Do You Feel Disengaged at Work? How to Recommit
Do you enjoy
your job? If the response is “NO” you are not by yourself. If you are unhappy
at work that emotion may increase for several reasons. People are dissatisfied with their jobs for
three main reasons. The first is thinking that managers and organizations have
your best interests at heart. The second reason for job dissatisfaction is that
other people, not you, oversee your professional growth. The third reason is
that, although getting an increase or promotion is important. (Perna,2022)
Apart from that,
there could be several other reasons such as stressful deliverables, the scope
of work has shifted in a way that you can’t control, or maybe you have a manager,
coworker, or client who makes things difficult. Perhaps there aren’t enough
opportunities to sharpen your skills and capture interest. (Goredema,2023)
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Figure -1.1- Employee Engagement-Source- Question Pro (Bhat,2023)
People need to
take control of their career development and schedule discussions with their
managers to get job clarity, move laterally, work with great people on
interesting projects, and elevate their visibility. You never know what
opportunities can come your way by being out and about. (Perna, 2022)
In the current
economic environment, when layoffs are becoming more common and job security is
an area of uncertainty, professionals who were previously disengaged from their
jobs might be reconsidering their short-term goals. Here are some tips for
changing your mindset to accept the role you have right now if you want to
stay in your current position until you're ready to take the next step on your
own terms. (Goredema,2023)
The first question ask yourself is -What do I want to be known for?
If you don’t have a clear
picture of where to begin stay calm and start by making a list of attributes of
high high-performing, highly respected professionals you have met with personally
or worked with closely. Those qualities
could include being energetic, having excellent communication skills, being trustworthy, or
doing well under pressure and resilience.
Next, ask yourself -How am I going to get there at work from now on?
Be intentional
and incremental. When you're ready to adopt a new strategy, be prepared to make
small but consistent adjustments to your working methods and have a long-term
commitment. Changes in body language, mentality, communication, engagement,
teamwork, visibility, or productivity can have a big and long-lasting effect.
Commit to
solving simple but impactful problems. You've already started the process by
thinking about ways to change the way you handle your regular tasks at work.
Keep looking for opportunities to change the world when they present
themselves. Problem-solving doesn't have to be difficult or
time-consuming. Fundamentally, overcoming an impediment by adopting a
solution-oriented mindset is what it means to solve problems.
Your expertise is your own. Never undervalue the value you can bring just by sharing or using what you already know. Helping a colleague learn how to utilize a tool they're unfamiliar with or investigating an issue that's preventing your team from being as productive as possible can both be examples of effective problem-solving.
When faced with challenges, consider how you might contribute positively; however, avoid making the mistake of thinking that going above and beyond entails working continuously. If you start working longer hours regularly but your workload doesn't change, this could be interpreted as an indication of inefficiency or give the false impression that you cannot do your work on time. Show that you're effective, proactive, and prepared to go above and above, when necessary, instead.
Avoid using
other people's judgment as the sole measurement for success when you take your
next moves. Your career is receiving an incredible return on investment from
you. All you need right now is some acknowledgment and confirmation to
keep track of your own progress and stick to your own self-imposed
responsibilities. Take pride in the decisions you've made and the actions
you're doing to change. (Goredema,2023)
References
Bhat, A. (2023), Employee engagement is dead, it’s all about culture! Question Pro. Available at:
https://www.questionpro.com/blog/employee-engagement-and-culture/
(Accessed: 26 October 2023).
Goredema,
O. (2023), You checked out at work. here’s how to check back in., Harvard
Business Review. Available at: https://hbr.org/2023/04/you-checked-out-at-work-heres-how-to-check-back-in?utm_campaign=hbr&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedinnewsletter&tpcc=linkedinnewsletter
(Accessed: 22 October 2023).
Perna, M.C.
(2022),3 reasons people are unhappy at work and how redefining success can
help, Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/markcperna/2022/08/23/3-reasons-people-are-unhappy-at-work-and-how-redefining-success-can-help/?sh=3591e5725c36
(Accessed: 26 October 2023).
