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Why Your Team Are Disengaged & How to Fix It

team are sat around computer smiling

Why Your Team Are Disengaged & How to Fix It

‘Employee engagement’ has become a big buzzword in the world of business; for those of you who are wondering what it means – engagement is when your team are driven, motivated and focussed on the success of the organisation. Engaged employees make better decisions, are more productive, and more creative.

Yet, we have a serious problem – people are highly disengaged. According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace research, 85% of employees are disengaged with the workplace. 

It’s sad news that most of us are seeing our workplaces as a negative place, or doing the bare minimum to make it through the day. 

For businesses, this is a critical situation. A lack of engagement means a lack of productivity, and no desire to go the extra mile for the organisation. 

The trouble is, there’s not just one overarching problem here, it’s a real pick and mix of issues. So let’s delve into why people are turning away from your company culture. 

Further Learning is Boring

A study by City & Guilds found that 69% of people complained that their training was not engaging, saying they were ‘bored’ or ‘disinterested’ during their training. 

Learning and development is a fundamental part of any company culture. While you may offer further training opportunities in your organisation, is it the right type of training and is it giving your team the fulfilment they need? 

Boring and uninspiring training is a huge waste of time and money for any business. But if you get it right you’ve got inspired and excited teams who want to flex their new skills. 

Don’t just think because you’re offering training you’ve got that box ticked. It’s about the content of the training – what purpose does it aim to serve? And the quality, will it engage with your team and help them take action once the training is over?  

69% of people complained that their training was not engaging – City & Guilds

Tip; 

  • Ask your teams what they want to learn more about or which skills they would like to develop. 
  • Before bringing in outside facilitators check their style to ensure it’s not a death by powerpoint situation. 

You Have Managers Not Leaders

In a study by Gallup, 75% of employees quit because of a manager or senior leader, not the company itself. 

People could be loving their work, but hate who they’re being managed by. 

When it comes to your management and leadership team, they have to be just as invested in the culture and the people as the HR team. 

It’s no longer just HR’s arena to keep people happy at work, it’s everyone who is a stakeholder in the business, and that includes managers and leaders. 

More organisations are now pushing this requirement on their leadership teams by making employee engagement a performance indicator. If the team aren’t engaged, this shows the leadership are not performing. 

75% of employees quit because of a manager or senior leader. – Gallup

Tip; 

  • Soft-skill training for leaders can enhance their approach to people management. 
  • Identify early on if there are any managers who have less-experience of teams and ensure they get the support and training they need to learn how to ‘lead’ not ‘manage’. 
woman is conducting a meeting she is pointing to a diagram on the wall

They Don’t Know What’s Expected of Them

A study conducted by Aon has found that only 60% of employees know what their expectations are at work. That doesn’t surprise me. How many times are expectations clearly set out to teams? –  It is one of the biggest communication downfalls within an organisation. 

Job descriptions are often ‘pushed’ as the expectation benchmark, but this doesn’t tell people what they are responsible for, what they should do when new responsibilities are added, or how to conduct themselves when carrying out their role? 

Working blind is how most organisations work – assumptions and expectations with the blame game coming out when all falls through. 

Only 60% of employees claim to know what their expectations are at work. – Aon

Tip;

  • Having clear a clear vision and values can help teams understand how to act and behave within the company. 
  • Holding regular face-to-face tactical meetings can ensure that priorities are determined and people understand ‘why’ something needs to be done. 

For further help and support on how you can build a culture of engagement, book my company culture training, and work on the core elements that can build high employee engagement.

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    About The Author

    Lizzie Benton is a people and culture specialist who supports organisations in developing a unique company culture and building engaged teams. Lizzie has been recognised as a millennial changing the world of work, and has been featured in the Metro, HuffingtonPost and has spoken across the UK on employee engagement. When not consulting or running a workshop, Lizzie can be found in rural Lincolnshire enjoying afternoon tea and fresh air.