Businesses worldwide are experiencing a crisis. Beyond economic concerns, the advent of AI, and other market changes, the people within organizations are expressing discontent. Organizations looking to innovate must protect their business’s most important asset: their people.
A recent article in Harvard Business Review highlighted alarming statistics highlighting the lack of motivated and engaged employees. From a variety of sources, they note:
- 23% of employees worldwide are engaged at work
- 59% are not engaged and put in the minimum effort required
- 18% are highly disengaged and deliberately act against the organization’s interests
- 31% are emotionally exhausted
- 26% are unmotivated to do their best
- 25% felt a desire to keep to themselves
- 19% feel irritable and angry towards coworkers and customers
Comedian Drew Carey joked about people who hate their jobs: “Oh, you hate your job? Why didn’t you say so? There’s a support group for that. It’s called EVERYBODY, and they meet at the bar.”
As a leader, you might feel like reengaging employees is an impossible task. Employees simply hate their jobs, and leaders often get blamed that they’re not doing enough.
But let’s take a step back.
Are we all doomed to trauma-bonded therapy sessions at the bar until the end of time? Or is this an opportunity for innovative leaders to drive impact to reengage employees and create a better workplace?
Address root cause issues of employee dissatisfaction
No one wants just to put a band-aid on the problem and hope things heal on their own. You may have tried these types of solutions. You may have even tried restructuring teams to better align people with job functions that are more interesting to them.
If you really want to position your organization to grow amid unprecedented change, you have to start with unprecedented refactoring of how your organization manages people.
It’s time for organizations to start refactoring work.
It’s time for organizations to stop treating our greatest assets — our people — as a resource to be managed for forty hours per week. By focusing on our people, we must focus on:
- Key decision makers with clients and customers
- Your people who interact with those clients and customers
- New prospects coming in the door
Innovation happens when you start creating work that leverages your people’s greatest capabilities and motivations, and you align those with organizational objectives.
The better way centers around creating work that meets people where they are and provides a platform for them to self-actualize and find fulfillment.
When your people grow, your organization grows.
How to reengage your employees
Be patient
Change cannot happen overnight; when you shift your organization’s focus toward people and their motivations, resistance might occur. Even when you start to progress in a way that is positive for your people, change can be alarming. Be patient with change and approach it slowly.
Be transparent and consistent
Let your people know how and why you’re making changes in your organization or team. There may be initial distrust in what you’re shifting, but consistent and open communication will create openings for people to reestablish trust with your leadership.
Clearly define individual and team goals, ensuring they align with the company’s objectives. Provide the necessary resources and support to help them consistently achieve these goals.
Get to know your people
There is really only one way to become people-focused in an organization. You must get to know your people, what fulfills them, and what motivates them. Not only does this inform your leadership, but it also helps your people better understand themselves.
When you understand your people, you can better communicate in motivating language that meets them where they are. Every one of your people is motivated differently. Motivation Code is a primary tool to help you better know your people and guide them through organizational change.
Shift the company culture
Create a supportive, inclusive workplace culture that promotes collaboration, respect, and positivity. Encourage team-building activities and social interactions to strengthen relationships among colleagues.
Team-building activities separate from company initiatives might feel disjointed or irrelevant, especially to those who have felt disengaged. Try to create team-building exercises with a purpose aligned with company values.
Remembering their why
Each person on your team came to your organization for a reason. Something within your organization motivated them to join your efforts. What has changed? Are there aspects of the organization that have changed, such as personnel changes or reorganizations, that have affected your people? Has something changed in an individual’s life that has caused them to reconsider their position?
Sometimes, the only way to reengage with your people is to talk to them and ask those critical questions.
If their why has changed, discover their underlying Motivational Dimensions. People typically remain motivated by similar outcomes throughout their lives. Reconnect with those core values, and you’ll quickly reconnect to their why.
Connect motivations to the market
Each customer who engages with your business has a motivation that connects them to your company. Discovering the motivations both inside and outside of your organization can help you, your sales team, and your leaders better support the people within sales processes. Doing so at scale supports company growth and innovation that is connected to customers and markets.
Recognize and appreciate efforts
Acknowledge and celebrate your employees’ achievements, both big and small. Show them that their hard work is valued and appreciated. Make sure that your recognition aligns with your team members’ Motivational Dimensions. Recognizing a time when an Achiever was a “team player” might be demotivating when they’re more motivated by individual achievement.
Create feedback loops
Provide regular, constructive feedback to help your employees improve their performance. Offer guidance and support when needed, and be open to receiving feedback. Establish feedback opportunities as a part of routine communication methods. Tap an Orchestrator to create new methods of input within the organization.
Empower with autonomy and trust
Give your employees the freedom to make decisions and take ownership of their work. Trust them to handle responsibilities and show confidence in their abilities. High performers typically know what needs to be done and do whatever it takes to make that happen. Even mediocre performers can raise their productivity and impact when given the freedom and encouragement. As long as you’re setting the vision and the goal, let your people do the job you hired them to do.
Involve them in decision-making processes
Seek input and ideas from your employees when making decisions that affect their work. Involve them in problem-solving and brainstorming sessions to show that their opinions matter.
Brainstorming sessions can be an excellent way to help your people feel connected to impactful decisions that affect their daily work. Including everyone in creative sessions can help your people feel connected to outcomes because they are connected to the decision-making process.
Lead by example
As a leader, your actions and attitude set the tone for your team. Demonstrate the behaviors and values you expect from your employees, such as enthusiasm, professionalism, and a strong work ethic.
Reengaging unmotivated employees starts with knowing what their motivations are
People don’t just turn off their motivation one day. Their motivations are still there, but depending on their environment, they might be dormant. Leaders must create and cultivate:
- Environments that help people’s dormant motivations come alive
- Experiences of encouragement that help people find fulfillment in serving a greater vision
If you’re a leader, you have more power to shape the future of work than anyone else. Get to know your people through Motivation Code and reengage them. Contact us to learn how to reengage your team.