Today’s Morning Buzz is brought to you by Matt Horn, Director of Strategic Growth and Development for MRB Group, and the second-worst audience participant Cirque de Soleil has ever seen. Connect with Matt on LinkedIn, and wherever great peanut butter milkshakes are sold.
- What I’m reading: “Among the Bros,” a wild look at a fraternity-based crime ring at the University of Charleston — reminding me to call my freshman son more often.
- What I’m watching: “Adolescence,” the new-ish Netflix offering on the perils of our teenage years — reminding me to talk more with my high school son.
- What I’m listening to: Way too much Connor Price — reminding me to find something different to bond over with my 8-year-old son.
- How I get by: With a little help from my friends, of course.
The war for talent is real, and it is fierce. Disengaged staffers are sitting ducks — waiting to be poached by an ambitious competitor.
Aside from the macro effect of workforce disengagement — which I define as the potential workforce that’s on the sidelines — actual worker disengagement costs the U.S. economy billions in wasted wages and diminished productivity.
Who among us hasn’t minimized a Microsoft Teams briefing on the dress code to throw some Facebook hearts on pictures of your neighbor’s dog’s obedience class graduation? These isolated stress breaks are as effective as Wacky Tacky Tie Day in preventing burnout and keeping folks productive. The disengaged team members we need to worry about hopped onto the Teams meeting 45 minutes late, popping in from actually attending the neighbor’s dog’s graduation, and sporting duds well outside the dress code.
A Gallup study of the American workforce showed that only 20% of team members are consistently engaged at work… 20%! Worse, another 30% are “actively disengaged;” which is to say that rather than hiding out in the break room during staff meetings, these folks are pulling the fire alarm to cancel the whole dang thing.
There are millions of pages of published text dedicated to the core, root causes of disengagement — workplace culture, misalignment of hiring practices, etc., etc. But, with 80% of our friends and neighbors in some state of unplugged, it’s time for some disengagement triage — how to spot it and what to do about it.
Signs of Disengagement
There are dozens of these, but here are a few of the most obvious –
- Silence is Poison — If you aren’t hearing from them regularly: unanswered emails, unreturned phone calls, etc.; especially if you see a shift in communication, count this as an alarm bell. Engaged employees are constantly looking for ways to stay connected.
- Out of Sight, Out of Bounds — Absenteeism, excessive PTO, no calls/no shows: big, BIG red flags. Aside from clearly scheduled vacations, any significant time missed in the first few months should raise concern.
- Work Quality = Garbage Water — Slow starts are one thing, but an employee who busts out of the gate with great work, then starts turning in nothing but the collated Penske file means you’ve got a problem.
- The Social Maven – If this team member is leaning against someone else’s desk more than they’re at their own, it could be a sign… more-than-regular trips to the coffee machine, feet up in someone’s office (or their own office), interrupting or delaying meetings with off-topic jazz — all things to keep an eye on.
What the Heck to Do About It
As G.I. Joe used to say, “Knowing is half the battle.” Well, I guess that leaves a full 50% to actually do something about it. There are no golden answers here, but be sure that you are at least engaging in these best practices.
- Hire for Cultural Alignment — We all want that super-slick, Harvard degree-carrying rock star on our team, right? Well, maybe not if your office is stacked with hacky sacking, granola guzzling, Earth Day celebrating… you get the picture. In addition to a high bar for qualifications, make sure that you are hiring for cultural fit. We’re not aiming for a monochromatic society here, but when there is clear misalignment with where you are as a team (or where you want to be), keep beating the bushes for applicants who more closely align.
- On-ramp for the Newbies – Most folks either disengage (or leave) within the first three months. Be sure that your onboarding consists of more than a sullen stroll through the employee handbook, and a reminder that the employee fridge must be cleaned out every Friday. Build a “first 100 days” program that includes assigning a workplace buddy, regular meetings with supervisors and other organizational leaders, and curated experiences that keep new hires from hiding out in their well-appointed cubicle.
- Interaction on the Regular – First day. End of first week. End of second week. Biweekly. Monthly. That should be the rhythm of interaction between you and your new hire. Grab them before they leave for the day and gather first impressions, make sure they have everything they need to be successful, etc. Similar check-in at the end of the first week. Then move to bi-weeklies. These, and the monthlies are focused on two-way performance feedback. How are they doing as a team member, and how are you doing as a supervisor.
- Super-Special Assignments – If you’ve got someone who is super-social, plug them into the Party Planning Committee. If they can’t seem to be corralled to their desk, schedule time for them to get into the field. We can’t turn the world on its ear for every disgruntled so and so, but for the folks we want to retain, we can go the extra mile.
Underperformance is contagious. Turnover is brutal (and costly). Keep an eye out for signs of disengagement, and head them off where you can. Now, stop surfing the internet, and re-engage!