Good explanation provided insightful! Another aspect that modern day organizations do in order to encourage employee engagement is enable employee engagement in decision making process. Specially, when companies decide on ESG framework (Economic, Social, Governance) under corporate responsibility. Companies assures that employee opinions valued, therefore employees would feel more connected with the company. Refer below from Microsoft where they value their employee opinion to reach sustainability.
ReplyDeleteMicrosoft employees around the world are core to our sustainability mission and we’re committed to helping them integrate sustainability into their roles. We’re providing learning opportunities and creating channels for them to actively contribute to our sustainability work.
(Reference: microsoft, N/A)
Our global approach to sustainability: Microsoft CSR (no date) Microsoft. Available at: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/sustainable-world (Accessed: 21 November 2023).
Indeed! Thanks for highlighting this you might have heard about this.
Delete"There are way easier places to work, but nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week. But if you love what you do, it (mostly) doesn’t feel like work.”- Elon Musk.
Apart from that Google has this mentality to maintain the productivity and happiness of its staff. Assume that your business offers services for software development.
Employee satisfaction improves output. You won't succeed if the members of your development team don't take pride in their work daily. This is the power of productivity. But keep in mind that the culture of the organization affects productivity.
Why is everyone discussing the work environment and culture at Google? We are aware that Google is among the most significant and potent businesses in the world. Rather than adhering to a corporate culture, the company has its own culture.
These days, employees want to work for a company where they are passionate about what they do. While employees consider it for monetary gain or intellectual admiration. But rather than an opportunity to further the interests of everyone. Flexibility, Professional advancement, Believing in Workers, and Collaborating with colleagues. (Akram,2021)
References-
Akram, U. (2021) Case study: How Google boosts its employees’ engagement, The 6Q Blog. Available at: https://inside.6q.io/google-boosts-employees-engagement/ (Accessed: 21 November 2023).
In the present world where the employee requirement being kept in the minimal level. Thus the use of AI had taken over the human interference in the day to day work. In such a world employee engagement is a vital part when considering the task of what is left for a human workforce. Employee engagement itself is being considered as sharing of responsibility between management and employee over the issues of substance (Kular, S., et al.,2008). But when consider the present framework of countries like sri lanka, the post pandemic and economic crisis had indeed been as an eye opener in terms of having the companies of considering the staff reduction. This is also another reason for the staff being demotivated and getting disengaged (Warnabarana, T.D. and Randika, P.A.D.D., 2022). Understanding the fact that a man can be less productive compared to the machine, but the machine itself being created by man. So the man becomes the super power in terms of his knowledge and hard work that he contribute towards making the machine become a success. So the human force should be encourage and they should be given the necessary opportunity and the space in order to have them shown and get the company to the top levels of their expectation.
ReplyDeleteReferences:
Kular, S., Gatenby, M., Rees, C., Soane, E. and Truss, K., 2008. Employee engagement: A literature review.
Warnabarana, T.D. and Randika, P.A.D.D., 2022. Influencing Factors of Employee Engagement on Financial Wellbeing: Special Reference to Bank of Ceylon, Matara District, Sri Lanka. European Journal of Business and Management Research, 7(1), pp.333-339.
Thanks for highlighting this. It has been stated that AI technology will eventually replace human workers, affecting the job security of employees. Employees' intention to leave was influenced by their awareness of AI and related advanced technologies. However, in other industries, such as marketing and healthcare, AI projects have proven a competitive advantage. There is a dilemma with AI in that it will replace humans if we do not adopt the technology.
DeleteYour article raises essential points about job dissatisfaction and the need for proactive career development. I'm curious to know, have you personally implemented the strategies you recommend, especially those related to intentional incremental changes and problem-solving? How have these approaches impacted your own career journey?
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your interest in my article, as mentioned I have personal experiences in my career journey, as a Millennial had to handle Gen Z and therefore had to change my mentality. As some of them are fresher I had to resolve significant problems. That was the era fed up with training and questions from them so eventually went for help from high-performing professionals to mitigate cumbersome.
DeleteDue to the high migration rate in Sri Lanka, it affected our organization therefore company lost great colleagues. By that time had to help new colleagues learn how to utilize a tool & business environment they were unfamiliar with. As an extra point had the privilege of working with high-performing professionals.