Why business owners are always blaming employees first?

It is easy to blame others, but it takes courage to admit one's fault. Blame culture is a part of our society. Every time a manager fails in their responsibility, they shift the blame to subordinates. Even the co-workers shift the blame on each other. According to research, 18% of start-ups blame their workforce for their failure.

An employee gets the shorter end of the stick with every minor mistake they make. Not a very surprising incident, is it?

We rarely get to hear that higher-up are admitting their faults. But it cannot be the employee's fault every time, right.

Of course, sometimes the employees are not competent enough to take responsibility for their part of the job and make mistakes. But an employee’s performance is partly the responsibility of their boss – a responsibility that bosses do not want to take. Let's say; 40% of the employees are at fault, but the rest, 60 percent, would have been yours. So why do business owners always blame their employees instead of finding the solution to a problem? Let’s dig into the reasons why it happens:

Why Do Business Owners Blame Their Employees?

●    BAD HIRING:

When an employee does a good job, the employer or manager takes all the credit for the fact; that they hired him, but when the same employee fails to do their job, we put all the blame on him for their bad performance. Whose fault, is it? Its employer.

When an employer hires someone, his bad work or good work is all the employer's responsibility. Many business owners tend to blame their employees for their; poor work rather than admitting their fault for hiring poorly.

●    LACK OF TRAINING & GUIDANCE:

when an employee fails to do their job well, business owners point fingers first at their employees. It is not right to blame your employees all time; the responsibility first falls on the employer's shoulder for each employee's failures.

"According to data published in Lorman, about 59% of employees claim they had no workplace training, and their skills were self-taught"

Maybe your employee has come to ask for your guidance, but you neglected them, or they are scared to do so. Here, the employer becomes faulty. Just hiring an employee does not end the responsibility; it is the employer's duty to give them the right direction, training, and guidance to do the work. Without appropriate training and guidance, they are bound to make mistakes. Lack of training and guidance will give you a bad result.

●    WRONG DELEGATION:

Many times; employees fail because of a lack of skills and ability to do the task, and employers blame them. But how can an employee perform well if they don't have the skills and qualifications needed for the task? For instance, If the employee is good at accounting and the employer assigns them the task of preaching to their clients, will they be able to do the job? No.

Not everyone can do everything; the same applies to your employees. Instead of blaming them, assign them the work they are good at. A business owner must analyze the skills of his employees and assign tasks according to their skills and abilities. A wrong delegation will give poor outcomes.

●    LACK OF CONFIDENCE & DISTRUST:

Whenever an employee fails in their part of the job, the boss starts worrying about that employee’s performance. The boss then starts to increase the attention given to that employee. It is where; the vicious cycle of lack of confidence and distrust starts. The concern for the employee gets perceived as an inspection that makes the employee doubt their skill and ability. If anything goes wrong, all doubt shifts on that employee.

●    BAD LEADER:

It takes nerves and virtue to become a leader. Because taking responsibility means being honest about a lot of things. Managers often try not to indulge in controversial topics, including their own goals and virtue. A single stain on their collar can deteriorate their maintained image. It is easy to blame the nearest person whenever things go south, and it is the main sign of an unsuccessful leader refusing their duty.

Often the problem arises from the instilled fear of being blamed for your teams’ results. Managers do not want to report not-so-positive reports to their higher-ups because they are afraid to be held responsible for their poor performance. So, they go with the backup of a pre-made excuse that one of their employees messed up.

●     FAULTY EMPLOYEES: It is not the fault of the employer always either. All employees are not competent at their job. After being reported bad results from co-workers several times and seeing the workers slack with their own eyes, the employer has no choice; but to blame the employees. The less interested and engaged employees are themselves responsible for their poor results.

"According to a report by Gallup, about 70% of employees got found actively disengaged at work".

Fingers are bound to get raised if they are lax in their work and keep on giving; bad results. Thus, sometimes employees deserve that blame.

●    SOMEBODY HAS TO GET BLAMED:

Companies often depend on their employees to generate profit for their projects. Especially, small companies like start-ups or local organizations do not know how to deal with losses, nor do they have the structure or strategy to deal with one. If a small start-up is trying to challenge innovation and fails due to structural problems and incapability, they shift the blame on the employees to incur losses. Because; somebody has to be blamed.

These reasons destroy workplace peace. Instead of encouraging collaborative mindsets and support among each other, they indulge in the blame game. So, how to prevent this previous cycle and cultivate positive workplace ethics?

Spreading awareness among each other; about the harmful effects of shifting blame and excuses.

Focusing on a company's productivity is more crucial than indulging in the blame game. Replacing this blame with responsibility, virtue, and determination will lead to positive mindsets and less work-related stress.

A FINAL WORDS

So, instead of avoiding your responsibilities next time, be a role model for your employees. Start taking responsibility for your own and your team's faults instead of pointing fingers at others. As a leader, you have a responsibility to guide them in the right direction and provide training, and if they fail, you are equally responsible for their failure.

Once you have decided to dig deep into your actions, you will be a great leader. Empower, engage and become the model of change.

Stop blaming your employees over small things; instead, search for a solution together. Keep the workplace environment optimal for your peace and your employee's mental health. Implement no-blame culture in the workplace and maintain a stress-free environment.