We often hear that a company is only as good as its people. This insight is applicable not only to the recruitment of the right fit but also to how the company keeps the employees engaged throughout their tenure. Motivated employees tend to stay with their employers as they are typically engaged and productive.
Poor engagement lends itself to increased staff turnover. Disengaged employees may leave for different work, or dedicated employees may be driven away by a toxic culture. Reduced employee retention has direct and indirect cost implications for a business – not only in terms of recruitment and training, but also lost productivity, intellectual property, and unhappy customers.
The psychological contract significantly affects what keeps employees engaged and motivated. The psychological contract is a tacit and intangible agreement and is based on implicit expectations and perhaps even perceptions that employers and employees occupy. It can be one of the most valuable ‘contracts’ an employer has with their employee, especially in an environment of skills shortages and talent mobility challenges. It sets out the mutual expectations of both parties and defines the behavioural expectations aligned to every role. As an example, the manager is expected to treat their employees fairly, provide an acceptable working environment, clear and transparent communication, and honest feedback on performance. The employee is expected to respond by demonstrating a good attitude, following instructions, and showing loyalty to the company. When these expectations are misaligned, i.e., a lack of trust in management, poor feedback resulting in poor recognition, and/or no work-life balance, all play a significant role in an employee’s decision to disengage long before eventually leaving the company. This disengagement is not without damage.
Sources of Motivation
Motivation is a complex phenomenon and is the force behind human performance. It can emerge from our personality characteristics, which are driven by personal values. Our values are learnt through our experiences and apprehension. Values are personal beliefs and hold emotional worth; they provoke, direct, and sustain behaviours as they are the standards that people use to make choices which will satisfy certain needs. Your personality and values, therefore, direct and drive your behaviours. Motivation can come from within ourselves as intrinsic or be external to ourselves as extrinsic. Central to this theory rests the innate motivation for people to thrive, similar to the highest, self-actualisation level we see in Maslow’s (1943) famous hierarchy of needs.
Intrinsic motivation is the internal drive that motivates employees to execute a task well. Intrinsically motivated employees are motivated to perform the job for the sheer pleasure associated with the content of the work itself. Intrinsic motivation is the personal reward and satisfaction derived from performing the job; examples are encouraging self-initiated projects, implementing autonomy in task selection, offering constructive feedback regularly, and cultivating a culture of learning and curiosity.
Extrinsically motivated employees seek out the reward or recognition or avoidance of punishment that is associated with performing the job or activity. Extrinsic sources are external drivers, for example, environment, situation, rewards, or punishment. The task, therefore, is performed to obtain these external benefits or, in the case of punishment, avoid the external motivational source.
Employees are motivated by different things, and different motivators do not have the same effect on every employee. Some employees are intrinsically motivated, while others are extrinsically motivated. This is very important for managers to understand, particularly when crafting a rewards and recognition programme or incentivising employees. Intrinsic motivation is an envied quality and a quality that employers discern, nurture, and propagate.
The increasing knowledge and awareness about intrinsic motivation is also the reason why extrinsic motivators, such as financial incentives, have been perceived as less agreeable in the last few years. Extrinsic motivators can diminish value. Awarding employees extrinsic rewards for intrinsically motivated behaviour can undermine autonomy, independent thinking, and worth. As the behaviour becomes increasingly controlled by external rewards, people begin to feel less in control of their behaviour, or their intrinsic motivation diminishes.
Why do employees disengage?
There are myriad reasons why an employee becomes disengaged at the workplace.
Poor management styles, which include micromanagement, poor direction, lack of feedback, and inconsistencies, can all minimise employee contribution, where lack of confidence and disappointment creep in.
A toxic organisational culture and a poorly articulated purpose result in the employee feeling devalued and that the work they perform is meaningless. A lack of the bigger picture or a contribution towards the bigger picture is known to demotivate and undermine an employee’s contribution.
The Signs
Signs of employee disengagement can be subtle and often fly under the radar for a long period of time. Disengaged employees are employees who progressively become less committed to their work and the company. These employees are inclined to have an apathetic attitude and demonstrate this through underperforming or by performing without enthusiasm at the bare minimum against the employer’s expectation. Disengaged employees show a higher incidence of absenteeism and often break the rules, resulting in a string of warnings or grievances, especially as the employee nears their departure. This departure often is as a dismissal or under a “cloud.”
Commonly, disengaged employees voice their dissatisfaction not with the intention of seeking a solution, but with the purpose of causing dissension as they go about spreading negativity in the workplace.
Lack of employee recognition, where recognition or reward for a job well done is misplaced, can result in the progressive retreat of emotional investment, effort, and cooperation. Poor work-life balance, with excessive or unfair workloads, leads to burnout and resentment.
Behaviours of the disengaged include indifference and lack of enthusiasm, showing no initiative with a reactive approach to performing tasks, often making many errors. The employee becomes unreliable and often does not keep the office times, arriving late or leaving early, coupled with excessive sick leave taken and/or unpaid leave, and exhausting all opportunities not to report to the workplace.
Disengaged employees may isolate themselves from their teammates and elect to focus exclusively on their own tasks, removing themselves from team-related tasks. They may distrust their manager or colleagues. These employees can at the same time be vocal and critical, electing to air their feelings shamelessly by gossiping and being critical of the business, managers, and colleagues.
Disengaged employees are unhappy and may be hostile to change, delaying or avoiding learning new tasks or adopting new ways of work. They may actively sabotage or withhold new ideas, gradually becoming more and more obstructive to workflows and efficiencies. It is commonplace for these employees to either have no work to do as managers simply do not know what to do with them.
Strategies to improve employee engagement
Put your people first by adopting an honest, transparent, fair, and authentic approach. Get real. Adapt your leadership style to focus on the employee. While the achievement of business imperatives is crucial, these cannot be achieved without your most valuable resource – your people. Be kind and clean up your culture. Create an environment that the employee cannot resist and can only flourish.
Cut out the importance of titles and recognise and value the contribution of each employee. Get to know your people, understand them as human beings. Always consider the feedback and contribution of the employee; while it may not be relevant in the short term, over time, through encouragement, the employee will gain confidence and find their way to being your greatest asset.
Setting a clear purpose and vision is vital, as employees are more likely to be engaged if they recognise how they contribute successfully. Align work to skills and ambitions and set attainable targets. In this way, your people will be more creative and innovative.
Grow and support struggling staff by creating a learning environment.
Positive feedback can boost engagement. Offering positive encouragement serendipitously regarding an employee’s performance can boost intrinsic motivation. This feedback occurs spontaneously, feels authentic, and helps people feel more confident about their performance. Such feedback helps people feel more competent – a key need for personal growth.
In conclusion, employee engagement is crucial for the success and sustainability of any organisation. By understanding the factors that drive motivation and addressing the signs of disengagement early, companies can create a positive work environment that fosters loyalty, productivity, and innovation. Prioritising the well-being of employees, aligning their roles with their skills and ambitions, and providing meaningful feedback can significantly enhance engagement, leading to a more committed and effective workforce.
For more information, please contact Colette Tanner,
T: +27 (0)31 767 0625
T: +27 (0)31 767 0625
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