Do you know that based on Gallup poll in 2016, only 13 percent employees worldwide are actively engaged? While every leader knows that employee engagement is the lifeblood of effective business, this finding reveals how the world at work is suffering from employee engagement crisis. So, how do you tell if your employee is actively disengaged?
Copious researches illustrate how actively engaged employees affect key business outcomes. Gallup study reveals employee engagement reduces employee turnover by up to 65 percent and decreases absenteeism up to 37 percent. Additionally, they don’t just make loyal employees who stick to your company, longer than other staffs. Engaged employees are also good for business sustainability. The same study reveals engaged employees will improve your bottom line, with 21 percent increase on employee’s productivity and 22 percent higher profitability.
Unfortunately, as stated previously, global employee engagement has seen a slump in the recent years. With soon to retire baby boomers, the global workforce will see a changing landscape with influx of Millennials coming to the workplace. Characteristically different from the older generations, disengagement level is relatively high among Millennial workers.
Recent study conducted by Elance Odesk finds that 58 percent Millennials expect to leave their jobs in 3 years or less. Given the threatening stats of employee disengagement, leaders are urged to take preventive steps to improve their employee engagement strategy. One of the early methods is to recognise, when your employee shows signs of disengagement.
See: Drawing Upon Cross-Cultural Perspectives to Employee Engagement
Here are 5 tell-tale signs that your employee is actively disengaged:
Be careful when you find your employee coming late to work for consecutive days, especially when they do not have any solid reason behind their tardiness. Employees who used to be punctual in past when show a sudden change in pattern by arriving late to work, could be the initial sign of disengagement.
When someone is disengaged, the idea of getting up early in the morning and going to work on time is no longer exciting. No wonder, they tend to have trouble arriving on time, and even have excessive absenteeism.
Disengaged employees tend to withdraw and even isolate themselves from their co-workers. They choose to opt out when it comes to meetings and gatherings. Even when they are physically present in the team discussion, their minds wander to other places. Paying little interest to the organisation’s matters, disengaged employees make less efforts to engage and participate in any company events.
“I don’t care” attitude is one of the most visible trait of disengaged employees. When your employee used to be full of energy, then all of a sudden if the enthusiasm levels go low, this might be a sign of disengagement. There is a change of behaviour, such as slower movement and continuous late response.
When an employee is not enthusiastic about getting their jobs done, this will affect their work quality. They simply no longer care about the details or efforts put in the tasks. Disengaged employees tend to think about how the job is done, rather than how the job is done ‘right’. Therefore, if you find work quality and performance hampered, then you should find out the reason and address it right away.
Employees who are disengaged have lost their motivation and energy to scale up at work. Owing to which, they are easily satisfied with ‘good enough’ rather than ‘excellent’. Feeling bored towards their routine, they tend to stop being creative and even avoid challenges.
Beyond all the signs above, one thing is sure about disengaged employees: they don’t foster good company culture. Therefore, when leaders identify such signs associated with disengaged employees, then they should take immediate action, communicate with them and try to re-engage them before they put down their papers and choose to move on.
Read also: Top 7 Engagement Activities to Boost Collaboration in Virtual Teams
