Three Reasons Half Your Employees Are Disengaged at the Office

CareerBuilder just released a survey that shows only half of the employees in America today feel like they “have a career” with their current employer. The other half feel as though they’re just picking up a paycheck. Worse still, a third of the employees surveyed said they would “probably” be leaving their current employer within the next six months. Granted, that’s just one survey, but it generally supports the findings of similar surveys taken over the last five to ten years.

U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics show that one in three employees leave their job within the first year. And, let’s be realistic, once someone starts looking for a new job, they’re disengaged with their current job, and human nature tells us that they’re not putting 100 percent into the current position.

Why are today’s employees so disengaged at work?

According to CareerBuilder, here are three of the top reasons your employees might be disengaged and looking for new jobs:

1. Companies don’t provide enough training to further careers

Six out of 10 employees don’t think their employers offer enough educational opportunities to further their careers. Part of this is because far too many companies look at employee training as a cost and not an investment. They’ll provide training for safety and compliance regulations—especially in dangerous or highly regulated industries—or they’ll train employees on how to use a piece of equipment or software that is integral to their work. This training is important, to be sure, but it’s not doing much for that employee’s personal or professional development.

Solution: Luckily, I think that attitude is already starting to change. LinkedIn’s “State of the Learning Industry 2019 Report” shows that in 2017, 49 percent of learning and development (L&D) executives cited “limited budgets” as their top challenge. This year, that percentage dropped to just 27 percent. Also, executive leadership and management realize that so-called “soft skills” such as communication, leadership, problem-solving, and team building are critical for productivity in today’s world.

Expand learning and development opportunities for your employees. Take advantage of new technology that allows employees to train on-demand or even when they’re not on the clock. Millennials and Gen Z workers live on their phones and prefer to use them for training. Modular and micro-training breaks up long training programs into digestible chunks from a couple of hours to five minutes or less. Science shows us that doing this often makes training more relevant, repetitious and retainable for learners, which is what you want from employee training.  

2. Employees value benefits and convenience more than salary

Only 15 percent of survey participants say that low compensation is their top reason for leaving their last job. On the other hand, 75 percent say that benefits and 59 percent say commute time, are two of the most important factors they consider in a job or when seeking a new one.

This means you need to adapt your performance management strategies to meet the needs of today’s worker. Employee benefits is an organizational issue and nobody denies the fact that healthcare costs are especially crazy right now. Even moderate health care programs cost employers and employees a bundle, but having something is better than nothing. Just be mindful that an employee might leave for a job that has better health care, perks, flexibility for work schedules or more.

Solution: While there may be little control over health care costs and the location of your building for current or prospective employees, there are other things you can do. The flexibility of work schedules might be the biggest. Does everyone have to be in their desks from 9 to 5, or can some come in 7:30 to 3:30, or others 10 to 6 to get their hours in? In the CareerBuilder survey, 42 percent of respondents say that half-day Fridays would make them more willing to join or stay at a company. My suggestion is to survey your own employees a couple of times a year and ask them what would keep them loyal and engaged with their work. The answers might surprise you.

3. Job-hopping is still a thing

More than one-quarter of the survey respondents (29 percent) say they regularly search for new jobs, but an eye-opening 78 percent say that even though they might not be “actively” looking for a new job, they would be open to moving if the right opportunity came along. With job searching apps and notifications, your employees are probably getting at least a half-dozen emails every week with an entire list of jobs they fit. And while you can console yourself with the fact that many of the jobs listed in the emails won’t interest your top talent, there will undoubtedly be a few that will. And, if they have a LinkedIn® profile, they will definitely be targeted by recruiters one way or another.

Solution: Along with flexible schedules and worker surveys above, another option is to clearly communicate your company’s mission and values—especially during the recruiting process. Younger workers (and I suspect many older ones as well) want to work for companies who share their values, especially when it comes to giving back to the community. Providing plenty of volunteer opportunities throughout the year for all employees to give back is a small, but powerful way to engage, and retain, your employees.    

The reality of being an employer today is that you are always looking to keep your talent pipeline full and good people will still leave occasionally. However, if you get the reputation of being a terrific “destination” employer, you’ll have a giant leg up on your competitors while maintaining high productivity. It’s a win-win for any organization.