--- title: Symptoms of an Employee Engagement Problem description: Happiness and employee engagement are two very different things. An employee can seem happy but be disengaged. image: https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/hubfs/Symptoms%20of%20an%20Employee%20Engagement%20Problem%20.png --- [![UYC-logoNo-Subtext](https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/hubfs/Logos/UYC-logoNo-Subtext.png "UYC-logoNo-Subtext")](https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/) [![UYC-logo-img-2](https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/hubfs/UYC%20-%20April%202020/Images/UYC-logo-img-2.png "UYC-logo-img-2")](https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. ** ** [employee engagement](https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/blog/tag/employee-engagement) | 2 MIN READ # Symptoms of an Employee Engagement Problem ![Symptoms of an Employee Engagement Problem ](https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/hubfs/Symptoms%20of%20an%20Employee%20Engagement%20Problem%20.png) [![Mindy Murphy](https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/hubfs/UYC%20Website/Headshots/UYC_Mindy-1.jpg) ](https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/blog/author/mindy-murphy) [By Mindy Murphy](https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/blog/author/mindy-murphy) ![Symptoms of an Employee Engagement Problem ](https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/hubfs/Symptoms%20of%20an%20Employee%20Engagement%20Problem%20.png) ![Symptoms of an Employee Engagement Problem ](https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Symptoms%20of%20an%20Employee%20Engagement%20Problem%20.png?width=1600&height=900&name=Symptoms%20of%20an%20Employee%20Engagement%20Problem%20.png) You may observe your employees and think: - They seem happy - They’re positive - They enjoy working together That means they’re engaged, right? Not necessarily. Happiness and engagement are two very different things. An employee can seem happy but be disengaged. This can hurt productivity, profit, and client retention. At Up Your Culture, we define [employee engagement](https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/blog/how-to-create-employee-engagement) as an emotional commitment and willingness to give your best at work. When engagement is strong, employees have a powerful sense of purpose, and they feel as though they have a stake in the game. Because of this, they are willing to give everything they’ve got to achieve success and often go above and beyond what others are doing. [![Employee Engagement Trends for 2023](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/109236/c040b038-8944-4f6a-aed2-93235723d10c.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/109236/c040b038-8944-4f6a-aed2-93235723d10c) Are employees there to simply “collect a paycheck,” or are they all in? Highly engaged organizations: - Are 3x more likely to retain employees, reducing the cost of replacing people - Achieve a 20% increase in profitability and 20% increase in sales Employee engagement is very important, but how do you know if you have an [engagement problem](https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-employee-engagement)? What are the signs? ### Symptoms of an Employee Engagement Problem - A high level of turnover in highly talented and valuable employees - A persistent pattern of absenteeism  - A decrease in productivity  - An environment that is siloed in which people don’t communicate, collaborate, or learn from one another - A lack of innovation and sharing of new ideas. People feel stuck in the past and old way of doing things - A decline in customer retention If you notice any of these signs, there are a few steps you can take to begin to [improve culture](https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/blog/how-do-you-improve-company-culture) and engagement. - The best way to understand whether your employees are engaged is to ask them. We recommend using an employee engagement survey to do this so you have solid data to better understand how your employees are feeling and a clear understanding of specific areas to improve. - Next, all company leaders must commit to improving culture and engagement based on what they learned in the surveys and work together to identify specific things each person can do to improve in areas of opportunity. - Another important step is to share the survey results with all employees to get their feedback. This will show that you value their thoughts, feelings, and opinions. Discussing the action steps that you will take to [elevate employee engagement](https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/blog/employee-engagement-trends-for-2023) and following through on these actions will help put you on the path to a more positive culture journey. [![Now Available! ENGAGE 2023: The Company Culture Report](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/109236/7c3badfe-0002-4f40-b39c-d49072d0aa5b.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/109236/7c3badfe-0002-4f40-b39c-d49072d0aa5b) [ Return to Blog ](https://blog.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/uyc-test-blog) [** Culture Over Coffee Podcast: Mastering Individualized Management with Sarah Dobbins ](https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/blog/culture-over-coffee-podcast-mastering-individualized-management-with-sarah-dobbins) [** Culture Over Coffee Podcast | MYTH: Company Culture is “Nice to Have” with Pamela McGee, SHRM-CP, PHR, MBA. ](https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/blog/culture-over-coffee-podcast-myth-company-culture-is-nice-to-have-with-pamela-mcgee) ### About Author ![Mindy Murphy](https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/hubfs/UYC%20Website/Headshots/UYC_Mindy-1.jpg) [Mindy Murphy](https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/blog/author/mindy-murphy) Mindy has a true passion for identifying talent and helping people maximize their strengths to achieve greater success and increased performance. In her role as a Certified Talent Analyst, she conducts in-depth analysis and provides managers with detailed feedback on the innate abilities and potential of candidates and direct reports. [ read more by Mindy Murphy ](https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/blog/author/mindy-murphy) Related Posts [![Have Core Values? Your Employees Probably Can’t Recite Them](https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/hubfs/CoC__Culture%20Snapshot-Core%20Values%20Cant%20Recite%20Blog%20Graphic.png) Have Core Values? Your Employees Probably Can’t Recite Them ](https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/blog/have-core-values-your-employees-probably-cant-recite-them) [![Why Your Culture Problem Looks Like an Operations Problem](https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/hubfs/CoC__Culture%20Snapshot-Why%20Your%20Culture%20Problem%20Looks%20Like%20an%20Operations%20Problem%20Cover%20Graphic.png) Why Your Culture Problem Looks Like an Operations Problem ](https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/blog/why-your-culture-problem-looks-like-an-operations-problem) [![Is Your Hiring Process Undermining Your Culture?](https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/hubfs/UYC_Q2%202026-June-Hiring%20Process%20Undermining%20Culture.png) Is Your Hiring Process Undermining Your Culture? ](https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/blog/is-your-hiring-process-undermining-your-culture) ** Share This! - [**](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/blog/symptoms-of-an-employee-engagement-problem/) - [**](https://twitter.com/share?url=https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/blog/symptoms-of-an-employee-engagement-problem/) - [**](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/blog/symptoms-of-an-employee-engagement-problem/&summary=&source=CeBIT) - [**](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/blog/symptoms-of-an-employee-engagement-problem%20&body=Check%20out%20https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/blog/symptoms-of-an-employee-engagement-problem) ## Leave a Comment [![UYC-logoNo-Subtext1](https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/hubfs/UYC-logoNo-Subtext1.png "UYC-logoNo-Subtext1")](https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/) ENGAGE YOUR TEAM. GROW YOUR BUSINESS. ### COMPANY ### FROM OUR BLOG ## [Have Core Values? Your Employees Probably Can’t Recite Them](https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/blog/have-core-values-your-employees-probably-cant-recite-them) ## [Why Your Culture Problem Looks Like an Operations Problem](https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/blog/why-your-culture-problem-looks-like-an-operations-problem) ## [Is Your Hiring Process Undermining Your Culture?](https://uyc.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/blog/is-your-hiring-process-undermining-your-culture) ### THE CSS FAMILY DIVISIONS ### RESOURCES ### Connect with us [** ** ](https://www.facebook.com/upyourculture) [** ** ](https://twitter.com/upyourculture) [** ** ](https://www.linkedin.com/company/upyourculture) ### Subscribe to Our Blog © 2022 Up Your Culture. Privacy Policy ![](https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/viewthroughconversion/882176957/?value=0&guid=ON&script=0)