Re-Engaging the WorkForce
I just returned from Phoenix, where a few hundred of the world’s top management consultants were gathered for our annual conference. The theme of workplace engagement kept coming up; so much so, that we decided that our February 2010 theme is “Re-Engaging the WorkForce”.
As much as you might be thinking “What? Anyone with a job in today’s economy should be happy!” The fact is, there are many workplaces full of employees who have mentally “checked out” and are just collecting a paycheck. Studies have shown that it takes about 9 months for disengagement to be fully noticed, and about 3 months to get rid of the disengaged employee, so there’s 12 months of low productivity and a huge profit drain.
According to a recent Gallup poll, disengaged workers cost US-based organizations more than $250 billion a year. Research by the Kabachnick Group found that as many as 65% of all employees are disengaged. The average company loses over 2 hours of work per day per employee. Do the math. Yikes. Not to mention the cost of hiring, training and managing that person…uh-oh.
In her best-selling book, “I Quit, But Forgot to Tell You”, Terri Kabachnick examines the spreading Virus of Disengagement, points out the eight causes of the virus, and shows five vaccines that will kill this costly and deadly virus.
I hear from executives I coach that this is an issue that’s not going away anytime soon, certainly not by itself. There is a concern in many companies that top talent, although staying there for now, is ready to leap over the fence to where the “grass is greener” as soon as it is safe to make the move. A Kabachnick Group survey of 1,400 executives, managers and associates (of all ages) found that 76% of them would switch jobs for less money in order to work for a company that offers personal development and flexibility.
As managers and senior executives, we absolutely cannot afford to have these common mindsets:
- They should be thankful they have a job at all in this economy.
- The budget is too tight for training and personal/professional development and coaching.
- If we do a survey, (360 or other), it’ll just open a big can of worms.
- As long as people aren’t complaining, everything is fine. Leave the quiet ones alone.
- People who bring their personal issues to work just need to be ignored.
- There are lots of unemployed people out there right now.
- I don’t have time to get to know everyone. I need to keep my distance anyway.
- I’m not going to change policy. People are just whining. They’ll get over it.
Just to recap, here’s how the virus starts: A caring, engaged worker becomes frustrated with his supervisors, workload, environment, company policies (or lack thereof), etc. His morale is lowered. Low morale is not the same as disengagement, but it leads to it. Disengagement occurs when the employee “emotionally divorces himself from the organization”, according to Kabachnick.
We’ll be focusing on this topic during February. I look forward to any comments, questions, and experiences you have, as we continue our discussion of re-engaging the workforce.
For information on:
- ”Maximum Engagement” workshop series
- ”Train the Trainer” workshops, Leader’s Action Guide, and materials for you to implement a program within your own company
- Workplace Motivators Assessments for employees
- 1/2 day Workshop “Your Attitude is Showing” (workplace motivators)
- 360-degree Surveys
- Individual and Group Coaching
Contact Julia Marrocco at julia@mentaliron.com or call 503-750-3950
