Alright – So. You’re listening to this podcast because the title intrigues you, of course. And, maybe right now you are thinking of someone at your company who is not engaged in his or her job. Or worse, maybe even several people.

If so, you are not alone.

Because according to a recent Gallup poll, 67 percent of employees are disengaged to some degree in the workplace. And, according to a recent article in FORBES, a disengaged employee will cost on average, 34% of his or her annual salary. 

However, the good news is that the percentage of disengaged employees is actually shrinking because more and more companies are recognizing the value and importance of creating corporate cultures grounded on a central purpose, and a vision which thereby deepens engagement. 

In recent years, there have been countless books, articles and elements of research that demonstrate and prove that maintaining a healthy corporate culture makes a very positive impact on the overall success of any organization. 

So, if you have low employee engagement issues and you’re not focused on your company’s culture, that could very well be a large part of the problem. 

Now, some employees disengage for reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with their employer or work environment. 

The most common reasons are illness, injuries or going through a major life event such as losing a loved one, going through a divorce, caring for an ailing parent or dealing with any kind of trauma. These events are distracting enough to prevent anyone from doing their job well.

I refer to this as involuntary disengagement – and let’s face it - it’s inevitable and it will affect everyone at one time or another. Even you!

For these employees, empathy, support and some added flexibility are the three elixirs employers can offer to help them work through these types of stresses. 

And, in some cases, employees even admit that they need the distractions of staying busy at work to help cope with their hardships. 

So, let’s set that aside because I’m talking about a completely different kind of disengagement.

I’m referring to disengagement based on internal factors at a company such as being forced to work in a dysfunctional culture, being frustrated in the workplace, and crappy leadership. Any one of these factors can be debilitating, thereby hindering performance and productivity.  

Under these circumstances, disengaged employees are not simply low-productivity team members who waste time on Facebook or take two-hour lunches.

One single disengaged employee can hurt their employers in six ways.

One. Costing the company infinite amounts of money due to negligence and making careless mistakes. Because when an employee no longer cares, he or she is less likely to pay attention to details, which is where the devil resides. 

And as you know, failing to pay attention to even the smallest of details can have dire consequences.

Two. Angering customers into the welcoming arms of a competitor. The last thing you need is to have a disengaged employee interact with a customer – especially when the customer has an issue that needs to be resolved. 

Because if customers aren’t feeling the love from that one employee, they may become more open and agreeable to going on a first date with a competitor, you know, just to keep their “options” open.

Three. Recruiting others to start a movement – or, in other words, an internal resistance to the leadership team. Disengaged employees don’t always keep quiet and operate alone. 

They always have something to complain about and confide in others the displeasure, disappointment or resentment they have toward the company or its