Page 28 - KZN Business Sense 10.4 - Jay Patel - Ebook

ARE YOUR EMPLOYEES DISENGAGED?

Colette Tanner, Chief authentic approach. Get real.
Operations Officer, Adapt your leadership style to
DRG focus on the employee. While
the achievement of business
imperatives is crucial, these
e often cannot be achieved without your
hear most valuable resource – your
Wthat a people. Be kind and clean up your
company is only culture. Create an environment
as good as its that the employee cannot resist
people. This and can only flourish.
insight is
applicable Cut out the importance
not only of titles and recognise and
to the value the contribution of each
recruitment employee. Get to know your
of the right fit but also to how the people, understand them
company keeps the employees as human beings. Always
engaged throughout their tenure. consider the feedback and
Motivated employees tend to stay are personal beliefs and hold The increasing knowledge Commonly, disengaged employees contribution of the employee;
with their employers as they are while it may not be relevant
typically engaged and productive. emotional worth; they provoke, and awareness about intrinsic voice their dissatisfaction not in the short term, over time,
direct, and sustain behaviours motivation is also the reason with the intention of seeking a through encouragement, the
Poor engagement lends itself as they are the standards that why extrinsic motivators, such solution, but with the purpose employee will gain confidence
to increased staff turnover. people use to make choices which as financial incentives, have been of causing dissension as they go and find their way to being your
Disengaged employees may leave will satisfy certain needs. Your perceived as less agreeable in the about spreading negativity in the greatest asset.
for different work, or dedicated personality and values, therefore, last few years. Extrinsic motivators workplace.
employees may be driven away by direct and drive your behaviours. can diminish value. Awarding Lack of employee recognition, Setting a clear purpose and
a toxic culture. Reduced employee Motivation can come from employees extrinsic rewards for vision is vital, as employees are
retention has direct and indirect within ourselves as intrinsic or be intrinsically motivated behaviour where recognition or reward for more likely to be engaged if they
a job well done is misplaced, can
cost implications for a business – external to ourselves as extrinsic. can undermine autonomy, result in the progressive retreat recognise how they contribute
not only in terms of recruitment Central to this theory rests the independent thinking, and of emotional investment, effort, successfully. Align work to
and training, but also lost innate motivation for people to worth. As the behaviour becomes and cooperation. Poor work- skills and ambitions, and
productivity, intellectual property, thrive, similar to the highest, increasingly controlled by external life balance, with excessive set attainable targets. In this
and unhappy customers. self-actualisation level we see in rewards, people begin to feel less in or unfair workloads, leads to way, your people will be more
Maslow’s (1943) famous hierarchy control of their behaviour, or their creative and innovative.
The psychological contract burnout and resentment.
significantly affects what keeps of needs. intrinsic motivation diminishes. Behaviours of the disengaged Grow and support struggling
employees engaged and motivated. Intrinsic motivation is the Why do employees disengage? include indifference and lack of staff by creating a learning
The psychological contract is a internal drive that motivates enthusiasm, showing no initiative environment.
tacit and intangible agreement and employees to execute a task well. There are myriad reasons why an with a reactive approach to Positive feedback can boost
is based on implicit expectations Intrinsically motivated employees employee becomes disengaged at performing tasks, often making engagement. Offering positive
and perhaps even perceptions that are motivated to perform the job the workplace. many errors. The employee encouragement serendipitously
employers and employees occupy. for the sheer pleasure associated Poor management styles, which becomes unreliable and often regarding an employee’s
It can be one of the most valuable with the content of the work include micromanagement, poor does not keep the office times, performance can boost intrinsic
‘contracts’ an employer has with itself. Intrinsic motivation is the direction, lack of feedback, and arriving late or leaving early, motivation. This feedback occurs
their employee, especially in an personal reward and satisfaction inconsistencies, can all minimise coupled with excessive sick leave spontaneously, feels authentic, and
environment of skills shortages and derived from performing the job; employee contribution, where lack taken and/or unpaid leave, and helps people feel more confident
talent mobility challenges. It sets examples are encouraging self- of confidence and disappointment exhausting all opportunities not about their performance. Such
out the mutual expectations of both initiated projects, implementing creep in. to report to the workplace. feedback helps people feel more
parties and defines the behavioural autonomy in task selection, competent – a key need for
expectations aligned to every role. offering constructive feedback A toxic organisational culture and Disengaged employees may personal growth.
As an example, the manager is regularly, and cultivating a culture a poorly articulated purpose result isolate themselves from their
expected to treat their employees of learning and curiosity. in the employee feeling devalued teammates and elect to focus In conclusion, employee
fairly, provide an acceptable Extrinsically motivated and that the work they perform is exclusively on their own tasks, engagement is crucial for the
working environment, clear and meaningless. A lack of the bigger removing themselves from team- success and sustainability of
transparent communication, and employees seek out the reward picture or a contribution towards related tasks. They may distrust any organisation. By
honest feedback on performance. or recognition or avoidance of the bigger picture is known to their manager or colleagues. understanding the factors that
drive motivation and addressing
The employee is expected to punishment that is associated with demotivate and undermine an These employees can at the
respond by demonstrating a good performing the job or activity. employee’s contribution. same time be vocal and critical, the signs of disengagement
attitude, following instructions, Extrinsic sources are external electing to air their feelings early, companies can create a
drivers, for example, environment, The Signs
positive work environment that
and showing loyalty to the shamelessly by gossiping and fosters loyalty, productivity,
company. When these expectations situation, rewards, or punishment. Signs of employee disengagement being critical of the business,
are misaligned, i.e., a lack of trust The task, therefore, is performed to can be subtle and often fly under managers, and colleagues. and innovation. Prioritising
obtain these external benefits or, in
the well-being of employees,
in management, poor feedback the radar for a long period of aligning their roles with their
resulting in poor recognition, and/ the case of punishment, avoid the time. Disengaged employees are Disengaged employees are skills and ambitions, and
or no work-life balance, all play a external motivational source. employees who progressively unhappy and may be hostile to providing meaningful feedback
significant role in an employee’s Employees are motivated by become less committed to their change, delaying or avoiding can significantly enhance
decision to disengage long before different things, and different work and the company. These learning new tasks or adopting engagement, leading to a
eventually leaving the company. motivators do not have the same employees are inclined to have an new ways of work. They may more committed and effective
This disengagement is not effect on every employee. Some apathetic attitude and demonstrate actively sabotage or withhold new
without damage. employees are intrinsically this through underperforming or ideas, gradually becoming more workforce. 
motivated, while others are by performing without enthusiasm and more obstructive to workflows
Sources of Motivation extrinsically motivated. This is at the bare minimum against the and efficiencies. It is commonplace For more information please contact
Motivation is a complex very important for managers to employer’s expectation. Disengaged for these employees to either have Colette Tanner,
T: +27 (0)31 767 0625
no work to do as managers simply
phenomenon and is the force understand, particularly when employees show a higher incidence do not know what to do with them. E: colette@drg.co.za
behind human performance. It crafting a rewards and recognition of absenteeism and often break W: www.drg.co.za
can emerge from our personality programme or incentivising the rules, resulting in a string of Strategies to improve employee
characteristics, which are driven employees. Intrinsic motivation warnings or grievances, especially engagement
by personal values. Our values are is an envied quality and a quality as the employee nears their
learnt through our experiences that employers discern, nurture, departure. This departure often is Put your people first by adopting
and apprehension. Values and propagate. as a dismissal or under a “cloud.” an honest, transparent, fair, and

16