The Disconnect
There seems to be a common theme across the business community today. Executives, Supervisors and Managers are making decisions everyday that provide direction to their employees to lead their businesses to success. The employees are coming to work everyday to follow the leader’s direction and carry out the day-to-day operations in order to support their business to success. Everyone doing their part and working together to help their businesses succeed. This sounds like a great scenario. Everyone should be happy and looking forward to work each day.
Yet, it seems that no matter what businesses, anywhere in the country, you go to you are hearing the same story. The leaders appear to be on their path to success assuming that the employees are following along. They think that the employees are moving their business forward with great excitement and enthusiasm. On the other hand, employees are showing up to work every day wondering where their leaders are taking them. Often the employees are asking do the leaders have any idea what is really happening. Is this story true or false?
Leigh Brahnam states in “The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave”, that 89% of managers believe employees leave for more money, while 88% of employees actually leave for reasons having to do with the job, the culture, the manager or the work environment. According to CreerBuilder.com, 43% of workers report that they do not feel valued by their employers. The Gallup Organization’s research tells us that 71% of workers in the United States rate themselves as Not Engaged or Actively Disengaged. What a disconnect.
Something is wrong in businesses today. Leaders seem to have lost touch with the reality of their organizations. There is a clear consensus amongst employees that they are not feeling valued by the leaders in their organizations. Employees across the country are showing up to work but are not engaging with their organization. The concern is, are leaders recognizing this and see this as a leadership issue or they blaming the employees for having bad attitudes?
“66% of workers do not identify with or feel motivated to drive their employer’s business goals and objectives.” (Taylor Nelson Sofres - TNS) The problem seems evident, but do leaders understand that they play the most critical role in solving this dilemma. “70% of the reason employees leave their jobs are related to factors that are controllable by the direct supervisor.” (“The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave”) “The #1 reason employees leave jobs is a poor relationship with their immediate supervisor.” (The Gallup Organization) Research is clear that employee engagement is a significant issue and that leadership is the most critical part of the problem.
Even though leadership is the most critical part of the problem, research also supports the fact the leadership is the best solution. Leaders need to start to acknowledge that the problem is not simply an employee’s bad attitude or the fact that their employees are lazy or what other excuses leaders come up with. The bottom line is, leaders need to seem themselves as the solution to the disengaged workforce across the country. They need to get in touch with their employees and take the time and effort to understand how employees are feeling. Employees want to be engaged in their organizations and it is the leader’s responsibility to help create an environment where their employees feel cared for and valued.
Here are a few practical strategies for leaders to consider helping engage their employees:
- Support Growth - Provide for individual professional development
- Unite With Your Team - Be available/accessible
- Praise Others - Provide praise and encouragement
- Expect Excellence - Setting high expectations
- Require Accountability - Uphold individual responsibility
- Verify Potential - Develop an atmosphere of hope and confidence
- Instill Independence - Allow autonomy
- Share Continuously - Establishing two-way communication
- Optimize Ownership - Create opportunities for involvement
- Reinforce Relationships - Sharing with and caring about employees
Every member of an organization is responsible for creating and maintaining a culture that values each other. Leaders play an important role in setting the example for others to follow. It takes time on the leader’s part to engage their workforce, but the benefits are numerous. Ultimately an engaged workforce translates into higher quality and productivity. This develops greater products and customer satisfaction. So, recognize the disconnect and see yourself as the solution.
-Jim Rowell