Signs Your Employees Are Growing Complacent In Their Jobs

The workplace is in transition, and so are many people with their careers.  More than ever, people are feeling a sense of disengagement at work as they grow frustrated with the uncertainty and lack of long-term stability that surrounds them.  Today’s workplace environment is growing worrisome for many because their employers can’t provide them the guaranteed security they seek, while they are expected to do more for less.  Managing your career, whether employed or not, has become a full-time responsibility. The mere thought of what is involved to reach your desired career destination has become exhausting for many. As such, people are beginning to grow complacent about their futures and are losing their motivation to compete.

This was quite apparent when I met recently with a Fortune 500 executive, who said,

“I am burned out and tired of the nonsense. I used to enjoy coming to work, putting in long hours, competing and helping the organization succeed.  Now, coming into work is increasingly frustrating. It’s hard to trust anyone’s intentions and it feels like a survival of the fittest environment with very little loyalty.  I am not inspired to put in the extra hours – as I don’t have any real incentive. I just do my job well, play the political game, smile and get my check.”

So many factors play into what motivates and drives someone to ultimately achieve, however when the environment, people and circumstances around them become intolerable – it begins to take its toll. Naturally, motivation starts to wane and people begin to wonder if they will ever reach their desired career destination.   They begin to doubt themselves and quickly become awakened to the reality that career management is a journey and only a very few who are equipped to take-on the journey head-on will have the endurance to reach their career goals, dreams and aspirations.

Many people find it difficult to stay on one singular career path.  But just how often do people change careers?  This is a difficult question to pinpoint, but according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average person born in the latter years of the baby boom (1957-1964) held 11.3 jobs from age 18 to age 46. Nearly half of these jobs were held from ages 18 to 24.

What is the takeaway? Many people struggle to find the job and career path that inspires and ultimately gives them the happiness and motivation to succeed in a meaningful and purposeful way.   When we speak of purpose, we first think of ourselves. This is natural, and I will not tell you it is wrong. Perhaps we might say we are survivors by nature and thrivers by nurture. Yet an individual’s primary purpose for existence cannot begin and end with oneself, for no true purpose is exclusive to self. A true purpose must include others. Every great purpose is outside the individual.

Show me one who works only for himself, and I’ll show you short-lived success. Show me a company with self-serving practices, and I’ll show you a short-lived business. In the end, it’s all about people.

As organizations aim to reinvent themselves, leaders should be on the lookout for the following behavioral cues to assure their employees are not becoming complacent in their careers during a time when they are needed most:

1.      Disengaged

Pay close attention to how focused your employees are in their work. Gauge their excitement with new responsibilities and engagement with their colleagues. Are they taking it upon themselves to be collaborative and focused on moving departmental objectives forward? Or are they lost in the clouds, working fewer hours and only doing just enough to get the job done?

When their head and their heart are not into it anymore, this is a strong warning sign that they may have checked out.

2.      Stop Thinking

When your employees are not asking questions, challenging themselves and others, this is cause for concern; for one, they have stopped adding value. When they have decided to just go with the flow, they have decided to stop thinking, and are only concerned about executing what they are being told what to do.

A recent study by my organization revealed that employees are not thinking beyond the obvious and are playing it too safe at work. Because of the fear of losing their jobs, they don’t want to be viewed as overly disruptive and they don’t want to be perceived as a non-team player.

3.      Stop Taking Initiative

When employees stop thinking, they are on the path of becoming unproductive and complacent. They stop taking the lead on their assigned tasks and lose their desire to inspire others to follow them.   In fact, they begin to follow more than lead and their attitude becomes more noticeably distant.

Instead of taking initiative, they become disconnected with other people. They lose their mental toughness and their presence becomes more of a distraction as their attitude begins to bring the team down.

After having the opportunity to lead a successful turnaround for one of my employers (during my corporate years), it became painfully obvious that while the organization was back to profitability and enjoying growth, the toll the process had taken on the employees was quite evident.  Many people were forced to take demotions; some were given early retirement, while others were asked to assume more responsibility with limited pay increases (if any).  People were emotionally taxed and unable to find the energy to compete and take initiative. They were tired and uncertain whether they were going to have to endure more changes down the road. For many, it was a wake-up call.

While some people were able to make the transition, others needed more time. In fact, there were many who used this experience to either leave the organization or take extended leaves of absence.  The disruption that change creates takes a toll on people – and that leads them to react in unpredictable ways.  As a leader, you must be mindful of the fact that people are not taught in school or otherwise trained to handle this level of change. Only experience teaches you how to deal with it (much like when you lose a loved one).

