Disengaged employees can be detrimental to productivity, employee engagement and overall output. Our previous blog covered signs managers should look out for in employees to help nip this problem in the bud.
Spot and prevent low motivation and engagement
Of course, the best way to ward off quiet quitting is for managers to check in on the motivation of their people on a regular basis. There are different ways of doing this, including careful observation of behaviour, emotions and energy shifts, engagement surveys and asking questions that uncover people’s motivation during regular check-ins and quarterly performance review meetings. Some of the questions managers can consider asking are as follows:
Once managers identify a disengaged employees they can explore the root cause of their low engagement in a one-on-one conversation.
Amplify strengths, successes and progress
Managers, like most of us, are conditioned to focus more on the negatives we see rather than the positives. This is what psychologists call the “negativity bias”. It is therefore important for managers to consciously learn to spot and magnify strengths, successes and progress, even small wins and shifts in effort.
By giving positive feedback and praise, managers will promote progress, excellence, and employee engagement. When people feel they are valued and their progress and achievements are recognized regularly by their manager, they are more likely to feel motivated and exert higher levels of discretionary effort (i.e., effort over and above the required level).
Conduct retention/stay interviews
Retention interviews are a powerful tool to improve employee experience, build trust, and nip problems in the bud. RotaCloud recommends that retention interviews should be kept relatively informal, held in private, and be consistent as much as possible across different team members. Keeping consistency might be difficult, as everyone has their own sentiments and feelings, but managers can keep a set of key questions or discussion points handy and let the conversation flow from there. This can be done in both in-person and remote or hybrid workplaces. Responses should be collated and kept on record somewhere in order to refer to eventually.
Demonstrate empathy
It is important that managers self-reflect and be empathetic above all else. Try to picture themselves in the position of their employees and see their realities to understand where they are coming from. Reflect on how they would react if they were put in their employees’ position? Additionally, consider the employees themselves and the value they have brought to the team, and their strengths and their talents and how these can be further supported to allow them to thrive.
Act on employee feedback
Taking this into consideration, it is now time for the manager to act on the feedback given from their employees. It may be revealed that employees are frustrated with a lack of progression and/or development opportunities available to them, then the manager should explore options in upskilling and/or career development for their people. In virtual teams, managers may find that some employees feel disconnected from the broader workforce. This last one might be common among the younger workforce, who are likely dealing with proportionately more “Zoom fatigue” from the pandemic. If this is the case, the leader should find more creative ways to foster connectivity or, if possible, try to organize in-person events to enable the employees to connect with each other more.
Lastly, it should be ensured that this feedback loop is not a one-off occurrence. A communication line has been opened, and it should be kept this way. The manager should devise a plan to regularly collect feedback, comments, and suggestions from their team, and be flexible enough and willing to find ways to act on suggestions being made. Data can be collected either through formal measures like sending out employee engagement surveys or more informal measures such as sitting down and having a conversation or booking regular one-on-one meetings. Gallup finds that the best practice is for managers to have meaningful 15–30-minute conversations once a week with each employee.
By actively listening to the needs and wants of their people, managers foster a work environment that is inclusive and supportive, which can help their team members feel valued, motivate them to perform at their best and thus address the issue of employee disengagement.
TalentPredix has the strengths-based tools, resources, and skills to engage employees to help you build a thriving place to work so your people can reach their full potential. Contact us today to learn more.
The term ‘quiet quitting’ has made the rounds online, from starting conversations and debate on all corners of the internet, to even being named one of Collins Dictionary’s Word of the Year. Collins has defined it as “the practice of doing no more work than one is contractually obligated to do.”
RotaCloud, a staff management software company, has now identified a new workplace trend to succeed quiet quitting called “resenteeism.” They define it as staying in a job, despite being fundamentally unhappy and actively resenting it. Concerns over job security, cost of living, or a lack of alternative employment options are cited as reasons that employees stay. The main difference that resenteeism has from its predecessor is that the employee is more vocal about their dissatisfaction and may potentially influence the opinions and attitudes of others.
However, a common denominator between the two is that it all boils down to employee engagement, or a lack thereof. Indeed’s Work Happiness Score revealed that more than one third of U.K. employees are unhappy in their current job roles. Employee engagement is nothing new in the HR industry, but recent events like the pandemic and cost of living crisis have brought it front and center. But the question remains – what can managers do to engage their employees and prevent dissatisfaction?
Primarily, managers need to be engaged and present at work, so they can identify which employees are putting in less effort than before and seem disengaged from the wider workforce. In a hybrid or remote settings, being present could mean reaching out more to employees to be more visible and keep communication lines open. Being engaged as a remote manager could also mean giving your employees the autonomy and flexibility to do the work on their own time but ensuring that performance standards and deadlines are clearly communicated.
Some signs managers should look out for in employees:
In our next article, we will explore how managers can reengage a disengaged employee to achieve better outputs and productivity.
TalentPredix has the tools, resources, and skills to engage employees to help you build a thriving place to work so your people can reach their full potential. Contact us today to learn more.
We asked our Client Success Consultant, Jasmine Kumar, a few questions so you can get to know her better.
What is the biggest highlight of your working life?
It would have to be joining TalentPredix Ltd. This has been such an exciting experience for me, coming into a new industry and learning a new range of skills. I also get to do what I’m passionate about and what I enjoy doing, and that is building new relationships, meeting new people, and helping people from all walks of life.
What does great talent management mean to you?
Identifying, developing, and optimizing exceptional talent with the strengths, energy, and capabilities that can enable an organization to thrive and evolve. Great talent management is creating sustainable growth and thriving workplaces.
Who has inspired you most in your career?
