Good question. Employee disengagement isn’t always obvious; it can be subtle.
Step out of your world for a moment and look at your employees through a lens of objectivity. What is each employee DOING? What is each employee SAYING?
Employees provide clues to their level of engagement through their behaviors and statements. As a manager, supervisor, or leader, it is important to dig deeper than surface comments and actions. For example, if an employee is showing up late to work on a regular basis there are a few questions you should ask yourself.
- Is this a new behavior?
- Are there other behaviors of concern?
- Are they talking to others? What are they saying?
- What has been done to coach the employee to change behavior?
- What are the reasons for the employee’s late arrival?
- What is the overall attitude of the team?
A sudden change in what an employee says or does is not always the result of what is happening at work. It can sometimes be attributed to external challenges. What is most important is that as the leader you are watching for statements and behaviors that can reflect a slippery slope of employee disengagement.
