Complacency can occur in any workplace. It doesn’t matter if the environment is busy or quiet, or the culture is good or bad - all organisations in all industries are at risk of workers becoming apathetic.
What is Complacency in the Workplace?
Complacency in the workplace occurs when a worker feels comfortable with the organisation and their role. They’re going through the motions, not using their initiative to make improvements, feeling unmotivated and not helping out their colleagues when they have time to spare.
What to Do if You or Colleagues Feel Complacent
If you feel yourself slipping into a state of complacency or you can see it in your colleagues, it’s time to take action. Complacency hurts productivity, results in unengaged and unmotivated workers and, in some workplaces, can lead to accidents.
Risk Assessments
Complacent staff can be dangerous. When the role is easy all the time, staff are more inclined to take short-cuts that can compromise safety. If you feel you're not as conscious about safety as you once were, try to work more consciously and keep safety top of mind.
If it's obvious that colleagues are cutting corners, taking risks that they didn’t take earlier or no one is taking safety seriously, an Occupational Safety and Health Audit can uncover areas of concern. Complacency can make staff blind to safety risks, so it may take an outsider to come into the workplace to point out potential risks.
Be Proactive to Learn and Develop
If you have been doing your role for a while, it can feel like you’re working on autopilot. You don’t have to think too hard, you don’t even have to try much because it’s all second nature. If you find yourself in this situation, it might be time to shake things up.
Speak to your manager or colleagues about learning how to do a new task. You could offer to be a back-up to a colleague who does a specialised task or role that you might enjoy. Doing a new task will require you to concentrate, take notice and to learn a new skill.
When your role comes easy to you, now is a good time to do a course or further study. Choose a course that will allow you to use any newfound skills or knowledge in either your current or any future roles. It’s also a good idea to talk to your manager about the professional development and whether that’s support the company can help support.
Think About Your Future
Before you decide on future studies, think about what you want to be doing in five years time. If it’s doing a new role, think about what you need to learn to get there. It may be new skills, more education, experience in other areas, a new role in another organisation or another area of your current employer. Write down your goal/s and all the steps you need to take to get there. Put a timeframe against each of the steps so you know what you need to do to achieve your end goal.
Seek Some Career Advice
Many workers that are complacent or bored in their current role usually won’t do anything to change their situation. Often, it’s not because they’re lazy, but they simply don’t know what to do next in their career. Sometimes, there may be jobs available with their current employer but they haven’t thought about going for one.
You may not even realise the skills and experience you’ve gained over the years, or the roles that would suit your background. A professional can help guide you through a Vocational and Transferable Skills Assessment to uncover potential new career paths and fulfilling roles.
Wellbeing Programs
The daily grind can get boring. Staff can mix up their week by participating in lunchtime or after work programs like yoga, a gym membership, neck massages, a lunchtime walking group or a friendly competition between teams.
Complacency can be reduced if the organisation offers something different to do, as well as opportunities to engage and develop relationships. This can make work far more interesting for some workers. PeopleSense by Altius Group runs Employee Wellbeing Programs that can be customised with physical, mental and social health initiatives to suit the majority of employees within an organisation.
How Organisations Can Tackle Complacency in the Workplace
There are many ways that organisations can tackle complacency in the workplace. From looking at creative ways to boost morale, through to assessing the need for a workplace wellbeing program. Our range of workplace wellbeing programs are effective in fostering a strong workplace culture that can help prevent or address feelings of complacency in the workplace. Call 1800 258 487 or contact us online for more information.