Looking at why workers are disengaged
By Trevor Wilson
An alarming Gallup poll published earlier this year is still sending shockwaves throughout the business community: Most American workers either hate their jobs or don’t care one way or the other about them.
Less than a third of Americans are actively engaged in their work, meaning they’re passionate about it, enthusiastic and energetic. They’re consistently productive, and high performing.
Gallup estimates the 20 million who are “actively disengaged” – openly negative and unhappy have a staggering effect on the economy, costing the United States $450 to $550 billion each year in lost productivity.
To engage the 70 percent of non-committal or “actively disengage” employees, business managers need to change how they view human capital.
Engaging employees is an issue I’ve been working on for more than two decades, and there is a solution. I call it human equity — the unique assets each individual brings to the workplace that are often unrecognized. Recognizing and leveraging your own human equity, as well as that of your employees, addresses not only the incredible waste of human capital illustrated in the recent poll, but also related concerns business leaders share, including the constant need for innovation. These challenges are not unique to the United States.
There is a reason why executive royalty, such as Warren Buffet and former General Electric CEO Jack Welsh, sought talent beyond traditional criteria like knowledge and skills, which are also important.
Here is a method for uncovering valuable intangibles in employees; I call it the SHAPE V Talent model:
• Strengths: Consider strength as defined by the 1999 Gallup StrengthsFinder study, which includes consistent near-perfect performance in an activity. The study identifies 34 qualities, which can be innate and, unlike skills, are not learned. Individual employees and managers should not force a square peg into a round hole; if an employee’s near-perfect, near-effortless strength is in research and analysis, but not so much in data management, managers should allocate this resource accordingly.
• Heart: Have you ever wondered what comes first, whether you’re good at something because you like it, or you like it because you’re good at it? The chicken-or-egg question aside, what matters is the passion one has for a talent. This includes activities a worker would do even if he or she didn’t have to do it on the job. If a talented manager won the lottery and decided to quit his job, for example, he might be inclined to manage people in a local political campaign or take the helm of his son’s little league team.
• Attitude: There are three general attitudes an employee might have, according to a branch of study in positive psychology. First, there are those who approach their work as a job, who seek only a paycheck and benefits. The second group includes those with a career perspective who seek advancement. The third group views their work as a calling and deeply connects with what they do every day.
• Personality: In 2009, nearly $500 million was spent on personality testing in North America alone. A reliable test isn’t valuable in so much as it reveals differences among workers, which are most likely already apparent. The value of these tests is in showing how and where differences lie. Understanding differences can lead to an appreciation for how and why coworkers perform and improve the synergy of teams.
• Experience: Who is the person you’re sitting next to at work; who is she when she’s not making business-to-business calls, scheduling meetings or troubleshooting technical problems? How does her race, religion, economic background, family situation and overall lifestyle influence – or not influence – her work life? More importantly, how might her life beyond work offer diversity of thought in the workplace? Life experience should not be overlooked when assessing talent.
• Virtue: Value in action, that’s virtue. Candor, temperance, courage – these traits preempt problems like public scandals, harassment and discrimination and foster a positive moral pragmatism among coworkers and practical wisdom among leaders. With social media continuing to expose bad behavior and employee morale revealed to be at a stunning low, this is a significant quality in the on-going search for the best talent.
Trevor Wilson is the CEO of TWI Inc. and creator of the human equity management model. He is the global diversity, inclusion and human equity strategist who regularly speaks at corporate functions.
It used to be that employers viewed their labor force as fellow human beings instead of “human capital”.
This entire article strikes me as something from a nightmare/Koch Bros. purchased future written by a guy who claims that, “He is the global diversity, inclusion and human equity strategist who regularly speaks at corporate functions.”
I think it’s a possibility that many workers become disengaged because they know their corp. employer couldn’t give a fig about them or their families.
This author never worked for Jack Welsh or one of his minions who now lead corporate America.
I watched employees who were motivated, empowered and willing to sacrifice their personal lives turn into dejected place holders at their desks after their company was bought by anther company lead by Welsh trained management. The management style made them feel worthless.
It is beyond me how any employer or manager/management can believe that treating people as if they’re worthless and expendable can promote any type of employee diligence and dedication. Environments that advocate disrespect, debasement and fear are not conducive to bringing out the best in people and do not provide a climate of teamwork with each individuals’ contribution being important no matter what their position. Businesses utilizing the demeaned employee management philosophy will never reach their full potential.
