The Why of Disengagement
I recently queried Chat GPT re. the principal reasons why the engagement rate of
employees in U.S. companies is declining. Seven “principal reasons” were cited, each
of which was then broken down into sub-issues as follows:
- Burnout and Work-Life Balance Issues
- Increased workloads
- Remote/hybrid work challenges
- Insufficient resources – lack of tools, training or support needed to execute
- Leadership and Management Issues
- Poor leadership
- Lack of communication
- Micromanagement
- Lack of Career Growth Opportunities
- Limited advancement
- Stagnation
- Inadequate Recognition and Compensation
- Feeling undervalued
- Low pay and benefits
- Workplace Culture and Inclusion
- Toxic work environments
- Lack of inclusion
- Poor sense of purpose – employee not aligned with organization’s purpose
- Economic and Societal Uncertainty
- Layoffs and instability
- Post-pandemic shifts – changed employee expectations re. flexibility & wellness
- Mental health crisis
- Generational and Technological Shifts
- Changing expectations of employees in younger generations seeking meaningful work, purpose and flexibility
- Technology overload – overreliance on for communication leading to a sense of isolation
What we have here is a failure of people managers. Except for “low pay and benefits,”
“poor sense of purpose,” “post-pandemic shifts,” “layoffs and instability,” and “changing
expectations,” all of the above are either deliverables by good people managers or
problems they can solve. All eighteen could/should be identified by people managers
through meaningful relationships and effective communication with employees. Lack of
alignment with the organization’s purpose should be identified in the hiring process and
thus not become a factor.
What is the root cause of this failure? Organizations don’t understand the importance of
effective people management and the cost they are paying for low engagement. They
view supervisors as caretakers or overseers who ensure employees do their work and
meet production goals rather than assuring that employees are engaged, developed,
and valued. Hence, organizations don’t select new managers based on aptitude for
managing people, don’t invest in training for effective people management, and don’t
hold supervisors accountable for effective onboarding and engagement of employees.
Instead, they evaluate supervisors by the performance of the team and miss that the
roots of disengagement are growing. The conditions needed for engagement are not
monitored, measured, or valued.
The one shift in people management that can have the greatest impact is holding
managers accountable for having regular (every 1-3 weeks) one-on-one meetings with
each employee. Gallup research indicates that employees receiving meaningful
feedback are four times more likely to be engaged, and 86% of highly engaged
companies conduct regular one-on-ones. When Adobe implemented regular “check-ins”
between managers and employees, voluntary turnover was reduced by 30%.
John Gregoire and I are now hard at work on a new book, tentatively entitled The
Question Method®. This book will offer an easy-to-execute, step-by-step approach to
effective people management and high employee engagement. It will guide you from
effective onboarding through improving performance and ending with in aiding with
career development. We are now training and coaching managers on the Method® and
find that their certainty improves, their satisfaction in managing others grows,
relationships deepen, and employees are increasingly engaged. We hope to have the
book out this Spring. Send in a request through info@thequestionmethod.com, and we
will send you a free copy
- Submit any Comment or Question to info@thequestionmethod.com