According to Dale Carnegie Training, 29% of the workforce is engaged, 45% are not engaged, and 26% are actively disengaged. Although it’s easy to spot the employees that are actively disengaged, those teetering on the lightly disengaged side might be “checked out” without their leaders even knowing. Disengagement hinders productivity and has the ability to negatively impact business. Here are a few subtle traits of disengaged workers that together could raise some red flags and show that your employee isn’t as engaged as you may think.
1. Lack Enthusiasm. Disengaged employees are the least excited about new projects and accumulating new business.
2. Make Excuses. They never take responsibility for their actions or admit mistakes. They might even place the blame on other team members or throw others under the bus.
3. Doesn’t Help Others. These employees don’t go the Nth degree and they have a “that’s not my job” attitude.
4. Complains. Bad employees are constantly complaining about the work that they do or even speaking ill of the company that they work for. Nothing is ever good enough for them.
5. Doesn’t Take Initiatives. They don’t take initiatives to start new projects or streamline processes. Instead, they wait to be told what to do and sit around and wait for the next task.
6. Can’t Focus. Bad employees are distracted and can’t focus on work. They tend to spend the majority of their time gossiping or destroying morale.
7. Irresponsible. Disengaged employees are often late to work and meetings, break their promises, and blow off dead lines.
If one of your employees exhibits some of these traits and you suspect that they are disengaged, it is your job as a leader to meet with them and see if you can steer them back to productivity. The most effective way to boost employee morale and engagement is through recognition and reward. In the next blog, we’ll be discussing how to spot engaged employees and how to help support their growth within the company.
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