Workplace disengagement is frustrating for employers, employees, and the people around them. New employees are usually enthusiastic and look forward to earning fair pay for good work, and they want to be successful in their roles. Likewise, their employers have big hopes for what they will do together. When their expectations aren’t met, employees lose their enthusiasm and disengage.
Here are five tips to help them re-engage with their work and that new employee enthusiasm:
1. Shift from Assumption to Investigation.
Don’t enter the discussion assuming you know the underlying issues causing the workplace disengagement. That approach can lead to unintended discrimination (or the appearance of it) based on various factors, such as marital or parental status, physical disability, perceived mental disability, or membership in another protected class. Shift from expert to investigator and go on the hunt for a solution not someone or something to blame.
2. Define the Conflict Succinctly.
If you can’t identify the issue easily, you might be looking for trouble where there is none. A typically happy and outgoing employee might be less social at times, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he is disengaged from his work. It could be the opposite!
Get specific. Is it taking longer than usual for the employee to complete a routine task? Which one? Is the employee not participating in meetings where they once contributed? Appearances can be deceiving; objective evidence is more instructive.
3. Explore Possible Solutions–with the Employee.
Too often, supervisors think they’ve identified an employee issue, such as workplace disengagement. Well-intentioned, they start trying to fix the problem before confirming it exists. They also decide they know the cause and what action must be taken before they talk to the employees of concern about their observations.
Employment is a partnership toward mutually compatible goals. The only way you’re going to find out if an employee is disengaged is to talk to to the employee. Privately share with the employee the specific and objective evidence that performance expectations are not being met. With a commitment to find solutions, invite the employee to share personal and professional challenges. Then, explore solutions within what the business can reasonably do or allow.
Do a lot more listening than you think is necessary.
4. Reference the Past, But Don’t Rely Too Heavily On It.
Worker disengagement is to be expected at times throughout an employee’s tenure. People and businesses change, which means their goals and needs change–especially the longer an employee is in the same job. Some employees like the simplicity of repetitive work they can leave on premises when they go home to other commitments. Others have ambitions within the employer and can become discouraged when the opportunities don’t come fast enough. Still others are somewhere in between, maybe depending on family structure, physical or mental health, or something else. Focus on the immediate results, goals, and needs of both the employee and the business.
5. Maintain Open Communication.
Keep the conversation alive with regular updates on objective evidence of improvement. Again, be specific and careful not to overuse terms like “workplace disengagement.”
While it’s okay to inquire about personal well-being, focus primarily on work-related progress. Let the employee volunteer information about his circumstances when he is ready. Cancer patients, for example, often tire of being seen only as the disease. Survivors of assault or domestic violence might be embarrassed by their circumstances.
Strive to see employees beyond any challenges they may be facing, respecting their individuality and strengths.
Conclusion
If your employees are disengaged, there are underlying reasons that vary from person to person and over time. Treat your employees as the intelligent and capable individuals you hired them to be. Don’t be the one to disengage first. Instead, collaborate with them to find tailored solutions under the current circumstances.
Remember, solutions will differ, and termination should only be considered after a thorough analysis and attempted resolution of the real problems.