How to Spot Disengaged Employees and Turn Them Around

The best leaders strive to create a team of engaged employees because engaged employees are passionate about their work and have an emotional commitment and willingness to give their best. This goes far beyond just showing up and getting enough done to collect a paycheck. Engaged employees are willing to give it their all to achieve success and go above and beyond.

On the flip side, disengaged employees can negatively impact productivity and profitability. How do you spot a disengaged employee, so you can work to turn them around?

Here are a few warning signs:

• Increased absenteeism
• Decreased productivity
• Downturn in quality of work
• Lack of motivation
• Negative attitude
• Social withdrawal
• Poor communication
• No desire for growth

7 Ways to Turn Disengaged Employees Around 

What do you do if you suspect that you have a disengaged employee? Here are a few steps you can take to turn them around.

1. Ask questions. To understand how to re-engage employees, you need to get to the root of the issue and what is causing them to be disengaged. Conducting anonymous employee engagement surveys is a great way to understand the engagement level of your team and what is causing them to feel disengaged.

2. Create development plans. Work with the employee to uncover growth opportunities. Find out what they enjoy about their work and if anything is holding them back from doing their best work. Discuss their top talents and help them build a plan to use their strengths more frequently in their work.

3. Provide recognition. Show employees you value and appreciate them by recognizing their efforts.

4. Make sure they feel a sense of purpose in their work. Discuss the team’s mission and how they contribute and make a difference. Talk about the importance and relevance of their work – not just what they need to get done but why it’s important.

5. Ask their thoughts, feelings, and opinions often so they feel their voice is valued. Include them in decisions that affect their work.

6. Communicate often and keep them in the loop. Make sure they are not surprised or caught off guard by things. It’s not always possible to make quick decisions or improvements but keeping them updated on the timeline and where you are in the process can help.

7. Build trust. Show that you care about them by delivering on your promises and always doing what you say you will do.

Improve Culture and Engagement 

These are tried and true actions that all leaders can take to improve culture and engagement, but it’s also important to uncover exactly what your employees need to feel supported and engaged. That’s where the culture and engagement survey comes in. This can give you a clear picture of what is causing employees to be disengaged and specific opportunities for improvement.

It’s also crucial that you listen! Listen to the feedback you get from surveys and make changes. Listen to employees when they share ideas or concerns. Don’t discount how people feel or cut them off when they share with you. Allow people to share, take notes, and ask follow-up questions to ensure people feel heard. Let them know you appreciate and value their thoughts, so they will continue to give feedback in the future.