Is Your Workplace Showing Signs Of Disengagement? 

Honing Your Emotional I.Q.

Written by: Crystal O'Brien, Esq.

Surveys reveal that some 50 to 75 percent of employees say they will leave their current employer once the job market improves. Members of your own staff may be no exception.  How you identify who may be vulnerable to  "poachers," and what you do to reinforce loyalty in a work environment is key.

It is important to recognize that the lack of employee satisfaction is not always the motivation for employees to leave.  Many times, whether that employee feels engaged is critical.  

Keeping employees engaged in their work environment and providing feedback has been positively linked to making employees feel like their presence in an organization makes a true difference.  Engaging employees by facilitating a workplace that continuously provides opportunities for bettering oneself can make a difference that increased pay cannot compete. 

Another key ingredient for retaining superstars is providing them with regular praise for a job done well.  People remain engaged when they receive recognition and appreciation for their contributions.  They're satisfied when they experience open communication and demonstrated trust with their immediate supervisors, and they excel when they believe they've got longer-term opportunities available to them beyond their current role in the organization. 

Now that you are armed with tools of engagement, how can you identify the disengaged?  Aside from conducting workplace surveys, human resources professionals believe that the disengaged can be spotted in a number of common ways.  These may include identifying those who have suddenly adopted a  9-to-5 time clock mentality.  Signs of disengagement can also be revealed in individuals who demonstrate an unwillingness to participate in office social events, or in those who have a tendency to "fox hole" themselves apart from peers, or from a change in personality where, for example, someone who was normally outgoing and enthusiastic seems distant and has nothing positive to contribute. 

Whether change is obvious or intuitive, if you sense an unhappy former superstar, it is safe to assume that if an opportunity comes knocking that employee will likely consider leaving simply because your office  isn't rewarding or engaging anymore.  To consider other rules for engagement, see more tips for engaging employees.