INTHEBLACK November 2021 - Magazine - Page 70
WORK SMART
// D I S E N G A G E D S TA F F
STORY AMANDA WOODARD
T H E PA N D E M I C M AY H AV E A M P L I F I E D P E O P L E ’ S F E E L I N G S
OF DISENGAGEMENT FROM WORK. HOW CAN MANAGERS HELP
TO GET EMPLOYEES RE-ENTHUSED AND BACK ON TRACK?
CONNECTION
LOST
A
n early sign of disengagement, and one of the
first things you may notice as a manager, is the
silence. An employee who previously talked a
lot in meetings doesn’t say much. Even the ones
who didn’t say much before, now don’t say anything at all.
Mark LeBusque, who specialises in humanising
leadership, knows how to spot people who are in danger
of throwing in the towel. “They start looking for their
manager to come up with ideas or expect to be told
what to do next. They may also have withdrawn socially,
skipping the Friday night drinks or office socials,” he says.
Absenteeism is another warning signal, with an
employee increasing the number of days they take off.
“It’s a bit like a virus,” says LeBusque, “particularly if
it appears among influential people in the team. It’s
challenging for managers, because if they don’t jump on
it quickly, disengagement can go from mildly problematic
to dysfunctional very quickly.”
THE UNHAPPINESS CHART
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70 ITB November 2021
Since 2000, Gallup has measured global levels of workplace
engagement – from engaged, to not engaged, to actively
disengaged staff. The global average employee engagement
hovers at about 20 per cent. People who Gallup rates as
actively disengaged are “those who have miserable work
experiences and spread their unhappiness to their colleagues”.
This toxicity is particularly contagious in office settings.
Why are so many people unhappy and unfocused
at work? Employee disengagement doesn’t occur in
a vacuum, says Danny Lessem, CEO and co-founder
of software company ELMO.
Unsatisfactory pay, lack of career development
opportunities, ineffective managers, workplace stress,
company culture and workplace policies that fail to keep
up with the times can all be contributing factors.
“Money-related stress contributes to disengagement.
If an individual feels they are earning much less than their
peers in similar industries or cities, they may feel
discouraged,” says Lessem.
Another big disincentive is when people’s desire to learn
new skills and grow in their role isn’t being met. They lose
interest in their jobs – sometimes to the extent that they
are willing to resign.
However, by far the leading cause of employee
disengagement is ineffective management. “There are many
forms of poor leadership, but research shows that ‘absentee
leaders’ erode staff satisfaction the most. These are
managers who are psychologically absent and therefore fail
to build meaningful connections with their teams. This leads
to high levels of stress and low employee morale – and,
eventually, active disengagement,” says Lessem.
TAKE CARE
With hybrid working becoming more common following
the pandemic, keeping tabs on how people are travelling
in relation to their motivation, mental health and
connectedness to their work could seem even more
daunting from a manager’s perspective.
Alison and Darren Hill, founders of behaviour and
motivation strategy company Pragmatic Thinking, say that
employee disengagement can be related to what is going
on outside the office.
“Look for signs of a lowered level of energy when even
the types of work that would normally light them up seem
mundane. This might be related to home challenges, poor
sleep, or biological or hormonal factors.”
They suggest managers take a caring and
compassionate approach, encouraging an employee to
prioritise taking breaks, getting outside, eating well and
taking time to exercise and sleep. They also caution about