Many companies struggle with employee disengagement. According to an article from Inc.com, disengaged employees cost businesses between $450 billion and $550 billion per year. This is seen by many business owners as a major problem. It is so because the less engaged employees are, the less productive they become, and this negatively affects the business’ bottom line.
These employees are also known as those “who quit without quitting” or “silent quitters’. Every company in the world relies on its staff so if they are unproductive, that is not a good place for your business to be. Fortunately, there are things employers can do to reverse this situation and make employees feel more engaged at work. In this article, we will be discussing how big of a problem disengagement in the workforce is and how to fix it.
Why Do Employees Disengage At Work?
There are a few reasons why employees feel unmotivated to give their best. Some of the reasons are;
Poor Work-Life Balance
Whenever employees believe that they spend an unacceptable amount of their time working, their morale tends to drop. In extreme cases, they slow down their productivity to cope with heavy workloads.
Poor Management
Whenever employees believe that the leadership at their workplace aren’t doing a good job, they tend to become demotivated. Things like micromanagement, poor communication and direction, lack of feedback, and negativity can all undermine someone’s confidence and enjoyment of their job.
Limited Career Growth
Every employee dreams of gaining promotions and making progress at their workplace. If they’ve worked with a company for many years without any growth opportunities, they may disengage and start looking for another job with better conditions.
Lack Of Recognition
It’s a part of human nature to value being recognized. Employees are likely to feel unimportant if all their efforts and contributions never receive praise. Regular recognition and appreciation are essential for fostering a positive workplace culture.
Excessive Workload
Excessive workload and unrealistic expectations can lead to burnout and disengagement. Whenever employees feel like they’ve been given too much work to do, they may decide to switch off and become disengaged.
What Are Signs Of Employee Disengagement?
Signs of employees becoming disengaged may be hard to tell. However, If you want to solve this issue, you need to spot this change as soon as possible. Some of these signs are;
Decreased Productivity
When you notice that your employees are consistently delivering a lower output than usual, they may be disengaged.
Increased Absenteeism or Lateness
When you notice that your employees miss work or consistently show up late for work, it may mean that they are no longer engaged.
Lack of Initiative
If you’ve noticed that your employee no longer contributes as much to the team’s effort as he used to, he or she may be disengaged.
Low Morale
If you see that your employee has no enthusiasm towards his or her job and doesn’t look like he or she is engaging with others, the person is likely to be disengaged.
How Big Of A Problem Is Employee Disengagement?
We’ve already mentioned that disengaged employees cost businesses between $450 billion and $550 billion each year. Here are some of the harmful effects of employee disengagement on your company.
High Employee Turnover
Whenever a company is known to have a high employee turnover, the cause is likely employee disengagement. Staff tend to change jobs whenever they realise that they have no future at their current workplace. This gives the company a bad reputation.
Employee Disengagement Is Costly
Companies that always have to replace staff tend to spend more resources on hiring new ones. They also have to offer more lucrative packages than they did to the employees who leave to be able to attract the best talent. Also, a reduction in productivity from employees costs the business a lot since they’re less productive.
Employee Disengagement Is Contagious
It is easy to sense when morale is generally low at a company. Employees gossip among themselves and share stories of incidents where management behaved poorly. This negativity can spread to even the most positive of workers.
How To Fix Employee Disengagement?
Recognising why it happens, what the signs are, and what its effects are is the first step; the next is implementing effective strategies to re-engage employees. Here are a few ways to solve this problem.
Create A Positive Work Environment
Employees work harder when they are happy at their jobs. This is why creating a work environment that promotes happiness and unity is crucial. You can do this by listening to their feedback more, promoting health and wellbeing, and acknowledging their contributions to the organisation. Doing this goes a long way to boost employee morale.
Promote Employee Growth and Development
One of the main reasons why many employees quit their jobs or become disengaged is the lack of opportunities to grow. When employees are given a transparent path to their next career goal, it encourages them to work harder to achieve that promotion. Also, when companies give training to workers, it adds value to them and generally makes them happier.
Promote a Healthy Work-Life Balance
One main reason why workers become disengaged is they feel their work life has taken over their personal life. Companies should be open to offering remote work options, flexible work hours, or even compressed work weeks. Doing this will accommodate employees’ personal needs. Also, ensure that you don’t give your employees too much or too little work. Both of these extremes cause disengagement.
Provide Quality Tools For Employees To Work
We all know how frustrating it can be to not have the right equipment for the job. Employees are more likely to be productive when they are given the right support. Imagine using an old computer that freezes occasionally to work, that will not be an ideal situation for you. That frustration can turn into disengagement.
Works Cited
Charlton, Don. “This Invisible Problem Is Costing Employers $500 Billion Per Year.” Inc. Magazine, 20 May 2019, https://www.inc.com/don-charlton/this-invisible-problem-is-costing-employers-500-billion-per-year.html. Accessed 6 January 2024.
Eisenhauer, Tim. “20 Problems Linked to Employee Disengagement.” Axero Solutions, 8 December 2015, https://axerosolutions.com/blog/20-fundamental-problems-linked-to-employee-disengagement. Accessed 6 January 2024.
Marks, Libby. “Disengaged Employees – Signs, Behaviors & Strategies to Cope.” Runn, 4 September 2023, https://www.runn.io/blog/disengaged-employees. Accessed 6 January 2024.
Perkins, Jessica. “Disengaged Employees: How To Recognize & What To Do.” AIHR, https://www.aihr.com/blog/disengaged-employees/. Accessed 6 January 2024.
“What Is Employee Disengagement? (And How Do You Fix It!?) [GUIDE].” Unrubble, 17 May 2020, https://unrubble.com/blog/what-is-employee-disengagement. Accessed 6 January 2024.