ENGAGE!
There are a lot of posts on social media from people looking to motivate, inspire and get people into a positive mindset, and many of these posts receive a huge amount of likes, which can only be a good thing, however, how many of the people hitting “like” are actually then working to adopt that positive mindset?
I read an article the other day on Gallup about their employee engagement survey. The headline said “ U.S. Employee Engagement Hits New High After Historic Drop”.
The article went on to say:
40% of employees were Engaged with their employer and their objectives.
47% were “Not engaged” or “psychologically unattached to their work or company”
13% were “Actively disengaged” who have “miserable work experiences and spread their unhappiness to their colleagues”.
Whilst I’m not one that necessary believes everyone should “follow their passion” or make their “vocation their vacation” (Michelangelo despised the experience of painting the Sistine Chapel) it is striking that only 40% of people feeling engagement with their employer represents a “New High”. That means 60% feel no engagement!
This is obviously not great from the employees perspective but it is equally sobering for employers as more than half of the US workforce has no real interest in the companies success or failure beyond it’s ability to provide the next pay check.
What I found interesting was the reaction to this article. The comments posted in relation it it where overwhelmingly from people bemoaning their own employers and employers in general. There wasn’t a single comment from anyone taking ownership of the problem themselves or recognising they too have a part to play in their own mood and mindset.
I realise bad bosses exist and there is a lot of uncertainty etc at the moment but surely both employer and employees have a role to play in solving the problem. Taking ownership of that and adopting the positive mindset so many hit the like button for at their current job instead of waiting for their next one might be a great way to start.