Departmental Zombies - The Actively Disengaged Employee

Ok, that might be a little too dramatic, but take a look around.  How many walking dead do you have mulling around your organization.  Do they seem to come back to life at 5:00 each Friday?

Quick test - What's the difference between an incentive and a reward?

An incentive is the carrot that is dangled in front of someone to motive an action or a change, such as modifying a behavior.  A reward is what is received when that change is met or exceeded. 

Everyone likes to be recognized as the desire for validation is deeply rooted in our DNA.  Whether it’s raising children or managing a group of people, you want to make sure you are recognizing and rewarding positive behaviors. 

A well thought out program is the roadmap to success, but knowing where you want to go is the key to getting there.   

Where do you want to be by the end of 2016?  What are your goals and how are they measured?  Most of you already know this and may already have some of your goals and measures in place.  Its a great start, but now begin to break down those goals by each department and lay out the milestones that need to be met along the way in order for each goal to be met.  Set dates for each of these goals to ensure each area is meeting their goals on a timely basis. 

Work in rewards for helping other people or departments meet their goals if they start to fall behind.  Some competition between departments is healthy, but the end result is meeting or exceeding these goals and moving the entire organization forward, not a few competitively aggressive departments.  The mantra from the Karate Kid movie, “Strike First, Strike Hard, Show No Mercy!” should be saved for the competition. 

Every employee, no matter what their job, should have personal and departmental goals.  In a recent report, Gallup states that, “Less than one-third (31.5%) of U.S. workers were engaged in their jobs in 2014… However, a majority of employees, 51%, were still "not engaged" and 17.5% were "actively disengaged" in 2014.”  Here is the real point, “Gallup estimates that actively disengaged employees cost the US $450 billion to $550 billion in lost productivity per year.”

Do you know how much your actively disengaged employees cost your company? 

A solid plan that engages a majority of your employees will put pressure on those actively disengaged to either step up or leave.  With an increase in productivity from your workforce those departing actively disengaged employees might not need to be replaced.  The increase in productivity through positive engagement could in fact decrease expenses while increasing revenues.

As you refine your program be sure to include all aspects of your business into the plan.  Set up rewards for becoming more physically active, such as joining a gym or tracking biometrics, along with other health related issues such as smoking cessation or weight loss.  Reward points for steps walked per week with quarterly winners for the most steps.  There are many different ways you can engage and reward employees for positive behaviors.  Let’s not forget birthdays and work anniversaries. 

Take some time and develop a plan to engage your employees and recognize and reward them for achieving milestones in their personal development as well as their contributions within their department and the entire organization.  The cost to implement a program is far less than the money lost from disengaged or actively disengaged employees.   

Now is the time to start planning and working with a professional to guide you along the way. 

Before you know it 2016 will be here!  Will you be ready?