my workplace without myself realising it!

Here are the 3 major problems that I currently faced at my workplace:

1. Staff Being Overdependence

Being competent at work, I always step in to help my staff that reports to me whenever they faced some problems with the project they are handling. This has created an overdependence on me to always come in to solve their problems and in some cases, do the work for them. As time goes by, my staff have the impression that I am responsible for their work.

2. Myself Overwhelmed by Work

As I took on more projects, I was overwhelmed by the piles of work. I have two staff reporting to me. Sometimes when I ask them at the end of the day what they have accomplished, they told me they have not completed anything. That was when I realise that they are uploading their work which they are responsible for to me.

3. My Staff Became Disconnected

Since I always came in to solve my staff’s problems, they became unconfident of themselves and their abilities. They also avoid challenging tasks and projects as they knew I will take up those difficult tasks when they kept quiet.

Conclusion

I was glad I realise the above early. I have previously attending a one day course about Coaching and this is where I could apply the knowledge I have learnt. Instead of doing the work for them, I will now ask them “What is stopping you from fixing the problem?” and “How much time do you need to do your research to solve the current problem?”.

I have been practising the above for a month and it works! I can now focus on the things that managers should do instead of doing the actual work for my staff. I hope their abilities and skillset will grow over time since they now have more hands on experience.

What kind of challenges do you face at work and how do you solve them?