4.      Don’t Invest in Themselves

You know those employees on your team or in your organization that are focused on success and achievement.  Generally, they are quite active when it comes to investing in themselves to develop their skill-sets and relationships throughout their careers.  When your employees stop investing in themselves, it is an early warning sign that they have lost their drive to become a high performer.

Equally of concern are those employees who stop investing in themselves because they feel that they have learned enough or believe they know enough people to get to their final career destination.    As such, they may have decided to stop investing in new relationships with colleagues or participating in company-wide networking functions. Or maybe they have stopped investing in how to be more productive with their time.  Even a change in workplace attire can indicate complacency with their executive presence and overall performance.

Monitor closely all aspects of how they invest in their career.

5.      Are Not Managing Their Personal Brand

If your employees are showing any signs of points 1 – 4, they certainly are not managing their personal brand.  Granted, most people don’t manage their personal brand because they don’t know how – but those who are motivated to achieve much in their careers are aware of its importance and are making every effort to figure out their personal brand.

If you are not sure how much this matters to your employees, and/or you want to help them manage their personal brand, share this blog with them: Personal Branding is a Leadership Responsibility, Not a Self-Promotion Campaign.

6.      Take Shortcuts

You know when your employees are becoming complacent when they begin to take shortcuts in their work. They are not as thorough or detailed oriented as they once were – and believe that their positive reputation will give them the permission to be lazy. This is another sign that they have lost their desire to compete.

I started my career with the Gallo Wine Company – a top-flight “academy company” where proven management protocols are enforced and required as a measurement of your ultimate success in the company. I witnessed first-hand the rise and fall of many talented people who grew tired of following the “10-steps method of a successful sales call;” Over time they grew lazy and didn’t feel required to follow the rules of professional engagement (“The Gallo Way”) in their client relationships. It was fair to say that many started to take shortcuts, only to see their rise to the top become much more challenging.

When employees start cheating themselves by taking shortcuts, they quickly become disruptive to the corporate culture and a liability to the organization they serve.

7.      Don’t Take Any Risks

In today’s workplace, everyone is at risk. This has become part of the new normal. But if you seek to get discovered in your career, you must be courageous enough to take risks (though never shortcuts). Taking calculated risks is how you advance business, whether it’s investing in a strategy you hadn’t tried before, or hiring a new employee based on your “gut-feel” rather than credentials alone, for example.   You must begin to see risk taking as your new best friend.

If your employees are not taking any risks, this is cause for concern (especially if they were not afraid to take risks in the past).  Playing it too safe is a sign of complacency, and an admission that your employees would rather stay on the sidelines and be told what to do rather than become a more integral and influential part of the team.

8.      Lost Their Passion

When your employees begin to lose their passion for their responsibilities, and no longer get excited about their work, it’s time to have a conversation. The passionate pursuit of excellence is the fuel that stimulates high-performance and a contagious, winning attitude.

Steve Jobs once said, “I’m convinced that about half of what separates ‘the successful’ from the ‘non-successful’ is pure perseverance. You have to have a lot of passion for what you are doing…because it is so hard. If you don’t, any rational person would give up. People with passion can change the world for the better.”

When employees have reached a point where their passion is lost, they will find it almost impossible to find any level of career success.

9.      Disgruntled With Their Current Career Destination

Many people are unhappy with where their journey has taken them.  But instead of assuming full responsibility and accountability for their decisions, actions and outcomes, they sulk and play the victim.

When your employees are bitter, disgruntled and unwilling to come to terms with where their career journey has taken them, confront the situation before their attitude begins to permeate throughout the organization.  Unfortunately, we don’t get a chance to recapture the time that has been lost. However, we all have the opportunity to reinvent ourselves.  Allow your employees to make this important choice with the understanding that they themselves must ultimately leverage the resources before them – those that can help them find a potentially better destination if they break-away from the habits that put them in their current situation.

10.   Lost Any Hope for a Brighter Future

When people lose hope for a brighter future, they have reached the bottom and desperately need your leadership and guidance. Unfortunately, we don’t get everything we want in our careers (i.e., titles, money, power, influence, etc.).  However, we all have the right to make the choices that can help us get back on track.

When employees are spending too much time on the Internet or wasting precious moments  in needless corporate politics or gossiping about everyone else’s business – instead of managing their own – give them the hope they desperately need.  If you believe that an employee’s potential is yet to be realized, make an investment in their future or provide them the mentoring and tools to help them get back on track (even if it’s elsewhere). Regardless of what you do, give them the opportunity to rebound in their career by helping them start a new journey.

As a leader looking to build great teams, develop great talent and design business models that will help the organization attain profitable growth, always be mindful of your employees’ state of mind.  Don’t ever stop leading or looking for signs your employees have grown complacent.