Disengaged employees can cost firms more than bad economy
If you are employed, chances are that you are a quiet quitter. According to a recent Gallup survey, 83 percent of Kenyan workers are ‘quiet quitting’ meaning they only do the bare minimum at work and are only with the current employer because they haven’t found a job opening elsewhere.
The survey showed that Kenya trailed her East African neighbors in employee engagement. Onty 17 percent of employees in Kenya are engaged, Uganda )18 percent), while Tanzania stood at 24 percent. In a country grappling with high levels of unemployment, such a high level of quiet quitting is sobering
When most of an organization’s employees are psychologically disengaged, it means little work is going on. That leads to low productivity, which ends up being very expensive for the organization .
Employee disengagement costs the global economy about $ 8.8 trillion, according to Gallup there are still no figures for Kenya, Whereas this may not be obvious to many organizations, disengaged employees are likely to cost firms much more than a bad economic environment and competition combined.
Organizations ought to examine this sad state of affairs and arrest the situation before it gets out of hand.
Growth strategy today requires consumer products companies to look “present forward” and “future back”—to create a faster horse while envisioning the car—in order to define new growth platforms beyond their current products, business model and capabilities.
First, the top leadership in the organization ought to examine the way they relate with the employees. In a situation where employees feel ignored by the top leadership, they are likely to feel disgruntled hence disengage themselves from the activities of the organization. They will be available physically but psychologically they are absent. They will just hang around to receive a pay cheque and more so when job opportunities are scarce.
Second, it calls for an organization to examine its culture. An organization’s culture plays a key role in the way employees behave. in an organization where employees are given an equal opportunity for promotion or otherwise, almost everyone feels valued.
When people feel valued, they are likely to reciprocate by giving their best to the organization. When employees become disengaged, it would be wise for the top leadership to re-examine the organization’s culture.
When employees don’t see a better future for themselves in an organization, they are likely to feel discouraged, in such a situation, they get preoccupied with looking for other opportunities outside the organization and when this is not forthcoming, they just lie about waiting for the right time to clock out, having done very little.
Falling behind their peers in terms of skills would introduce a sense of inferiority and low esteem. To counter that, they are likely to get disengaged from the organization’s work they seek to develop themselves.
“If the top leadership doesn’t deliberately develop employees in their different areas, they are likely to lag behind in their skills.”
ALICE NGIGI
Also, when an organization demands more from employers than it is giving, employees feel exploited and unappreciated. Employees want to know that there is fair compensation for work done and that there is also fairness in the way positions are filled. If they sense a disparity in any of these areas, it will just be a matter of time before they sign out.
Your employees are your first customers and you should treat them the sanse way you treat your customers. After all, they will be the ones serving your customers. A good question to always ask is: If this employee was my most valued customer how would I treat him/ her? This will help you change your perspective when it comes to how you treat your employees. Rarely will employees become disengaged when they are treated well and when they feel valued. They will continue giving their best even If they are looking for new and better opportunities.
