So, you’ve caught the Employee Engagement bug. All you can think about is creating a great place to work, and the more you 
think about it, the more you notice how disengaged some of your coworkers are. We’ve all seen them – dragging their feet through the hallways, grunting a semi-intelligible syllable as you wave a cheering hello; spreading cynicism and rolling their eyes at any suggestion of making your workplace better.
It’s important to remember, no matter how frustrating it can be, that this reaction isn’t necessarily their fault. It’s very easy to become annoyed with people who seem to be constantly negative, no matter how happy and positive you are in their company. I always try to remember that these poor folks are trapped in a miserable bubble of disengagement – every day is as grey as the next, and the weekends are a time of absolute glee because they’re not chained to their desks for a couple of days. Imagine hating your job that much – it’d be unbearable, wouldn’t it? Well, the likelihood is that this is how disengaged employees feel – every single day.
Disengaged employees have no desire to go the extra mile for their employer, and truly see what they do as ‘just a job.’ On average, we spend between 40 – 44 hours per week at work – I can’t imagine spending such a huge proportion of my life at work if I really hated my job. It seems ludicrous that so many people dismiss the concept of Employee Engagement, calling it ‘fluffy’ or ‘pointless’ – and yet they’re so willing to continue trudging through the 40 hour week that makes them so unhappy.
So, what can we do about it? How do we even begin to raise the subject of Employee Engagement, when so many disengaged employees don’t want to hear it?
Scratch the Surface
You’ll always encounter employees who shrug off the idea of Employee Engagement, dismissing its value at the first mention. People aren’t always willing to open up and share their problems with you, but 9 times out of 10, there’s a bigger issue at play. Employee Engagement is different for everyone, and so one solution isn’t going to cut it. Once you scratch the surface, you’ll often find out what a person needs to improve their engagement – this could be a flexible working pattern enabling them to spend more time with a sick relative, access to software or equipment they desperately need to do a better job, or a simple thank you when they’ve done something well.
Don’t Make Assumptions
This is one of the biggest mistakes you can make when it comes to employee engagement. If you simply assume you know what employees want and formulate your strategy based on that, you’re asking for trouble. One of the key sections of our ‘What’s your #toptip for engaging employees?‘ eBook is entitled ‘Stop Talking, Start Listening.’ We asked hundreds of people for their views on employee engagement, and listening to employees and acting on their needs was the advice at the top of the table. Never assume you know what people want; ask them, listen to them, and act on what they say.
What the heck is Employee Engagement?
Despite the host of evidence for employee engagement and the fantastic legacy we’ve built so far, many people still have no idea what the term means. Don’t go in for the kill and fill your colleagues’ heads with management speak and employee engagement terminology – most people will switch off straight away. Instead, open the conversation by asking what your employees or colleagues want from their workplace. You can make those tricky conversations easier using our Card Sort Exercise, along with our other free resources.
Don’t Avoid the Subject
It’s easy to become frustrated and avoid disengaged employees all together. After all, you’ve found plenty of people in your organisation who are willing to jump on board, right? Ignoring the issue doesn’t make it go away, and it certainly doesn’t deal with the bigger problems in your workplace. Don’t leave the trickier characters out, because you’ll only make the problem worse – engagement must include everyone in the organisation, and requires time and effort to do well. Don’t give up on anyone.
Human to Human
Forget B2B, B2C and management speak. Leave your job title at the door. It’s not about hierarchy, it’s about happiness.
What have we all got in common? WE’RE ALL HUMAN. We might need different things to be engaged at work, but we all have the same basic make up. Speak to your colleagues, and find out what it is that makes your employees happy outside of work – how can you bring some of the things they love into their working life, and how can you help them to create a great work/life balance? Ensure that all colleagues know that you want to create a great place to work, and that it’s not a test or something to fear – spend time with them, ensure they trust you and that they fully understand what you’re doing.
Don’t hate disengaged employees – do something about it. We’re passionate about employee engagement and culture change at People Lab, and we’d love to speak to you about creating a great place to work. Contact us today for a chat about how we can work with you!