When training a dog you won’t get the best out of that animal and help them reach their full potential by mistreatment and abuse. It’s not really much different with people, and it’s a pretty simple concept.
As a capitalist economy, we’re in a transition stage. The “Kings of Industry” have managed to subjugate their employees, trivialize employee organizations and multiply their profits while minimalizing the services they offer to their customers. Income goes down; profits for the “managers” go up.
Surprisingly, much of the voting public supports this huge shift of wealth, to a large degree because of the successful political selling of the strange economic ramblings of a hack writer and pseudo intellectual named Ayn Rand who wrote, mostly on the level of a Superman comic, absent the drawings. The generation now assuming control pretty much believes that the world is run on Facebook and Twitter, and wouldn’t recognize an actual discussion if it bit them on the heel.
There is no pride in working anymore, why work when you can get all the government hand outs, like food stamps when you don’t have to have them but just because you can get them! Or unemployment checks for 2 years and free phones and section 8 housing and free medical with Medical and so many other Government hand outs, why work and show pride?
The Democrats have done this to our Country and I’m sorry to say that it will get worse before it gets better. Why buy the cow when the milk is free.
Don’t blame the democrats — I can’t think of one Republican who has done anything for our economy for many years. Politicians are the ones on the “dole” – milk, pork , – you name it!
Workers have seen full-time jobs cut into part-time jobs so companies can avoid paying benefits. $8 per hour is simply NOT a living wage — I pay more just to get a neighbor to mow my lawn – and I compliment the worker who does it – “good job”, and I say “thank you”….. encouragement, recognition and empowerment are ingredients for “engagement”. And, management should be responsible for making sure these ingredients are practiced every day, at every level.
Irish Wahini:
Well said.
Irish Wahini ,
Well said but it is the Democrats that are responsible for an additional 18 million on food stamps and no jobs. After 5 years of Obama and the only thing he has done is force part time employment because of his Obamacare. He has not opened any future for jobs.
The only reason that Republicans are trying to stop it is because it is killing jobs and there will still be 35 million that won’t have Medical coverage.
All of the Government is crooked and a bunch of crooks.they tax,tax,tax and then exempt themselves from Obamacare, If it’s good enough for us it should be good enough for them. And where in the world is there a job that after only one term in office can you retire with full pay and benefits for the rest of your life ??? They should only be aloud 2 terms and then no benefits and go back to work like the rest of the hard working people.
No one should be aloud to have Welfare,food stamps unemployment or any other Government hand out if they can’t pass a Drug test.
Old Timer:
Wow.
The country will continue to decline as long as the blame game continues. Red states far excel the blue states in receiving Federal dollars. Defending one group and blaming another is a pointless exercise. The fact is that greed, by members of both parties, has allowed the destruction of the American dream. Government is too large due to both parties.
Old Timer, you should not be allowed to comment aloud if you can’t acknowledge the complicity of corporate greed by the republicans AND the democrats. Every item (welfare, phones, unemployment, etc.) that you mention has been in existence for decades. And neither party can blame the other for their existence. There is little difference between the two parties. Bad behavior is bad behavior, regardless of your politics.
The endless partisan bickering must end and we voters must hold politicians accountable for their work or lack of it. Party affiliation is worthless.
dumbfounded:
Well said.
This type of false equivalency of blame for the corporate takeover of our country is nonsense. I agree that all of todays republicans and a recently increasing number of democrats have moved to the conservative right but this shift can all be traced directly to the sell out of the middle class by the Reagan administration.-The conservative appointees to the SCOTUS have made numerous decisions handing over complete power to the 1%. The way I see it is we have some chance to get our country back by moving back to traditional Democratic Party ‘We the People’ values that support workers and the middle class or we have absolutely 0 chance of escaping plutocracy by supporting the teabaggers and randians that now control the GOP.-I say get in the streets-get MORE partisan against the hate radio-fox and fools fans and ‘Me the People’ sociopaths-its the only way to get rid of them once and for all so we can move forward. Now that they have power-they won’t go easily.
Interesting string of comments…. and we are probably all on the same page. Off topic though — wonder why this site says these posts are on August 10? Today is August 11, unless a meteor struck my time zone. ???
Irish Wahini,
The reason my original post says Aug.9 is because that is the day I made it. Others posted on the 10th.. etc.
Supposedly this country produces about 25% of the economic output of the planet. I’m guessing around less than 25% own almost everything in this country. What if this country can fully function with only about 25% of the current population?