Managing people is difficult. Managing disengaged people can seem impossible. A disengaged employee can come in many forms. It may be someone who does not fit the company culture, someone who does not perform well, or someone who has a tendency to challenge authority. This can have a range of effects on their co-workers and the business. They can negatively impact morale by creating a toxic environment or even become a drag on a company’s bottom line. Another situation where this kind of employee may put the employer in a precarious spot is during an organizing drive. Often these employees are the loudest voices in opposition to the company during a campaign. It may not even be that they are true supporters of wanting union representation, but they are simply “anti-company”. They may be disgruntled because they don’t “fit in” or have failed to thrive due to poor performance and have taken it personally. An organizing effort is a perfect avenue for these employees to exact their revenge on the company. 

Before attributing the blame solely on these employees for the fallout that inevitably comes with having disaffected workers, consider this. There are plenty of instances where employers have not properly engaged their teams. A 2022 Gallup poll found that only 32% of full- and part-time employees are engaged at work, while 17% are actively disengaged. These abysmal numbers should warn employers that they need to drastically improve their efforts to engage workers. Something else that contributes to discouraged team members is burnout, a fact that some companies may be unaware of or flat-out ignore due to working in a demanding industry. Employee burnout can have severe impacts on morale, job satisfaction, and retention. A global survey conducted by the Future Forum in 2022 found that 42% of employees say they are burned out at work. 

So what are managers to do with a significant population of dejected and unsatisfied workers? Below are some helpful tips on how to help improve the situation. 

Keep Calm, and Manage On

First and foremost, a manager needs to be level-headed and tranquil when dealing with unsatisfied workers. Responding with hostility will only add fuel to the fire of discontent. Additionally, managers need to avoid the typical knee-jerk reaction to deflect any criticism and blame employees. Approach the situation with humility and an open mind. Some managers may even point to company policy and say “that’s just the way it is”. Unfortunately, this is more common than not, and the next phrase that is typically given is the last thing an employee wants to hear; “If you don’t like it, then there’s the door”. This attitude is the quickest way to dishearten your team and, in my own experience, a union petition may not be far behind. Managers have to empathize with what the employee is going through. Even if the reality from management’s perspective is different from what an employee expresses, leaders have to understand that the employee's perception of the situation is their reality. 

Listen, listen, listen, and listen a bit more. 

A disengaged worker may feel that they are not being heard and many employees want to voice their concerns but typically don’t. Perhaps they feel they don’t have the appropriate channels, or they have voiced their concerns in the past, and nothing happened so they just quit trying. Regardless of the reason, managers must be aggressive in their efforts to get feedback. Organic opportunities for conversation abound in the workplace and managers should actively seek them out.  A manager should be out greeting employees in the morning and at the “water cooler” so to speak to take advantage of the informal communication that can take place. Time on the floor engaging and getting to know employees should be prioritized over time sitting in the office. When a manager knows what’s happening on the floor and genuinely knows their employees as more than just a subordinate, workers will view this manager as a conduit of communication. 

Conduct proper pulsing. 

It’s not realistic to expect managers to know what every team member is thinking and what they are going through at all times. Even if managers and HR representatives dedicated the majority of their time just engaging employees, there would still be loads of information out there that they will not be able to capture. This is where the practice of employee pulsing plays an integral role. Employee pulsing is a process that allows companies, on a large scale, to continuously gain an understanding of employees’ views on their work experience and to help identify problems in real-time. This is typically done via surveys, digital or analog, conducted on a regular basis. Ideally, the information is analyzed and then action plans are put in place. A word of caution, however. There are numerous comprehensive tools in the marketplace that help employers implement pulsing. They are often easy to use and very convenient, and therein lies the problem. They are used to substitute face-to-face interactions. So while management may think they are doing what’s necessary to engage their employees by sending out a digital survey every month, they will only be achieving partial credit in the effort to truly engage their teams. And although the technology available is impressive in its ability to aggregate and report data, there is no substitute for the expertise and human touch provided by an employee relations expert. Here at Team Optimal, we offer employee engagement services to give your team the ability to speak with a third party about what’s going on at work. The use of a third party can yield invaluable insights as employees feel comfortable opening up to our specialists who are adept at connecting with workers. Click here to find out how Team Optimal can help your organization with your employee relations needs. Annual or bi-annual third-party surveys coupled with regular pulsing give companies a barometer to measure worker satisfaction and, by extension, management performance. It is important to keep in mind, however, that listening only yields results if the next tip is executed properly. 

Follow through.

Actively listening to your team is only half the battle. Even if a company makes the effort to truly hear out what employees have to say, it is all for nothing if it is not dovetailed with action. Not only is it important to take action on the feedback offered by employees, but it is also vital that the process of any action to address said feedback is properly communicated to the team. A popular method that can be found in companies today that has replaced the “suggestion box” is a communication board visible to everyone. On one side of the board are the issues or problems raised by employees. On the corresponding side of the board is a dated response from management along with who is assigned to handle the task. This board is frequently updated with developments until the item is resolved. This lets employees know that headway is being made while also holding management accountable. However, not all issues raised will have a resolution. In fact, some issues raised may be something that is part of the job’s nature and cannot be changed. In this event, managers cannot lean on the “it is what it is” response. Even if employees may not like the answer in response to what they don’t like about their job, it’s important that leadership provide them with a cogent explanation. This shows respect to the employees and closing the loop on the issue lets employees know their voices are being heard. 

Set clear expectations and document everything.

Often times goals are not met by employees because they are unclear on what is actually expected of them. This may be due to poor training or a lack of transparency. To avoid this managers should ensure that all employees have a clear-cut understanding of what their role is. This includes expected behavior, work rules, and productivity guidelines. In regards to performance, indicators should be laid out, tied to timelines and checked for feasibility. In the event that the understood expectations are not met, document everything. This can include everything from meetings and incidents to formal discipline and performance issues.  Thorough documentation is good practice that helps protect all parties involved. 

Offer resources outside of work. 
Sometimes an employee that is experiencing problems at work may be dealing with personal issues not related to the job. A manager should know their team well enough to recognize these signs. Try offering the employee some time off if they are overwhelmed, or set aside time to discuss additional resources like professional counseling. Many companies offer EAPs (employee assistance programs) that are rarely used and could offer much-needed help. 

Creating an environment where workers are satisfied and can count on management to successfully meet their needs is no simple feat. Every person and situation comes with their own specific needs and nuances. And the above tips alone cannot be effective without patience, diligence, and the support of a forward-thinking organization. However, this holistic approach allows all involved to actively take part in shaping the workplace around them by enabling an engaged population and challenging leadership to take their role to new heights. 

Written by Arthur Wentworth