Tips for Employee Engagement & Disengagement
“Monday morning feels so bad, Everybody seems to nag me… I’ve got Friday on my mind”. This Easy Beats classic could easily represent the workweek soundtrack for 76% of the Australian and New Zealand workforce, whom according to Gallup polling are either not engaged, or actively disengaged at work. In contrast, engaged employees don’t dread Mondays and don’t clock watch on Fridays. Engaged employees are highly motivated and give their all while at work. These engaged employees exhibit the attitudes (e.g., pride, commitment), and behaviours (discretionary effort) that lead to better business outcomes (e.g., service quality, customer satisfaction, and profits) compared to their non-engaged or actively disengaged peers.
Clearly engagement matters to business performance and reputation. How then do we create conditions for ensuring that employees are motivated to give their all? For a long time it was believed that the answer was money – offer more money and expect higher motivation and better performance. More recently casual observers have looked to companies such as Google, widely known for high employee engagement. In doing so they note the perks such as luxurious offices, free lunches, gym memberships, and Friday afternoon drinks. However, these perks aren’t the causes of high engagement, rather they are outcomes of a profitable business built on a highly engaged workforce. Money is not the answer to employee engagement. Employee engagement begins with meaning not money.
The power of meaning to drive engagement is beautifully illustrated by the story of President John F. Kennedy’s visit to NASA in 1962. During a tour of the facilities the President approached a janitor who was sweeping the floor and asked what he was doing. The janitor replied “I’m helping put a man on the moon”. In this answer the janitor highlighted that he understood the true contribution he was making to the NASA team and that his contribution was linked to the overall goals of the organisation. While every business goals may not be as lofty as sending a man to the moon, every business must stand for “something”, and it is this “something” that plants the seeds of engagement.
Beyond meaningful work, it is up to front line leaders to create the conditions for employees to perform their best work if they are to be fully engaged. Again, this does not cost money, however it does require skill. We know that people are most engaged when they feel supported. For leaders to support their staff they must create a high feedback environment that is open, honest and trusting. Further, leaders must offer encouragement and ensure that staff members’ career and personal goals are being fulfilled while at work.
While many leaders readily grasp these concepts and endeavor to improve engagement, a large proportion of staff remain disengaged. Remember, it’s not just you, it’s you and them – employee engagement is a two way street, and it may be unrealistic to expect complete engagement all the time. Despite proactive efforts to create the conditions for high employee engagement levels of engagement may fluctuate, some employees will become disengaged over time, while others will join a business already disengaged. If this situation occurs a leader has two responsibilities:
- Continue to endeavor to create conditions for high engagement, as to act otherwise would be disingenuous and likely damage the businesses reputation.
- Learn from the experience, as to act otherwise would disadvantage the business and future employees.
When examining cases of disengagement it is wise to return to meaning. Regarding employees who have become disengaged over time it is highly likely that either the business mission has changed, the employee has lost faith in this mission, or become more excited about a different mission. Regarding cases where employees have joined a business already disengaged, it is likely that the recruitment and selection process was ineffective as neither the employee or the business “got what they signed on for”. Identifying the cause of disengagement won’t always lead to a resolution but it is the first step to beginning a conversation around the responsibilities that both employers and employees have towards engagement and fulfillment at work. Tapping into employee engagement need not cost the earth – simple, honest conversation will surface.
At HR Business Direction we are able to assist you with employee engagement strategy. Contact us here.
Alistair Kerr MPsychOrg; PostGradDip Psych; BPsych
Organisational Development Strategist | Psychologist
alistair.kerr@hrbd.com.au
07 3890 2066
www.hrbd.com.au
