Signs of disengagement

Its that time of the year. Most organisations are busy with the performance management cycle. Appraisals would have been completed and Managers would have shared feedback with their teams and discussed key deliverables for the next year.
It’s natural that some employees would be happy and some not so. We have to accept it. What is in our control however, is the time we can spend with each of the team members and the quality of communication we have with them.

“Feedback should be always be specific”

This plays a huge role to whether the employee is happy or not. What can be controlled should be controlled and Managers play a huge role in this.
Every year is a fresh start and all of us should make the best of it. Attrition is an issue and continues to be. While we at AceNgage speak with ex employees of Organisations to identify the ‘real’ reasons why their employees are leaving its also important that Managers take a little more ownership and help improve retention.
One of the key measures is to be able to identify disengagement among employees.

“All employees display signs and symptoms of being disengaged”

It becomes the Managers prerogative to ensure that they are able to identify these signs

Common signs of disengagement

Non-participative in team meetings
Disengaged employees tend to be non participative and disinterested during team meetings and discussions. Managers should be able to identify these signals especially when the employees were a lot more communicative in the past
Tends to come in / leave late from work
Personal commitments increase and the employee tends to prioritize these over work. A slightly casual attitude towards work and tends to miss deadlines too.
An increase in leave requests
Either calls in sick or ask for leave, mostly to complete paper work or attend interviews. It is important for the Manager to understand the real reason and handle it efficiently; Not granting leave at this stage can only worsen the issue
Tends to be critical
Disengaged employees may also badmouth the organization and everything else along with it. A general cynical attitude towards work, the organization and the people. Disengaged employees could also be a negative influence to the rest of the team and may also influence others in the team to also quit.
Spend time on the phone within closed doors
When they begin their search or upload their resume on a job site, calls will pour in from consultants asking for their resume, line of interest etc. Typically employees will move away and lock themselves inside a cabin or a conference room. It’s a tell tale sign, most often
Visiting company exit policies on the intranet
Most employees who are thinking of leaving will get curious about the various processes and policies around exit. Notice periods, bond, buying notice period etc are questions that these employees may have. They will either casually ask around or will be found browsing the intranet for details. Keep a watch

“Disengaged employees are not bad employees”

It’s just that something isn’t working for them. Being able to read the signs and then have meaningful discussions with these employees to identify the reason for disengagement, will help in proactively controlling attrition.