Did you know that 70% of U.S. employees are disengaged in their job? Some might call these people ‘The Working Dead'. For employers, it’s not an encouraging number.

In order to reverse the trend of a disengaged workforce, companies need to better understand what drives their employees, or what specifically is demotivating them from doing their best work.

Do you know what the root of disengagement is? These are some of the most common issues:

They were never engaged to begin with

As you might have guessed, your efforts to optimize employee engagement should start in your sourcing process. What does this mean?

Great companies know they need to deliver a great candidate experience, and knowing if you’ve found the right person for a role isn’t just based on what their resume says. Before determining if a candidate would be engaged in your workplace culture, you first need to identify and define what your culture is. Once you’ve done that, delving deeper into why a candidate actually wants to work for your organization will give you insight as to whether or not they’d be an engaged employee.

No clear development plan

When someone is hired, they usually have a vision for what roles they plan to take on later. When an employee and employer are on the same page, a clear development is in place, and the employee will be more engaged knowing they have something tangible to work toward.

One of the best, yet unfortunately overlooked ways to boost the morale of your team is to invest in their growth. Whether its encouraging them and helping them to learn a new skill, or providing a clear path to promotion, even modest efforts can make a meaningful difference 

A lack of open communication

This doesn’t just mean between an employee and their manager (we’ll get to that in a sec), but from top level executives as well.

Studies consistently s how that employees want to be informed of company information and updates, and they expect leadership to communicate this effectively and frequently. If employers keep their team in the dark, it can create resentment and gives the opportunity for rumors to spread.

As well, in the most basic sense, when an employee feels comfortable communicating up the chain of command, and feel like their opinions matter, they’re more likely to be engaged.

Poor management relationships

You’ve probably heard the saying ‘people don’t quit their jobs, they quit their bosses’. Unfortunately, there’s some truth here. In one study, 5 of the top 10 drivers of disengagement related to ‘my manager’. In other words, poor relationships between employees and their managers are a leading cause, if not THE leading cause, of employee disengagement.

Great managers make their team feel comfortable sharing ideas, and when those ideas get implemented, they share that person’s triumph with the rest of the team or company – Plan and simple, recognition matters.

Most employees will respond well to being given a fair amount of autonomy, as long as they’ve received proper training, and their job expectations are clearly defined. When an employee feels respected by their manager, they will be more engaged.

Interested in learning more about what it will cost to lose employees - check out our FREE Cost of Absenteeism Guide.