When employees are disengaged, there are real impacts to your business—including reduced productivity, increased turnover, and even lower revenue. So when you start to see these 7 signs of disengagement, it’s time to take action.
What is employee disengagement?
Employee disengagement happens when employees feel disconnected from work, the company’s goals and the overall workplace culture. In other words, they are the opposite of an engaged employee, who is emotionally, cognitively, and behaviorally invested in their work.
Why is it important to monitor employee engagement?
It’s important to monitor engagement because when employees are engaged, they feel valued, motivated and inspired to perform their best, creating a healthy organizational culture. Engaged employees also positively impact the business. Employee engagement expert, Gallup, has found that business units in the top quartile of employee engagement achieve 23% higher profit.1 They also experience less absenteeism, lower turnover, less shrinkage or theft, fewer safety incidents, fewer defects or errors, and higher customer loyalty and productivity.2
Yet current Gallup research shows that only 31% of employees are engaged, and 17% of employees are actively disengaged.3
Given the critical impact of engagement on business outcomes and workplace culture, what signs of employee disengagement should you be on the lookout for?
7 signs of employee disengagement.
Decreased productivity.
Employees who were once reliable may start missing deadlines, producing lower quality work or taking longer to complete routine tasks. This can have a direct impact on the business. Gallup estimates that organizations in the top quartile for engagement experience 18% greater productivity (sales) than organizations in the bottom quartile.4
Withdrawal from team activities and communication.
Disengaged employees tend to participate less in meetings, may avoid team gatherings, and generally contribute less to team discussions. They may also take longer to respond to emails and messages.
Increased absenteeism.
Employees who are not engaged may take more sick days, arrive late, leave early or take extended breaks during the work day. On the flip side, organizations with engaged employees experience 78% less absenteeism.5
Negative attitude.
You may notice that previously positive employees have become cynical, negative, or indifferent about work, projects, or company initiatives. Negativity among a few team members can quickly become contagious. Research from Harvard Business School finds that emotions intensify within groups and can result in suboptimal decisions and irrational choices.
Minimal effort.
One of the clearest signs of employee disengagement is an employee who now does the bare minimum of work, when they would typically go above and beyond. In recent years, this phenomenon has been termed “quiet quitting,” which is characterized by “being less willing to engage in activities known as citizenship behaviors: no more staying late, showing up early, or attending non-mandatory meetings.”6
Resistance to change.
When employees become disengaged, they often feel disconnected from the organization’s goals and less invested in the company’s success. When an employee is emotionally checked out from their role and the organization, they may view change as a burden rather than an opportunity to grow and improve.
Lack of initiative.
Engaged employees are more willing to take on new challenges. So if an employee is no longer volunteering for new projects, sharing ideas, or seeking growth opportunities within the organization it could be a warning sign.
How to solve for employee disengagement.
If you notice several of the above signs of employee disengagement, it’s time to act. Employee disengagement is complex and there is no one-size-fits all solution, but using a diagnostic employee engagement tool, like TINYpulse by WebMD Health Services, is a good way to understand what is driving current engagement levels and create an action plan to address the causes of disengagement.
TINYpulse does this in three ways:
- Employee Engagement Surveys. These are used to determine the exact location of disengagement throughout multiple teams and departments.
- Key Driver Analysis. Based on the results of your engagement survey, the key driver analysis can determine the most impactful areas to work on.
- Progress Plans. These provide a clear, easy way to track engagement goals and share progress across your organization.
Employee disengagement can quickly spiral out of control if it isn’t addressed quickly. Be on the lookout for these 7 common signs, and book a demo to learn more about our employee engagement solution and how it can help you increase employee engagement in your organization.
