The Real Issue
It used to be that the biggest staffing problem managers had to deal with was high turnover. Today, the real issue is engagement… finding a way to get staff to do more than just turn up to work physically. It’s about finding ways to engage them mentally and emotionally.
For some organisations lack of engagement is an ongoing issue, perhaps due to the nature of the work people are employed to do. For others it is more circumstantial, such as coping with busy periods, adapting to change or even just getting into a rut. Even organisations with highly motivated staff can find they still benefit from the occasional boost to their motivation levels.
Whatever the cause the result is the same: lack of engagement is a real issue with real costs attached. A survey of 50,000 employees by the Corporate Leadership Council in 2004 found that only 11% said they were fully engaged at work, 76% knew they could demonstrate more commitment and 13% described themselves as actively disengaged. That’s 89% of staff disengaged to some degree.
Defining The Terms
Employee engagement can be defined as the degree to which employees perform work over and above what would normally be required for their role. It is the level of discretionary effort that employees give when they are committed, satisfied and motivated in their role.
The Gallup organisation has come up with an easy to understand guide to the 3 types of employees currently populating the workplace.
Engaged – people who work with passion and feel connected to their organisation
Not Engaged – people putting time but not energy or passion into their work
Actively Disengaged – people acting out their dissatisfaction for others to see
What To Do
The task of re-engaging people can seem too difficult. The majority of them are working to an acceptable level so many managers learn to live with the problem. It doesn’t have to be that way. I believe there are 3 steps in the process of re-engaging your team.
Clear out: Start by clearing out any actively disengaged people. Talk to them straight about their obvious lack of interest and help them find their next employment opportunity internally or externally. At the same time you need to clear out any ineffective policies and procedures that are creating disengagement. Ask your staff . . . they will very easily identify what holds them back.
Own up: Now it’s time to address any past issues, errors or concerns that have contributed to the negative environment. Be honest with people about decisions that were made and their impact on the workplace. Do some serious analysis of what happened, why it happened and how to prevent it happening again.
Move on: Finally you should be able to introduce some new people, new ideas and a new culture. Again, get your people involved in coming up with ways that you can move on from the workplace of old and create an environment that is engaging for not only your employees but also for you.
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Excellent way to cut to the chase of dealing with employee DISengagement. There are a lot of strategies and tactics that can be used that may get stuck in implementation because they’re too complicated, but your recommendations are clear-cut.
My experience in corporate HR, and my business of workforce design now, adds one more point your readers might want to consider. As you add those new people and new ideas to create the new culture, be certain that you are starting from a planned cultural design. Oftentimes leaders will have the best intentions but not “begin with the end in mind.” (I write about these topics on my blog “The Workforce Expert” at http://www.blueribbonworkforce.com/workforceexpert.)