A Manager's Guide To Pleasing All The People, All Of The Time

While we all know the saying ‘you can’t please all of the people all of the time,’ a manager’s responsibility for employee wellbeing means that they very much need to be the exception to that rule. 

After all, even within one enterprise, there are likely to be a wide array of people, each with different personalities, likes, and dislikes. Unfortunately, existing office norms are typically targeted towards one career type and one career type only, namely extroverted middle-aged males (yes, gender bias is very much behind existing office research.) 

This poses obvious problems, especially in light of increasingly positive diversity drives in the workplace. And, it’s an issue that you can overcome by stepping away from the ‘traditional’ ways of doing things and instead catering for everyone in the following ways.

Make remote work a choice

Remote work is especially relevant right now, with employees not just being given the option to work remotely, but actually told that they have to operate this way. This is great news for the 87% of employees who intend to continue working in this much-desired set-up post-pandemic, but for some, these remote processes have led to a wide range of issues, especially as loneliness sets in.

Most notably, happiness discrepancies are making themselves known between extroverts who thrive in the buzz of an office environment, and introverts who work better in peaceful, self-regulated setups. Luckily, there’s an easy enough solution, and it comes in the form of making remote work a choice. Many employers intend to keep home working in place past the pandemic, and you shouldn’t hesitate to join them while also leaving your office open for those who would prefer to be there. 

Provide variety in your office

Generalised open-plan approaches have been office go-to's ever since the 1950s, and have gained particular traction in the last five years or so. This is great news for extroverts who find inspiration easiest to come by when bouncing ideas off each other, but there’s clear evidence that open plans can devastate introverts, leading to issues including sickness and a lack of motivation. 

As such, now is the time when managers should be seeking office fitouts that provide much more variety to suit each working style. A mixture of private cubicles, collaborative spaces, and chill out zones are guaranteed to be the best way to meet everyone’s needs in one fell swoop. 

Always implement feedback

Employee feedback has always been a managerial fundamental for avoiding issues that rock the boat, but now more than ever, you need to implement feedback to keep employees happy. Specifically, sending out surveys that make it easy to see suggested areas for improvement means that you can find compromises or ways to fit every request that save you from doing any of the legwork, and still ensure that employees of all personality types are forever happy in the workplace. 

It’s not always easy to keep everyone happy all of the time, but it is well within your reach, and also well worth the effort.