From Disengagement to Re-Engagement

The Disengagement Gap article posted on www.management-issues.com reports that 'just a fifth of the 90,000 workers surveyed worldwide said they felt engaged in their work. The Global Workforce Study conducted by Towers Perrin points out that 'at a time when companies are looking for every source of competitive advantage, the workforce itself represents the largest reservoir of untapped potential.

There is a lot of talk about engagement, what it is or is not. How well is it really understood?

Much energy is put into motivating employees, providing incentives or punishment for work well done or not. All of it appears to be anchored on external approval as the 'hook'.

What if employees are people who are looking for interesting and challenging work?

What if engaging employees really meant feeling good about what they are doing in their working lives?

Then no matter how much you focus on the gaps: of gender, age, wage, you will find common ground. Mechanistic reward systems take the humanity out of organizational community. Connection is what people look for. Connection and a place where they can feel inspired to give and be their best.

What kind of working environment would that be for You?

Comments

[Steve Roesler]

Dawna, the simplicity of connection and inspiration trumps the complexity of "engagement initiatives" every time.

I'm not sure there's been a legitimate employee survey done in the past 30 years that doesn't reflect the desire to be part of the solution by being made a part of "what's going on" (connection).

What continues to amaze me is that organizations will pay big bucks to commission studies and surveys whose results are always the same. Yet the next action taken is another study somewhere down the road and not the action their people told them would prove helpful.

One has to wonder how much confirming information is needed to bring about a change. Or if the surveys somehow represent a placating "gesture" vs. a genuine attempt at making a difference.

[Dawna Jones]

I totally agree Steve. It seems to me that surveying is a poor proxy for connecting the dots and taking action. Somewhere, somehow there is a complacency that abounds and blocks seeing the obvious. Perhaps taking action has become too risky. If so, one can only wonder what would happen to the productivity of those companies in the habit of surveying, IF they enabled performance.