Work teams are an integral and important part of nearly every organization. It can be a delicate balance to get a group of people to work together.
In a recent article appearing on the Busines2Community website, author, Natalie Baumgartner, cited a Gallup survey which found that 16% of workers are “actively disengaged”.
Disengaged workers are the ones who usually are dropping the ball on projects, being unprepared, being late to work, or taking off for the day a bit earlier than the rest of the team.
Getting teams to be cohesive and work toward company goals and milestones is not only the job of managers or teal leads. It’s a task that HR professionals need to be involved in as well.
In order to try to get disengaged workers to become more involved, here are a few of the steps that Baumgartner suggests:
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Meet and Discuss Priorities – It’s important to be supportive and listen to workers. Most workers truly want to do well at their job. Ask about their job and how it can be improved. It could be that they are stressed about a situation that has nothing to do with work at all.
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According to the article and a number of recent surveys, the number one reason why workers leave their job is because of a bad boss, supervisor or team lead. Managers need to lead through providing support and communication to their subordinates. HR professionals need to ensure that this kind of engagement is happening and that managers are focused on engagement.
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Recognizing employee efforts by giving them kudos for a job well done can also help workers become more engaged. Everyone, no matter what their position, has the need to be appreciated. If works don’t feel recognized, they are more likely to leave the organization.
Organizations can also re-engage workers by aligning them with the company’s overall vision. When workers feel connected to the goals and vison of their company, they are far more likely to be engaged, feel more empowered, and actively participate.