These employees are psychologically unattached to their work and their company. They are also on the lookout for better employment opportunities and will quickly leave their company for a slightly better offer. Studies also say that psychological attachment is directly related to the degree of psychological safety which is grounded in mutual trust.
Today in the USA, there are over 14 million vacant jobs. It is a candidate’s market where employers must get very creative in talent acquisition. In HR, we used to say, “Good people do not leave a job, they leave a boss.” In reality, they leave a culture that supports – and rewards – the boss who is not trusted and gets the most complaints.
Do you establish HR practices that optimize the value and engagement of all employees beginning with the leaders, managers, supervisors and employees within every level? Trust, productive conflict, mutually understood agreements, peer to peer accountability and a focus on collective results create cohesion amongst employees.
Many employees would give up an opportunity for more money if they are working in a culture where they feel they are appreciated, personally connected, and valued for their contributions. If you do not believe it, ask your employees if they have ever had a “boss from hell” and if they would go back to work for him or her for more money! Reengage and re-recruit your employees every day. Just imagine what can be accomplished by engaging these employees!
Employee engagement is a strong predictor of organizational performance. It impacts everything including customer loyalty, profitability, sales productivity, production, turnover, safety incidents, shrinkage, absenteeism, quality, employee wellbeing and participation in the success of the business. In a highly engaged workforce, employees feel valued intrinsically and extrinsically.
They know how much they are compensated, why they are paid what they are paid and what it would take to make greater total compensation. They know the career track in which they are on as it was designed collaboratively with their leaders. They have a purpose for engaging in highly productive outcomes because they feel as if they are a partner in the future of the organization.
The focus is on continuous improvement, and the ongoing education of employees is a priority. Often, opportunity is matched with talent and everyone has a chance to succeed. HR is not viewed as the “HR Cop” but the strategic partner who leads with compassion, humility, empathy and inclusion while at the same time honoring the legal boundaries. Workforce planning makes sense and the right people are in the right positions. If they are not well suited, they can move along the career lattice without shame or embarrassment. Engage the 36% and they are your best cultural advocates.
These employees may even be sabotaging your business. Certainly, they create a “social contagion” whereby their unhappiness is spread like a virus to others in the organization. These employees are your contrarians who have miserable work experience and show it in what they say and do – or don’t do.
These are the “turkeys” who hold back the “eagles” who want to fly but begin to resent the fact that the company has found a way to tolerate or work around low performers who get the same rewards. Traditionally, HR Systems make it difficult to transition these individuals either up, over or out. Performance and feedback systems remain antiquated in their authoritative style. Employees do not feel trusted or empowered to make decisions.
Employees who are disengaged may have been the product of poor or outdated HR Systems such as recruiting, selection, orientation, onboarding. No one explains the “do’s and don’ts” regarding culture and they have no sense of belonging. Assimilation to the boss’s work style and expectations, and those of their new team members, is just supposed to happen organically. Leaders, Managers and Supervisors believe clarity, compassion, humility and empathy are for the weak..
Employees become actively disengaged and apathetic. They perfect the art of looking busy yet getting nothing done. Unfortunately, these employees usually stay. How many employees show up to work on the first day expecting to be forever disengaged? They show up wanting to succeed and something happens along the way that creates this disengagement. Examine your HR Systems and Group Culture for possible understanding and solutions to turnaround this group of employees.