Why Leaders Can’t Afford Disengaged Professionals

Mike, sitting across the conference table from me, looked totally defeated. As a division executive for a leading research laboratory, he was accountable for millions in budget, several hundred highly professional employees, and the production of thousands of high-quality tests weekly. Recent cost-cutting and staff reductions had put pressure on hiring, and an expectation that budgets would be trimmed further, with the possibility of additional staff cuts.

He explained, “I’ve been here for 14 years, and I’ve never seen a more depressed work environment! We need to make significant changes around here, and I am doing my best to do my part. But when I bring my staff together, explain the problems and the need for more productivity, people just sit there like bumps! I ask them for their ideas, and I get zip! Recently, we did an engagement survey for the entire organization, and my area was one of the worst. Yet when I ask staff why, they claim to have no idea. What do I have to do to light a fire under these people? What is wrong with them? They are supposed to be professionals? My management is now beginning to question my leadership!”

Mike did not like my next questions. “What is your contribution to this situation? And why are your staff unwilling to tell you, their leader, what they are experiencing?” His reaction was quick, and angry. “Why are you blaming me for their checking out?! You are not listening to what I am telling you. Go ask them!”

So, with his permission, I took time to talk to the staff, and invited them to tell me how things were going for them. I asked them if they had what they needed to do their jobs. I asked them to tell me how they felt about the recent cost-cutting, and possible staff layoffs. And I asked them to tell me what Mike needed to do to help them be more successful in their work. There was no hesitation from anyone.  These professionals had many ideas for change and improvement. They were adamant that they had offered their ideas to Mike and other leaders, only to be ignored, or told that their ideas were not something that could be implemented right now. Mike had told them in one meeting, once an idea had been put on the table, that staff should “stay in their lane” do their jobs, and not “poke their noses” in other people’s work. Ouch!

Disengagement is expensive!

Mike was describing a disengaged workforce, and what I learned was that yes, they were disengaged, and the cause was Mike himself. It was costing the company productivity, morale was deteriorating rapidly, and people were checking out.

Disengaged folks do not want to be working where they are, but often have no immediate plans to leave.  They are doing the basic minimum to earn their paycheck, but will not dare to go further. Disengagement is costly to organizations, measured in financials, quality of product or service, customer relations, overall morale, employee turnover and absenteeism, worker injuries, and the list goes on. Many leaders in this situation react just like Mike. “What is wrong with these people? They are supposed to be professionals!”

Gallup researchers claim that engaged employees are 23% more productive than most employees, while actively disengaged employees are 18% less productive than their engaged colleagues, with 37% more absenteeism. Replacing a disengaged employee when they leave, and many do, will cost roughly 50% or more of the first year’s salary of that new employee. All of this means the company is not productive, and not as profitable as it should be. This is a leadership issue. 

So, what should leaders do to foster engaged professionals?

Fostering engagement requires a different kind of leadership than what many leaders have learned in their experience, leadership that fosters a more supportive, inspiring culture. Mike needed coaching, with a different approach than what he had been using with his staff. While it is difficult to put a formula as a one-size-fits-all approach, we do know some things, and it begins with respect. What follows may feel simple in its approach, and is simple to execute, yet many struggle to take these steps with consistency. 

Here are six things high-performing leaders must do to cultivate an engaged workforce:

1. Engagement requires co-authorship. If you want people to be engaged in the important work of the organization, then you must involve them in the design of the work, and in the success metrics that will be used to measure performance. Co-authorship is necessary for any form of buy-in and is a key factor in cultivating employee energy and enthusiasm for improving results.
2. Leadership must make sure people have the knowledge and resources to do what they came to do professionally. This is not an area to cut corners. Professionals expect this, and when they do not have it, they feel disrespected.
3. Leaders must compensate professionals for the value that they bring to the business.  This means pay and benefits that are competitive, and show respect for the professional contribution.
4. Leaders must keep the promises that they make when problems occur, or when changes are made. If they ask employees for input, and staff gives that input, leaders must then respond in a way that people feel heard and respected.
5. Leaders must show a willingness to help people be successful. It is the leader’s job to help people achieve their goals, their reasons for doing the professional work they came to do.
6. Leaders must be clear that they have their staff’s back. When things go wrong, instead of blame and shame, they must coach, problem solve, and train.

To his credit, Mike took the advice he was given, and over the next six months, created an entirely new climate in his division. Absenteeism decreased, morale improved, productivity increased, and engagement scores demonstrated an overall positive change. He learned that it was he that needed to change, not his professional staff.

Roger A. Gerard, PhD is an author and management consultant in Wisconsin, with over 50 years in various executive and management leadership roles in several industries, primarily healthcare. He is the author of Owning the Room and the forthcoming title, Lead with Purpose: Reignite Passion and Engagement for Professionals in Crisis. He can be contacted at www.rogergerard.com.

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