Understanding what contributes to employee disengagement can help bridge the communication gap and create more fulfilling and productive workplaces. The success of a business truly does rely on the satisfaction and happiness of the employees. Building a business with trust, understanding, and healthy communication can lead the way to great company culture and better services/products that your business offers. Do you think an unhappy employee will treat a customer or client the same way a happy employee would? Of course not. When employees are unsatisfied and disengaged, your clients are likely to be as well. Learn the signs that will tell you if your employees are at risk of becoming disengaged and check out the solutions on how to fix it.
Foster a Positive Work Culture
Businesses largely depend on leaders to mould the workplace culture into one that is positive and supportive. With fast-paced projects, deadlines, and multiple tasks keeping the mind occupied, it’s too easy for leaders to neglect to foster this positivity, and the office can quickly become a place everyone dreads going to. If your place of work is one that causes too much competition, hostility, or simply has a lack of camaraderie, employees will be less inclined to perform well.
The solution: Connect with your employees regularly. Emphasize the health and wellness of your employees and take time to make genuine connections with each one. Depending on the size of your team, you could do this by creating an online place for you and your team to share tidbits of advice and inspiration. A little goes a long way and putting in this extra effort will encourage a positive vibe for your workplace.
Make the Work Meaningful
Everyone wants a job that gets them out of bed in the morning. People spend one third (and sometimes much more) of their 24-hour days at work. Funnelling all that time into work that feels meaningless can quickly disengage and dishearten an employee. No matter the level of work your employees do, meaning can be created through perspective. As the employer, you can emphasize the ‘WHY’ behind their work. Someone could have an incredibly important job, but if they don’t know why they are doing it, it quickly loses all meaning.
The solution: Everyone deserves to feel like they are an important factor in contributing to the success of the team. Help your employees become motivated by validating the work they’ve accomplished. Celebrate a member’s triumphs with the whole team, and it will boost morale for everyone. Showing your employees that they are a part of something greater than themselves can make their work worth doing. Also, be sure to share any charitable work the company does and show your team that they are contributing to that cause through their efforts.
Create Opportunities to Grow
For employees to be engaged, they must see a future where they can grow. Having a goal to work towards creates an incentive for them to put in their best efforts. Anyone would lose motivation and interest when all they see in the future is a dead-end. People need goals and opportunities to grow for them to feel fulfilled.
The solution: While some jobs have a natural progression and room for growth, some may not. If possible, allow your employees to try their hand at a task that may be out of their comfort zone. Who knows, maybe you’ll discover someone’s hidden talents.
