There’s nothing like a disengaged Australian workforce to cause post traumatic stress

Employees come in all shapes and sizes but mainly fall into three categories when it comes to their levels of engagement with their employer and their job.

You have the engaged ones who are just what an employer needs – co-operative, committed, loyal and hopefully don’t ask for too high a salary. They’re just a delight to have around – they tend to be innovative, and confident enough to make decisions on their own, are creative and just love their boss. Their fellow workers tend to be stimulated by their enthusiasm which leads to higher productivity. They have a profound connection to their employer and understand the value of the company brand and all it stands for. They value the experience they are gaining from being employed.

Then you have the somewhat disengaged ones who are only in it for the money and are biding their time until a better opportunity comes their way. Often semi-comatose, they do what they’re told but not much more. They don’t smile or laugh much and tend to go home on the dot. They put in minimal effort, keep quiet most of the time, even with their fellow employees, and don’t go out of their way to do a better job. They can have a chip on their shoulder, believing they are in the wrong job or in the wrong industry.

Then at the bottom of the pile are the actively disengaged employees. These are the ones you wish weren’t your employees. They represent the ‘cancer spreading through the organisation’ or the ‘one bad apple’. They tend to display a negative attitude to most things, cause internal rifts and disrupt harmony. These employees undermine what their engaged co-workers accomplish. They are keen to complain and criticise and take delight when others follow suit. Fellow employees tend to go out of their way to avoid them.

A typical breakdown of a workforce would comprise:

• 25 - 30% engaged employees
• 55 - 60% somewhat disengaged employees
• 15% or less actively disengaged employees

Even though it has been calculated that most organisations only experience ‘active disengagement’ in around 15% or less of their workforces, the effects can be very disproportionate and go beyond workforce disruption right to the bottom line.

Gallup’s five year study of employee beliefs and actions determined that disengaged employees were costing US businesses US$300 billion annually in lower productivity and performance.

The Gallup Management Journal’s semi-annual Employee Engagement Index reports that 29% of US employees are ‘actively engaged’, 54% ‘not engaged’, while 17% ‘are ‘actively disengaged’.

Actively disengaged employees are often the most difficult problems to fix or eliminate. They rarely want to change and tend to sabotage management’s efforts to confront the situation. This is where the superstar from HR comes to the rescue. Sometimes, however, they go willingly, feeling relieved that ‘finally it’s all over’ and they have been released.

There is no getting away from the fact that workplace relationships are personal. Employees need to relate well with others to foster an harmonious working environment. Any disruption to the dynamics that support these relationships will have far-reaching consequences. Disengagement must be identified quickly before it has time to take hold and multiply. When was the last time you engaged an employee engagement survey?



Tony Heywood is a Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia, founder of Heywood Innovation in Sydney Australia with affiliates in Melbourne, Gold Coast, London, Singapore and Mumbai.
tony@heywood.com.au
www.heywood.com.au