3 Ways to Re-engage Disengaged Employees
3 Ways to Re-engage Disengaged Employees
Imagine this - you’ve got a team of ten rowers on your boat. There are three people rowing their heart out, dripping sweat, and giving all they’ve got. Then there are five people just sitting with their arms crossed, just adding dead-weight. Moreover, you have two people who are rowing in the opposite direction. How fast is your boat going now?
Sadly, this is the true picture of employee engagement status in our global workplaces, as per Gallup – the global authority on all things relating to employee engagement. Gallup’s 2022 data have indicated that the engaged category only accounts for 23% of our workforce, the actively disengaged category represented 18% and the fence-sitting, quietly quitting, not engaged group accounted for a whopping 59%.
And the impact of the fence-sitting not engaged category on the global economy? A staggering US$8.8 trillion on global productivity or 9% of the global GDP. That’s a lot!
However, with my experience over the last 25 years, working across multiple companies and countries, I know for a fact that the fence-sitting disengaged employees are only ‘seemingly’ disengaged. While you may think that these employees only turn up in body only, leaving behind their brains at the door, I’ve found that they are waiting to be discovered, leveraged and motivated.
If you’re struggling to get all of your initiatives and projects implemented while holding the fort on a daily basis due to lack of resources, then you may want to think about tapping into the latent capacity of the seemingly disengaged fence-sitters. Here are three quick tips on how to engage the seemingly disengaged.
1. Get them Involved in Improvement Initiatives
When new employees join our workforces, it is quite common to ask for improvement ideas through their ‘fresh eyes’. However, as they get adjusted to ‘this is how things are done around here’, we don’t continue to tap into the human creativity and the genius in us.
By carefully including some of the seemingly disengaged fence-sitters into project teams that are led by an engaged employee, you can not only get their ideas captured but also leverage them to take action as well. Working with any of the structured problem-solving methodologies, these teams will not only move the needle on engagement but on productivity gains as well.
Most leaders think that it is up to them to improve the workplace. My mantra is ‘Improve with the team not for the team’.
2. Fix Something that Matters to Them
US President Theodore Roosevelt said it best - “Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.”
In the technology driven world we operate in today, ‘data driven decision making’ is a buzz phrase that I hear often. However, our ability to download, analyse and comprehend in a timely manner is extremely poor. Think about how flashy Power-BI dashboards, Excel paralysis by analysis and arguments over data accuracy tend to drive multiple conversations in countless meetings that go around in circles, when the original intention was to help teams make rapid decisions with real-time data to grow the business.
Your employees know exactly what frustrates and prevents them from doing their best work. Find ways to brainstorm issues that frustrates and constraints business growth. If you can find baseline data to prioritise these ideas, then resolve them through the process shared in the previous point.
While implementing SMART technology solutions, we are also creating DUMB employees as well – those who are constantly Devalued, Underestimated, Misunderstood and Belittled.
Sadly, they are waiting to be Developed, Utilised, Motivated and Believed-in. If we think artificial intelligence is better than natural intelligence, then the end is near.
3. Create an Infectiously Positive Culture
Playfulness, progress and persistence help to create an infectiously positive culture, which increases the likelihood of the fence-sitters getting involved.
This is exactly what Tony Hsieh did when he took over Zappos – the mega US online shoe company - in 1998. Zappos’ culture is reflected in their core values. Zappos’ unique approach to employee engagement can be quantified. For instance, when their call centre moved from the Bay Area to Las Vegas, an astonishing 80% of its California employees relocated. In 2008, when average turnover at call centres was 150%, Zappos’; turnover was just 39%.
In 2009, Amazon acquired Zappos for a staggering US$1.2 billion. Even after the acquisition, Zappos retained its unique culture, becoming a model for companies wishing to enhance customer service and employee engagement. It’s not surprising, then, that leaders from companies well-known for service and quality, such as Southwest Airlines and Toyota, make regular visits to learn from Zappos.
A rising tide lifts all boats!
It’s easier than you think
The secret to engaging the seemingly disengaged is involvement. Get them involved in the right initiatives with the right teams. Over time, they’d be willing to lead initiatives as well, when they see progress and impact. Share their success stories at your townhall meetings to infuse positivity. If you stay on this method, you’ll continually improve both productivity and engagement.
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