Get Engaged

Written by: Misty Smalley

Published: July 2013

According to a recent Gallup poll, less than a third of Americans consider themselves actively engaged in their work. Applying that metric to an office of ten people, it means only three of them are engaged. Committed. Devoted. Faithful. Pledged. So, what about the other seven? Disengaged. Detached. Disconnected. Severed.

But why?

As individuals, employees may have any number of reasons for disengaging from their jobs, though the likelihood that 70% have some extenuating personal circumstance is quite low. Instead, let's look at four systemic/cultural factors that often impact employee engagement, and some action steps that may help turn them around.

ISSUE: Poor Relationship with Manager
Employees leave managers, not jobs. In fact, a poor relationship with a manager is the most common reason employees give for leaving during their exit interviews. But those who stay, and continue to feel that they are not valued, understood or supported by management, among a plethora of other possible emotional or interpersonal issues or misses, become complacent, unmotivated or even openly hostile. Misery loves company, and you can bet that that one outspoken hostile employee will be toxic to the entire team. If those who are personally unaffected by or have steeled themselves against the negativity blossoming in their midst see that this behavior is tolerated, they may lose respect for the manager as well, and also detach.

ACTIONS:

• Take the time to build relationships with employees as individuals as soon as you begin working together, way before any issues have had an opportunity to arise.
• Address negative or isolationist behavior quickly and privately. While it is virtually impossible to force an employee to participate in a relationship reboot, it is very possible - and essential, in fact, to listen to all of the concerns/dis-satisfiers and acknowledge his/her feelings. This gives the manager insights about filters and assumptions the employee has in place, and how he has written the story in his head so actions can be taken accordingly.
• Document a performance improvement plan (one that has some consequences), including not only steps for changing the disengagement behavior, but also growth goals that are important to employee - such learning a new skill or attending a training - to encourage ownership in the process.

ISSUE: Haven't Found Meaning
Employees must understand the company, the business it does and the impact of their individual role in its success. They must feel that they belong to the team that makes the company successful, and that the pieces of the business they touch make a difference to the bottom line. That their presence and their work is meaningful. Without this, it becomes easier to get careless with quality and miss deadlines, because, what does it really matter, anyway? But... what if that truck that was supposed to leave had emergency medical equipment on it, headed for a disaster... and the employee had no idea how important her role really was, and missed it? Or how great she could have felt ensuring that hundreds of people would be better off because of her work?

ACTIONS:

• A narrow, job-level view without context is simply not enough to imbue employees with a sense of pride in the company's accomplishments and products, or good deeds. Expose them to not only the workings of the company, but the philosophy and values, which will make it easier for employees to find commonalities and buy in emotionally.
• Explain to every employee exactly how his/her part, and its flawless execution, makes a difference. Show them what they are doing to drive success, even if it is in an indirect support role. Without the logistics coordinator, no supplies would arrive at the disaster and no rescue would occur. Something the employee is doing makes a huge difference to others, tell him/her what it is. Do it early. Remind often. Celebrate wins together.

ISSUE: Lacking Vision and Hope
Some people know what they want... where they want to be, how long they think it should take. Some are not so sure. In the course of daily work, there is often little time for philosophical discussion on the topic, and so, many employees seem to float along. It may feel good for a time, like autonomy. At some point, however, this can make an employee feel stuck - more tethered than floating. Complacency and boredom find fallow ground and blossom into disengagement... with no real hope or vision for anything different.

ACTIONS:

• Create a clear vision of the future. Some employees need guidance to get there, but the benefit of saying and writing what they want can be incredibly empowering. Not to mention that managers can offer more opportunities and encouragement when they know an employee's interests and desires.
• Visit a written Development Plan to keep both managers and employees tied into larger, loftier vision related goals, even when day to day tasks dominate time. Employees are positively reinforced by the development work, while the department benefits from the increased training, skill and energy. Good Development Plans create win-win situations, but only insomuch as they are visited, updated and treated as living documents. Don't set it and forget it.

 

ISSUE: Never mind today, what about tomorrow?
Employees are dissatisfied with their current role...they feel they have earned a promotion or raise, or they are progressing toward their desired level too slowly, that their accomplishments and contributions merit more than they have received. They may grow bitter and spend more time trying to prove that they've been stalled by someone or something than focusing on their work. They often miss new opportunities because they do not fit the very detailed plan in their minds of how it is supposed to happen or be... in short, they stymie themselves by closing off everything happening in the present as they worry about the future. Some coaches refer to this phenomenon as a lack of mindfulness.

ACTIONS:

• Have an honest discussion about the realities of "corporate life" and the culture/politics of the company. Is the employee's disappointment well-founded, or has she, in an effort to get to that next step, get noticed, etc., become lax about her duties? Has her attitude slipped? What are others' perceptions of her work and presence?
• Set clear expectations. If the job description is vague, firm it up. If there are aspects of the job that the employee is not meeting or the manager has other soft skill expectations, ensure that the employee knows and understands what they are. Together, set small, incremental and attainable steps for attaining any goals not currently being met. Check in often and document progress.
• Coach them. There are times when an employee is simply not a good match for the role that she is in, and rather than own that fact, she may spending too much time and energy focusing on the future as an escape. When desired promotion does not occur, it is defeating on many levels and adds to the unhappiness and disengagement. Let's face it, the recent economy affected our collective appetite for risk in the job department. We hunkered down and held tight to our jobs to ensure we had one. Things are looking up and it may be time to explore whether this is the right fit. A tough discussion, no doubt, but it does not mean she has to go anywhere at all, it may offer an opportunity for the manager to enrich her current role with some new projects, shuffle things around, etc.

Overall, both manager and employee own engagement, and every single thing that happens every single day, no matter how menial or monumental, plays into long term engagement and vitality. We must be in the moment, listening, watching, thinking, feeling and responding. But we must also plan and dream. An employee who has become disengaged may not be lost for good. Re-engagement depends on consciousness attention and deliberateness. So let's sign on for a very long engagement!