In this episode of Crina and Kirsten Get To Work, your hosts sit down to discuss disengagement in the workplace, how it contributes to dissatisfaction in the workplace and how we can become more engaged. Before delving into this subject, we take a little detour to consider ‘Marie Kondo-ing our heads’ and the value of trimming out activities and other time thieves from our lives to focus on what’s most important. By reevaluating your time and how you use it, Kirsten points out how we can maintain ease, joy, and meaning – in addition to our well-being, connections, curiosity, productivity, creativity, and generally, living a wholesome life. This revaluation helps put quality over quantity.

And on to disengagement . . . .

Gallup’s 2018 poll regarding the state of the American workplace shows that 70% of U.S. workforce is disengaged while at work. This is a staggering number. And 13% are actively disengaged – meaning they are actually sabotaging or getting in the way of work. Lots of these folks are actively looking for new jobs. Wow – that is a lot of unhappy people and gloomy findings! When employees are disengaged with their work, they start exhibiting questionable and unacceptable behavior. This includes sleeping, napping, sexual acts, browsing, watching movies and series, online shopping, new workplace shopping, and basically everything that is not your job. Disengagement is a symptom of a bigger problem and an indication that we need to do something else to become more engaged. We cannot have joy, meaning, fun and productivity in the workplace when we are disengaged. As Kirsten says, when sex, drugs and rock and roll are part of your workday – good to check in!

Crina and Kirsten offer a few helpful ways to assess our own engagement or disengagement.  We can ask ourselves some questions, such as: ‘do I feel committed to the mission?’; ‘do I feel like part of the team?’; ‘do I have access to the things I need to do my job?’; ‘is there something new for me to learn?’; ‘do I feel valued and recognized?’. The answers to these questions can give you valuable insight into your disengagement or engagement with your workplace, and help you change things for the better. The fact is – you can improve matters. You can approach your manager and ask for help about doing your job and getting what you want out of it. Don’t let yourself be disengaged further when you can change the situation for the better.

Links:

Harper, Jim. “Employee Engagement on the Rise in the U.S.” Gallop, 26 Aug. 2018

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