Many people believe it's about daily happy hours and copious amounts of free snacks in the office. However, engagement has less to do with fun and much more to do with purpose, meaning and a strong desire to perform at a high level while at work.
When the real definition of employee engagement is made known, finding you have employees who aren't connecting with their jobs becomes much more ominous.
As a leader in the organization, and the one responsible for building a team of productive and happy people, dedicated to the company mission, you spend hours reading resumes, researching backgrounds, and sitting in interview after interview.
Seeing your hard work slowly unravel may lead you to thoughts of nurturing and rehabilitating the disengaged employee ... but should it? Or is it better to absorb the turnover cost and move on with your life and your work?
Employees who are in the early stages of disengaging with the company or brand are considered at-risk employees. Much like a medical diagnosis, this is the best place to catch a problem. People in this stage are slightly disconnected, whether that be because of an event, or simply something you notice. At this point, it is much easier to retain employees, and generally, the cost of retention efforts will be less than that of turnover costs.
Employees who were not re-engaged during stage one, or who had a larger life event happen can be found in the complacent stage. In this middle tier, employees are actively disengaging from the organization. From things like not joining in the pizza luncheon to skipping out on meetings or missing deadlines here and there, you can be sure that the employee needs some extra attention and a one-on-one. At this point, it is important to analyze skill sets, impact on the company, including peers, and employee motivation. You'll want to be sure that the employee has not checked out so much that you're spending resources to save them, only to lose them in a short time.
Terminal disengagement. No one wants to end up here, but it happens, whether due to lack of management interference or a really unfortunate series of events. When you find a terminally disengaged employee, it would almost take a miracle to salvage that relationship. Employees at this stage tend to be combative, creating tension and dividing the office or teams at times. Additionally, their work may be incomplete, late, or unusable because of their lack of concern for the well-being of the organization and their team. Most of the time, it is more cost-effective and healthier for everyone involved to terminate the employee and rehire for that position.
Have a conversation. Discussing the issues leading to disengagement is vital to success. Remember that each employee is different and the reasons for disconnection will vary from person to person. Understand that this is a two-way street and to produce an effective outcome will require give-and-take on both sides of the table. Below are some guidelines for conversation depending on the level of disengagement.
Have a casual, but private conversation and discuss the needs and wants of the team member. This will help you gain insight into what it will take to keep the employee and if it is worth the effort.
Be honest about noticing slight differences in performance or behavior, but be sure to come from a place of understanding and a desire to work together to make the company mission and employee goals intertwined. This may mean offering courses for development, or a tweak in responsibilities. Remember, investing in your people is investing in your company.
During your conversation, work through the surface issues and focus on getting to the heart of the problem. Discuss at length the struggles the employee is facing, whether it be work related or something else. If the employee is unsure of how to open up, make some small, general observations, such as, "you've been absent from our lunch n' learns lately, are you overwhelmed with work?
Be sure to dig for deeper answers when you feel a brush-off response. This is a hard conversation for both parties, but ripping off the band-aid is best to expose the problem and begin the healing process.
Figuring out how to navigate this conversation can be tricky but is certainly doable and necessary. Even if the relationship seems unsalvagable, getting to the core problems leading to this point is vital if you want to succeed in hiring, nurturing and engaging current and future employees.
Start with a one-on-one meeting, and if necessary, bring in other influencers in the employee's work for feedback and conflict resolution. If in the end the employee seems motivated to change and wants to be a part of the mission, it is up to management to decide if the relationship is worth saving. If the employee is not motivated, then the decision has been made, and it's time to part ways.
Studies show the first six months on the job sees the highest level of connection. After six months, there is a higher risk for disengagement, so avoid becoming lackadaisical in your coaching of these employees.
All in all, it is a unique situation each time you find yourself facing a disengaged employee. Keep notes on your interactions, your efforts, and what worked and what didn't. Make sure you dissect the cause of the problem and make any changes on your end to prevent others from disengaging for the same reasons.