Why Are 70% of Employees Not Engaged at Work?

By: Randy Wolken, President & CEO

Did you know that according to Gallup, a full 70% of employees are either not engaged or actively working against the company leadership?  The number is astounding. How could that possibly be?  Trust me – it is certainly possible.

Walk into any business today and you can almost instantly tell who is engaged in their work and who is not.  They just look and act differently.  I see it almost daily.  As a customer, I see it at the places I shop.  Engaged employees make me feel “at home”, they genuinely want to help me, and they smile and are pleasant.  It just feels good to be in their presence.  I know it affects my attitude. It also affects how much business I do with the establishment. Engagement of the staff goes right to the business’s bottom line. Profitable businesses have engaged team members.

So, what is a leader’s role in engagement?  Plenty!  It is our responsibility to seek all-in engagement from our team.  It’s hard work to get truly engaged effort.  And, it starts by modeling it.  If we are engaged in all we do, they see just how it can be done.  As leaders, we need to ask ourselves hard questions.  Are we living what engagement looks like?  Do we smile and help our customers have outstanding experiences?  Do we work hard to remove barriers, so our teams can perform at their best?  What more can we do to both hire and retain the best-of-the-best engaged employees?

There is an upside to engaged team members.  They just do the work at a higher level and almost instinctively. They show up to do meaningful and impactful work.  You have to tell them to go home – because they truly love what they do.  What they do is a part of who they are.  That is great!  I have an office filled with engaged team members.  I bet you have them too.  These real-world role models can help a team create momentum.  Leverage those individuals who are showing the way each day.  They will make a huge difference to your business – and your profitability.  Be the organization that is engaged.  Too many organizations according to Gallup, are not.  That is how a company wins today – engagement.

Looking for more? Download my Amazon Bestseller, Present-Future Leader:  How to Thrive in Today’s Economy.