My friends and family played a really big role in my career, I’ve always been around ambitious, intelligent, and hardworking people, and they’ve been a huge inspiration for me. My mum has always challenged me to go beyond my limits and take risks. They’ve all shown me so much support and guidance and I wouldn’t have gotten to where I am today without them.
What energizes you most about your work?
Helping people and helping organizations to thrive is very important and fulfilling to me. I enjoy sharing my knowledge and learnings with others and really making a difference. The team is also incredibly supportive, and I feel like I am always growing and learning more around them. Being around such talented and highly motivated people brings me lots of energy and enjoyment.
How do you relax outside work?
I enjoy going to the gym and staying active, it helps me unwind and keep my mind focused. I also enjoy being social, I always spend my free time with family and friends.
What do you like most about working at TalentPredix Ltd?
Out of the many great aspects of working at TalentPredix Ltd, I believe having variety in my work is my favourite. I enjoy working with every new opportunity that comes our way and being involved in different aspects of the company. I value learning, so being part of such a young and dynamic company is very rewarding for me.
We asked our Founder and CEO, James Brook, a few questions so you can get to know him better.
What is the biggest highlight of your working life?
Other than starting TalentPredix Ltd, it was undoubtedly founding Strengthscope, a global strengths assessment company I ran for 13 years. I love to combine my passions for leading entrepreneurial businesses and designing innovative talent assessment and development approaches that help people discover and optimize their talents, strengths and potential, which is ultimately my core purpose.
What does great talent management mean to you?
Finding, retaining, developing and deploying diverse and highly motivated people that can translate your vision into reality and enable your organization to stand out and thrive.
Who has inspired you most in your career?
I have been lucky enough to have had outstanding managers, mentors and coaches during the course of my career, each of whom has inspired me in different ways. I have also drawn inspiration from a wide range of successful leaders, psychologists, authors and entrepreneurs such as Nelson Mandela, Richard Branson, Ariana Huffington, Phil Knight (Nike founder), Peter Drucker, Abraham Maslow, Adam Grant and Elon Musk. Finally, I have my Dad and Mom to thank for my values and work ethic that have inspired my curiosity, creativity and search for excellence throughout my career.
What energizes you most about your work?
The opportunity to work with a wide variety of leaders, people and teams to help them to achieve their full potential and make a positive difference to customers, shareholders and other stakeholders.
How do you relax outside work?
I run several times a week (and try to run at least a couple of half marathons each year), swim and also enjoy photography, movies, travel, and trying out different wines. I’m currently doing a PhD so time for relaxation is very limited.
What do you like most about working at TalentPredix Ltd?
The excitement of building our assessment and development products and seeing these gain traction and bring value to our clients. Our fast-growing team of core staff and global partners is also extremely talented, motivated and creative so they give me lots of enjoyment and energy.
We asked our Chief Science Officer, Paula Baetu, a few questions so you can get to know her better.
What is the biggest highlight of your working life?
I value learning, so starting my own business and following the road less travelled is my biggest highlight, as I have learned the most through this experience. However, I know there are many more career highlights to come, and I am looking forward to those.
What does great talent management mean to you?
Great talent management is a beginning to end process. It is the full scope of processes to attract, develop, motivate and retain high-performing talent, not a pick and mix. Great talent management ensures all parts of the talent machine are well taken care of with the goal of thriving, engaged and effective talent within the organization.
Who has inspired you most in your career?
My parents played a really big role in my career, but in different ways. My father has always challenged I have been inspired by many people in different ways and for different reasons. My parents are one of my role models as they have run their own successful business since I was born. However, I wouldn’t have gotten to where I am now without the support and guidance of my mentors and supporters along the way.
What energizes you most about your work?
I love working with people and the unique energy each person brings into a room. I am highly energized by developing others either through running workshops, coaching or mentoring.
How do you relax outside work?
I enjoy being social, a range of strength-based exercises (from weight lifting to callisthenics), photography, good food and travel.
What do you like most about working at TalentPredix™?
TalentPredix™ is not just a company I work for; it is a dream I have helped build from the ground up. What I love about where we are right now is the possibilities and potential to grow TalentPredix™ into more than a business, into something that truly helps people and organizations thrive.
We asked our Marketing Lead, Elsa Baptista, a few questions so you can get to know her better.
What is the biggest highlight of your working life?
I would have to say being hired to work at TalentPredix™. It’s my first real job and I found my true passion, which is working in Marketing and Social Media. The team is also amazing and incredibly supportive.
What does great talent management mean to you?
To me, great talent management is ensuring employees’ wellbeing always comes first. Whether it is physical, psychological or social wellbeing, I believe great talent management is giving employees the opportunity to use their natural skills to do what makes them truly happy.
Who has inspired you most in your career?
My parents played a really big role in my career, but in different ways. My father has always challenged me to go beyond my limits and take risks, whilst my mother has continuously given me advice and support throughout my professional path. I believe much of what I’ve accomplished so far could not have been done without them.
What energizes you most about your work?
Creating visual content is the part of my work that energizes me most. I love taking ideas, words and images, and combining them together in a visually appealing way. I also like managing our social media because it keeps me on top of current trends and recent news, allowing me to communicate our message to the public.
How do you relax outside work?
When I’m not working, you can probably find me doing some type of physical activity. I enjoy going out for walks, especially when the sun’s out, and spending time with my friends and family (even if it has to be done online).
What do you like most about working at TalentPredix™?
Out of the many great aspects of working at TalentPredix™, I believe flexibility is my favourite. We have a very supportive environment that allows me to do my work autonomously whilst also being able to collaborate with other team members. I also like how comfortable I feel sharing my ideas with the team and how everyone’s input is valued.