According to a 2022 Gallup report, employee engagement in the United States experienced an annual drop for the first time in a decade — falling from 36% engaged employees in 2020 to 34% in 2021. This downward trend has continued into 2022 with the number now sitting at 32% of employees engaged. Meanwhile, the percentage of disengaged employees increased from 16% to 17% in the last year.
So, what’s the problem?
Why Are Employees Disengaged?
The report found that employee engagement varied by job type and industry. Healthcare workers saw the greatest decline. Management roles also faired poorly. Still, workers across the board are pretty checked out at this point. In fact, according to a recent McKinsey study, 64% of employees surveyed said they were “somewhat likely” to quit in the next 3–6 months. And that’s without even having another job lined up.
Why?
Employees say they’re feeling disengaged and disconnected from their work because
- they don’t have enough time to do their work
- managers communicate poorly
- they lack support from management
- their role or duties are unclear
- the boss treats them unfairly
- they don’t have the right equipment
- their purpose is uncertain.
Employees also report feeling strongly that their employers are not concerned about their well-being. Employee engagement is directly linked to a resilient workforce and improving well-being. This is because engagement elements like collaboration, involvement, communication, and development help build trust. With this trust, employers can address overall well-being.
Do you know how your employees and team members feel? If not, it might be time for a check-in.
Remote and Hybrid Work
Interestingly, employees who have fully remote or hybrid work arrangements are more engaged than those who must work exclusively on-site. Still, remote worker engagement has dropped significantly. The reasons for this are the same as above, in addition to issues surrounding recognition and development.
Signs of Employee Burnout
It’s not hard to know if your employees are getting burned out and becoming disengaged. There are many indicators.
Just take a look around and see if you notice any of these signs:
- withdrawn, irritable, and angry team members
- apathy and decreased morale
- a decline in job performance
- increased conflict between employees
- higher levels of absenteeism.
If you see the warning signs, it’s time to act. Employees who are burned out and disengaged don’t perform. Before they slip too far, get them back on track and optimize your operations.
What You Can Do to Boost Employee Engagement
- Support your staff. Employees who feel properly supported by management are 70% less likely to experience burnout.
- Listen to your personnel. Your employees have ideas — good ones. So listen up and implement some of those ideas. Don’t just make your employees feel heard, listen attentively.
- Embrace flexible work environments. People love options and today’s work life is different. Offer flexibility for employees and how they work, whatever that looks like.
- Focus on well-being and balance. Employees have lives outside of work. Provide resources to aid a healthy balance between work and life.
- Keep communication open. A person who knows their role and how it fits within the company’s bigger vision works smarter and is more engaged.
- Manage managers. Employees with overbearing or unclear management waste time, burn out faster, and are unsatisfied at work. Coach managers regularly.
There’s a lot you can do to remedy low employee engagement and high burnout. Focus a little less on finances and a little more on meaningful human interactions. In the end, it benefits employees and employers alike. Turnover rates will decrease, performance will rise, and resilient company culture will thrive.
It comes down to creating a better experience for employees. This is your opportunity to survey your workforce. Get their feedback and see where they stand. Use this data to develop a plan to improve company operations and employee engagement. Audit your business decisions and practices to see if they still align with the company’s values and culture.
Start by looking at your management team. How are they different from other organizations? Do their style and decisions fit the brand? Do they actually know how to manage and guide projects to completion? After all, they’re responsible for keeping their teams happy and functioning optimally.
Secondly, assess what you offer employees. If you think you’ll lure top talent with a high salary and some health benefits, think again. Today’s employees want more. However, they’re not asking for more money. They seek a holistic employee experience where there’s an equal emphasis on growth, well-being, and engagement.
How do you do this?
Prioritize relationships and avoid transactions.
People crave connection and meaningful relationships. Explore more personalized approaches to attract and retain employees rather than transactional tactics. Determine what matters most to your teams, express recognition and appreciation in various ways, and build relationships with your employees.
Let work be a place of social interaction.
The strongest predictor of a positive work experience is the social element. That is to say: keep the workplace a place where friendships can flourish. Employees also want quality relationships with their team members and leaders. A positive organizational social climate plays a major role in employee experience and, therefore, employee retention.
Provide opportunities for advancement.
Obviously, some cases call for short-term, contract, or temporary employment. However, keep in mind that these temporary arrangements, or treating employees as such, feel very transactional. Employees won’t stay at — and might not even join — an organization that has no opportunity for growth.
Implement a sustainable work management approach.
If your organization’s processes and workflows are overly ad hoc, lacking clarity, and creating confusion, bottlenecks, and delays, your teams are likely feeling the strain and frustration. By investing in the optimization of your company’s processes and workflows, you’ll improve engagement, build a more resilient workforce, and create a more scalable business.
Stephen (“Steve”) Colwell is the founder of Clarify Media and Completing, one specializing in marketing and brand strategy for B2B and B2C firms; the other focused on growth operations training and consulting for teams seeking more scalable ways of operating. Steve brings 15+ years experience leading high-performing creative, technical, and operations teams across the globe. A certified Agile practitioner and Fractional CMO, Steve helps teams of all types and sizes save time and accelerate growth by implementing the same proven methods and routines practiced by today’s top-performing companies. Steve has helped national and global brands in technology, healthcare, education, finance, consumer goods, travel, entertainment, blockchain, and a number of other industries.
Leave a Reply