Engaging the Disengaged: Understanding Employee Engagement
Is it too far-fetched to envision a workplace where employee engagement is at its peak?
Employee disengagement is pervasive and can permeate anywhere.
We're no strangers to this – feeling indifferent and disconnected in our workplaces. We resign ourselves to the mentality of "I just have to get by" or "I just need to get this done and over with", knowing full well that we are not engaged or invested in the work.
What begins as an "isolated" case of a disengaged employee soon spreads and affects the entire organisation.
In this article, let us explore what it takes to understand employee engagement and what it means to engage the disengaged effectively:
1. Start by understanding employee disengagement
In their bid to address this, companies try all means and ways to boost employee engagement through corporate team-building activities or brainstorming corporate team-building ideas, the effects of which are short-lived and ineffective.
This begs the question: Why?
It's essential to approach the goal of boosting employee engagement by starting with understanding the source of employee disengagement. It's not just people who are wired differently. Companies are structured differently. This means that the source of employee disengagement in Company A could be completely different from that of Company B.
In order to strategically weed out the root cause of employee disengagement, companies must begin to have the difficult conversations before knowing what needs to change.
2. Find out the reasons for employee disengagement
While the source of employee disengagement might differ from company to company, here are the most common reasons:
There is no work-life balance
Your corporate culture might be all about the hustle. Many often misinterpret that the greater the hustle, the greater the success. This gives off the vibe that employees are expected to prioritise their jobs and that any extra time put in is considered normal.
Eventually, the absence of a work-life balance will cause employees to burnout and render them incapable of sustaining their work performance.
There is no opportunity for growth
People development (aka talent development) is one of the key factors that builds loyalty towards a company.
When companies have a clear development plan tailored to suit the strengths and talents of each individual, employees will be invested in their growth and assured that there are opportunities in the pipeline to ensure their growth.
A common cause of disengaged employees stems from the lack of opportunities for growth, indicative of the absence of a clear development path for each employee.
There is no buy-in to the vision
Organising townhalls to relay the vision for the year is one thing. Ensuring your employees' buy-in to the common vision is a whole other thing altogether.
Many employees need to see the larger picture or feel a sense of purpose in their work. This gives them a sense of purpose that serves as their motivation, even in routine tasks. Companies that forsake this aspect often find themselves at the losing end of the rope, having to deal with disengaged and disillusioned employees who are unmotivated and unproductive.
Final Thoughts
Employers want to recruit employees who will feel revitalised and connected to their jobs. Employees want to enter their workplaces feeling invested and engaged at work.
Yet, it's unsurprising that this ideal state is far from reality, leaving employees disillusioned that they, too, can experience engagement at work.
The consequences of allowing employee disengagement to fester can spell disaster for any company.
If you want to know how our team of corporate team-building specialists in Singapore can help your company get out of that rut: drop us an enquiry and we’ll be in touch!
Written by Rachel Chai
Connectedness • Empathy • Strategic • Belief • Context
Rachel is a Strengths School™ Certified Strengths Trainer and the Content Lead at Strengths School™. Being deeply introspective, she believes in helping others draw connections between how their unique strengths play out in their lives.
We are corporate team-building specialists based in Singapore, equipping in-person, virtual, and hybrid teams with practical tools to maximise collaboration and minimise conflict. Trusted by 600+ teams globally, our proven track record showcases our expertise in helping teams achieve their corporate team-building objectives.
