LivingBluprints and the University of Northern Colorado Release New Research on Perceptions of Problems in the Workplace

• Survey of US workers reveals that people-related issues are the largest concern.

Linda Stacy, founder of LivingBluPrints, a training and consulting company focused on improving employee engagement, satisfaction, and productivity, partnered with the University of Northern Colorado’s Social Research Lab to understand the nature of problems at work and, specifically, leadership’s awareness of those problems.

The report, “Understanding Barriers in the Workplace,” reflects perspectives from individual contributors, managers, and directors across companies in the United States.

Results show that employees at all levels know that leaders are not fully aware of what’s happening day-to-day—and that, as a result, companies suffer considerable financial and people-related expenses.

Sixty-seven percent of respondents cite issues outside their control as a main barrier to productivity. This presents an opportunity for companies to change the narrative especially during this time of remote and hybrid work—to encourage individual resourcefulness, responsibility, and self-leadership.

Seventy-one percent of respondents cite human-related issues as the biggest source of problems in the workforce (34% noted communication, 25% mentioned people, and 18% indicated leadership).

Because human behavior is a complex topic, it is important for companies to invest in their employees’ development on issues of emotional intelligence, difficult conversations, and leadership effectiveness—and companies that don’t can be stymied by bottlenecks and turnover.