The risks of disengaged employees
Talent attraction is no easy job, it’s why we’ve built businesses out of doing it for other people. Recruitment agencies, of all people, understand the laborious administration, the alchemy and the science, along with a fair dose of art, that goes into hiring employees. For that very reason we know that retaining them is equally important and disengaged staff within the business are both a threat and an opportunity to senior management. The threat is that of course they will demotivate their colleagues around them, and the opportunity is for management to re-engage them into the company and the mission. A survey on employee engagement found that less than 70% of participants believe their employees are engaged. However, spotting the risks is as important as identifying a solution and with less experienced management teams, it’s important that we’re always understanding the signs of disengaged employees and how to find those risks.
Poor performance
Perhaps one of the most obvious risks and signs is a decrease in productivity, performance and enthusiasm for their work. Naturally employee motivation will ebb and flow, especially around different seasons, however, if a continued period of low productivity is happening it’s a clear indicator that something is wrong. While natural blockers occur, or challenging environments can demotivate talent, if those aren’t quickly resolved with extra mentoring and team efforts, greater attention must be paid to specific workers.
Quiet workers
While some members of your organisation are naturally introverted and quiet, other employees who suddenly become withdrawn and silent signify something entirely different. Often it indicates a removal of self from the business, teams and desire to be part of the organisation. If these periods of withdrawal are lasting indefinitely or for multiple weeks, there’s a high risk that you have a disengaged employee on your hands. Even shorter periods of quiet can hint at a latent dissatisfaction that could be addressed earlier to mitigate the risk sooner.
Absent people
Absence is perhaps one of the easiest ways to identify disengaged talent within your recruitment agency. Of course, this includes physical absences such as sick days, coming in late and taking long periods of holiday, however, absence from social company events is also a risk. Your people might be avoiding Friday drinks or declining lunch events with their teammates, or maybe they’re coming up with excuses for every seasonal gathering. The absence of their voice and input in team meetings is also a good indicator that your talent is becoming more withdrawn and something isn’t quite right. Often spotting the early, smaller, risks before the situation is perpetuated becomes one of the most effective ways to retain talent.
Hidden workers
If your people are no longer coming forward for projects or volunteering for office activities they were once involved in, it’s a clear sign of waning motivation. When excitement for the work has gone and disengagement set in, it’s easy to stay at the back of the class, not put your hand up for anything and fade into the background. Spotting those people early on and taking active steps to motivate them again can save thousands of pounds in hiring new talent.
Disengagement can hide beneath the surface and some employees may never let on, however, the majority of your talent will subconsciously show signs that you can identify as risks, taking the appropriate steps to re-engage and re-enthuse.
