Do you have concerns with engagement within your organization? Or do you feel like you are becoming dis-engaged with your job?
Lately, I’ve been thinking about engagement in the workplace. And that led me to seek out the definition of engagement. Here’s one I found:
How much an employee is committed to helping their organization achieve its goals. It’s demonstrated by how employees think, feel, and act, as well as the emotional connection employees feel towards their organization, their work and their team.
So I ask again….do you have concerns with poor employee engagement within your organization? What about for yourself?
We spend a lot of our daily time at work. To be dis-engaged and unhappy in that large amount of time each day is not a pathway to a successful, balanced and fulfilled life. It’s certainly not driving you to create a life you love.
Now that doesn’t mean you have to be in love with every single aspect of your job. There will always be something you don’t particularly like to do, but it’s part of the overall responsibility. But if you regularly and consistently start stressing out the night before you go to work because you are dreading the experience….well, then it’s probably time to rethink your employment.
In this year’s State of the Global Workplace Report by Gallup, they found:
In 2023, global employee engagement stagnated, and overall employee wellbeing declined. The result is that the majority of the world’s employees continue to struggle at work and in life, with direct consequences for organizational productivity.
The Gallup report goes on to explain that managers account for 70% of the variance in team employee engagement.
So if you don’t work well with your boss or just don’t like them, your work engagement is likely to be very low. Which will likely mean you aren’t very happy at work. And likely not in life either.
So what do we do? Whose responsibility is it anyway to get people to care about their jobs? To be invested in the success of the company? To genuinely want to thrive at work? And in life?
I think it’s both our individual responsibility and the company’s responsibility.
For you as the employee, it is your responsibility to want to be happy. To be willing to learn, grow, and thrive. And to believe it is possible. This is the concept of Mindset. Creating a positive mindset for yourself is the foundational place to create change and transformation.
For the organization; which normally means the HR team, it is your responsibility to hire employees that fit the defined culture of your company. To hire a person who has the ability to learn the skills or already has them to thrive in the role you are filling. And it is your responsibility to provide a safe, inclusive and diverse environment for those working there. And if you’re really serious about a thriving company, you also have to provide a pathway for your employees to grow and be recognized for their talents and efforts.
It is a 50/50 relationship. And both are required to lean in and be committed to make it work which requires lots of listening from both sides.
And when you do, you both win. Research shows that when organizations increase the number of engaged employees, they improve a host of organizational outcomes including profit, retention rates and customer service. (Source: Gallup 2024) And when managers drive engagement, that’s when the company sees even greater success. It’s as simple as managers being engaged with their team through goal setting, regular meaningful feedback and accountability.
And for the individual, when you are engaged at work, your life overall improves. You just feel better. You’re happier. You’re more content and your life feels more balanced and meaningful. You may even feel a sense of purpose in your life.
Every job is not for everyone. It is a puzzle that needs all of the pieces to fit. So if you are in an organization that is missing the engagement focus, start raising the flag to your management. And if you personally feel dis-engaged at work, step back and re-evaluate whether it is the job or whether you need to work on your overall mindset and perception.
Life is not meant to be perfect. We as individuals and organizations are not perfect. But life is meant to bring you joy through using your talents and gifts, through interactions, relationships, learning opportunities, creativity, and innovation.
It all begins with mindset and choice. Decide right now to take hold of the reigns of life and thrive. Life is just too short for anything else.
You can Emerge Positive.
Positively,
Deanne
Is your company looking for a solution to improve engagement, work culture, and productivity? Connect by Emerge Positive™ is a cloud based SaaS service designed to enhance well-being and productivity in the workplace. To learn more, go to www.emergepositive.com/GetStarted.
