If an employee is disgruntled and unhappy, they may be more likely to make false claims about how they were treated at the business. For instance, an employee may be let go because it’s clear that they’re unhappy in the workplace and their productivity has dropped. But are they then going to claim that they were actually discriminated against based on something like their race, gender or religion?
This is not to say that all claims of discrimination are false, of course, but simply that employers want to be wary about the actions that disgruntled employees may take. This can lead to situations in which a business owner is accused of acting in a certain manner when they know that they actually didn’t do so. But how can the owner know in advance that this is how the employee feels?
Significant changes in the quality of work
One thing that can signify if an employee is disgruntled is when the quality of their work declines. Perhaps they start to miss deadlines or they never appear happy to take on new projects.
Changes in behavior
Another potential sign is if an employee begins to exhibit different types of behavior, which may be inappropriate. Perhaps they get into unnecessary arguments with other workers, or maybe they start to be late to work every day.
Major life changes
Some employees will simply become disgruntled when their life changes in a significant way. They may be stressed out from having a new child or getting married, for instance, and it has an impact on their work.
What can employers do?
It’s not always possible for employers to prevent their employees from feeling this way or from making claims about how they were treated. However, employers who have been accused of discrimination and harassment certainly need to know about all of their legal options when this does take place.