Why is employee engagement so important? Obviously, there are myriad answers, but at the core, the more engaged your employees are the better they will do their jobs. Better job performance results in fewer mistakes, which ultimately leads to more satisfied clients.
You know what absenteeism is, but are you familiar with presenteeism? This happens when employees show up at work and simply go through the motions of their jobs. They do the minimum amount of work without calling attention to their declining effectiveness and productivity.
Employees who fit this description often have a terrible attitude and share their dissatisfaction with co-workers. This makes presenteeism a potentially unsettling and toxic influence in the workplace. As such it has a debilitating impact on employee engagement.
What do you do about this?
First, acknowledge that this is going on in your workplace. And knowing about it is obviously not enough. You need to do something about it….now.
Managers can explore the causes of presenteeism by having one-on-one conversations with their direct reports with the purpose of learning the sources of dissatisfaction. Share what you learn with other managers so that everyone is up to speed on how your organizational environment is being perceived.
Themes will emerge from these discussions. You’ll find that some combination of workplace stress, bad management, and perceived lack of career opportunities result in states of disengagement.
Your managers will gain credibility with their teams if they seek their help in resolving the sources of dissatisfaction. And this can be the beginning or rekindling of honest engagement with your employees.
This is how you start to change your organizational environment. Identify the core area of discontent and make it better. Do it now, because the longer you wait the harder it will be to make important changes.
Header image by Fauxels of Pixels.
