Would you recognise that a colleague in the pharmacy is no longer happy in their role?

Running a pharmacy is anything but easy. You have responsibilities and make decisions that affect everyone employed. With these burdens, it’s easy to see how employees and their daily concerns can be forgotten about; dissatisfaction can rapidly deteriorate into problems and resignations.

When employees are happy, they feel good about themselves and this feeling of wellbeing rubs off on others. But when the opposite is true, ‘lucky’ employers will be told – staff will vocalise issues.

Too often, employers only find out there’s an issue when an employee quits. What are the warning signs of unhappy staff?

Not going the extra mile: Unhappy, disincentivised and disinterested staff rarely go the extra mile. They make little attempt to meet standards and expectations, let alone exceed them. If you find staff in this situation, you need to establish the causes and see what solutions may remedy the situation.

Watching the clock: It’s normal to feel relieved when the clock says it is time to break, go for lunch, or leave for home. But it’s altogether different when an employee is perpetually looking at their watch and counting down the time before they can depart. Anyone in this situation is clearly unhappy and action needs to be taken.

Cutting themselves off: Most of us are naturally sociable and want to feel that we are part of a team. If you find an employee that is deliberately cutting themselves off from the rest of the team (and this is out of character), it’s a sign that you should investigate further.

Nothing new: Happy employees are enthusiastic employees who have a desire to be creative and be the best at what they do. They’re free with ideas and can take (constructive) criticism on the chin. If you find your employees are dull and uninspiring, you need to ask why. Is it their general personality or has their positivity been squashed by unhappiness?

Being open: One of the biggest indicators of trouble is when staff talk behind a manager’s back or when there’s an ‘elephant in the room’ that no one wants to talk about. Action here is urgently required, or workplace unhappiness will become entrenched.

Cooperation: There will be times when employees question what is being asked, but when people become reluctant or unwilling to do as they are asked, or contribute to the team effort, you know there’s an issue that needs tackling.

Use your eyes: Communication is part audio and part visual. Look for signs that people are grimacing rather than smiling. Do the same for body language that is passive or aggressive. If you see anything wrong, then it’s time to act.

Happy employees work well and the workplace comes alive. Any unhappiness needs to be detected and dealt with quickly before the problem spreads and staff decide to leave.