Employed but not Engaged

A recent Gallup poll, The State of the American Workplace, reveals an important insight for leaders.

Employed, but not Engaged on the Job

Only 30% of workers are truly engaged in their work - - they are excited and invested in their work and the enterprise they work for.  Another 18%, however, are “actively disengaged” to the point they are undermining the work of others.

Here’s the insight for leaders:  geography, gender and job title have little effect on engagement, but the size of the work group does.  Smaller teams engender higher engagement.

Think of a nurse on an inpatient unit.  If she is assigned to a shift team that is not subject to being pulled to another unit, she will be more averse to calling-out:  she knows the individuals who are depending upon her and who will be carrying extra patients in her absence.  The personal sense of accountability and responsibility to real people makes a huge difference in one’s engagement on the job.

Empowering small, cohesive teams within a larger organization or department creates purpose and engagement.  People need the personal relationships of team mates to feel invested in their work.  Treating people as interchangeable cogs in a larger wheel, conversely, robs them of purpose and engagement.