Gallup recently reported new employee engagement data, which shows that 35% of U.S. employees are engaged. The number of workers who are actively disengaged is 13%. These people are so miserable that they seek to sabotage their employer. The remaining 52% are not engaged, meaning they do the bare minimum required.
While I am thrilled that the number of engaged workers is at a new high since Gallup began tracking the metric, it still means that two-thirds of workers are dissatisfied and many are looking for a new job. Why? I believe it’s because employers are not meeting the needs of workers. For the most part, employees do not leave extraordinary cultures. They embrace them, they love them, they brag about them, they can’t wait to go to work every day.
One of the best examples that I can give you is a relationship. All the data in the world shows us that the primary reason people file for divorce is because their needs are not being met in the relationship. People get divorced because something is missing. You may have never thought about it this way, but you are in a relationship with your employees. You need them to do certain things to ensure your company succeeds, and they need certain things from you in order to be the best version of themselves every day.
If, at any point, either party thinks their needs are not being met, they can sever ties. And this is exactly what we are seeing employees do today in droves. Employees are leaving en masse – they are divorcing organizations – because something is missing… their needs are not being met.
JILL, WHAT CAN I DO? We know what employees need in order to engage. It’s why the Employee Engagement Survey questions are what they are! Your first step? Conduct a survey, so you know what percentage of your employees are engaged. Step two? Create a plan to improve based on the survey data. Step three? Give the plan to managers to execute and hold them accountable for progress. That’s the process at a very high level. Want the details so you ace this and see measurable results in six months? Then check out my new Employee Engagement Academy course, where I leave nothing out. Let me partner with you to help you succeed.
