The Impact and Power of Disengagement
It always starts out with great passion and excitement. Our thoughts are mostly filled with hopes and dreams on the great future ahead given this wonderful new opportunity.
Then one day we find ourselves asking this very familiar question: How did we get here?
We have all come to ask this question be it in our personal and or professional lives. As with all disasters, it is never just one issue that is the cause. It is usually the sum total of a whole lot of seemingly incidental issues, that when added up, result in one monumental stuff up. It is always the small stuff that breaks a system. Similarly there exist a whole lot of “small” issues that have led to, and will continue to lead to, the unravelling of a company, department, team or relationship unless addressed urgently.
There is a lot of talk about increasing absenteeism and staff turnover with senior staff having to work more and longer hours. Most of the focus is on the qualifications of staff and spending money and time on their performance development with hardly any science being applied to the mental effects of burnout and disengagement. Burnout is mental exhaustion while disengagement is negative stress brought about by being managed poorly and struggling to deal with relationship issues in the workplace and at home. Yes that is correct, long gone are the days where work & personal life can be separated. The term being used today is presenteeism where staff are present at work, but spending most of their time dealing with personal matters on the phone, PC, talking with others or just in their thoughts. Gallup recently released updated statistics on disengagement being at 86%, an increase of 16% from 70% the year before.
Scary thought to ponder on......what does 86% of your monthly wages look like?
While motivational talks or the once in a while presentation on conflict management play a role, this type of motivation is always temporary and is not sustainable. But intrinsic drive is. The process of immersion becomes relevant in order to create the opportunity for sustainable change. Building a strong relationship over time with a trustworthy mentor/coach who is willing to discuss real and hot topics is crucial.
Communication as explained and made practical through our intelligence profile & workshop lies at the heart of positive change and will create an immediate impact.
Burnout and disengagement are the two signs (states) that levels of internal drive are dangerously low. When you reach this dangerous point it will be evident in the following areas:
1) high absenteeism
2) internal conflict
3) poor punctuality
4) high staff turnover
5) low productivity
6) management spending hours on performance issues
Spending a fraction of the 86% monthly wages on empowering staff and leaders to become more empowered and engaged in their life will impact your bottom line measurably. The most important person to start with is everyone in a management role and having a direct impact on others.
This sentiment is amplified in the report by Gallup CEO Jim Clifton “Here’s something they’ll probably never teach you in business school: The single biggest decision you make in your job – bigger than all of the rest – is who you name manager. When you name the wrong person manager, nothing fixes that bad decision. Not compensation, not benefits – nothing.”
Then one day we find ourselves asking this very familiar question: How did we get here?
We have all come to ask this question be it in our personal and or professional lives. As with all disasters, it is never just one issue that is the cause. It is usually the sum total of a whole lot of seemingly incidental issues, that when added up, result in one monumental stuff up. It is always the small stuff that breaks a system. Similarly there exist a whole lot of “small” issues that have led to, and will continue to lead to, the unravelling of a company, department, team or relationship unless addressed urgently.
There is a lot of talk about increasing absenteeism and staff turnover with senior staff having to work more and longer hours. Most of the focus is on the qualifications of staff and spending money and time on their performance development with hardly any science being applied to the mental effects of burnout and disengagement. Burnout is mental exhaustion while disengagement is negative stress brought about by being managed poorly and struggling to deal with relationship issues in the workplace and at home. Yes that is correct, long gone are the days where work & personal life can be separated. The term being used today is presenteeism where staff are present at work, but spending most of their time dealing with personal matters on the phone, PC, talking with others or just in their thoughts. Gallup recently released updated statistics on disengagement being at 86%, an increase of 16% from 70% the year before.
Scary thought to ponder on......what does 86% of your monthly wages look like?
While motivational talks or the once in a while presentation on conflict management play a role, this type of motivation is always temporary and is not sustainable. But intrinsic drive is. The process of immersion becomes relevant in order to create the opportunity for sustainable change. Building a strong relationship over time with a trustworthy mentor/coach who is willing to discuss real and hot topics is crucial.
Communication as explained and made practical through our intelligence profile & workshop lies at the heart of positive change and will create an immediate impact.
Burnout and disengagement are the two signs (states) that levels of internal drive are dangerously low. When you reach this dangerous point it will be evident in the following areas:
1) high absenteeism
2) internal conflict
3) poor punctuality
4) high staff turnover
5) low productivity
6) management spending hours on performance issues
Spending a fraction of the 86% monthly wages on empowering staff and leaders to become more empowered and engaged in their life will impact your bottom line measurably. The most important person to start with is everyone in a management role and having a direct impact on others.
This sentiment is amplified in the report by Gallup CEO Jim Clifton “Here’s something they’ll probably never teach you in business school: The single biggest decision you make in your job – bigger than all of the rest – is who you name manager. When you name the wrong person manager, nothing fixes that bad decision. Not compensation, not benefits – nothing.”
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