How do you know if someone is engaged?

No, don't look at their left hand.

What do we mean by 'engaged'?

In a nutshell, an engaged employee is someone who is on-board and motivated. Their feelings towards the business are generally positive and they feel committed to the overall plan.

In recent years, the term engaged (or disengaged) has gone out of favour somewhat. Now, the buzz words surround 'culture'. To marry the two - essentially you would expect a 'good culture' to be full of 'engaged employees'.

I think if you change the word ‘disengaged’ to ‘disheartened’ you get a pretty clear idea of what we are talking about.

How do you know if someone is engaged?

With the step towards remote working, it can be difficult to assess how someone is feeling at work. In many cases, you can no longer pick up on their energy whilst they go about their day, or simply ask them how they are getting on when the moment is right.

I would argue this is a good thing because no longer can we assume things are ok, or misunderstand the emotional journey an employee is on, with regard to their workplace. Taking a more intentional approach towards engagement may lead to fewer unexpected resignations or surprise grievances.

Below are some practical steps you can take to gauge the engagement of your employees:

• Absence

Is someone regularly off sick? Is someone suddenly having more doctors appointments or running more personal errands? It’s important to remember that there are a myriad of reasons why someone may need you to be flexible, but if someone’s pattern changes up, take the time to check in on them.

• Working less

The 'quiet quitting' movement alludes to the step some people take when they feel disengaged. Doing the bare minimum becomes all they are willing to do, and they may remain in this state for years! Perhaps this is not an issue – maybe you just want someone to do the job. But you may be missing out on tweaking something to enable this loyal employee to come to life again. So it is really worth a conversation.

• Working more

Conversely, some people work more when they are feeling a bit ‘meh’. Perfectionists progress quite quickly in business, and often being up against it, or feeling disengaged, means they may put their foot down even more. This behaviour is not sustainable and not good for the health of the individual, and in turn your business.

• Participation

Take the time to assess how much people are getting involved in group meetings – whether the sessions are remote or in person. If someone is suddenly voicing their (potentially negative) opinion with little disregard for others – maybe that person has something that needs to be heard by you? If someone is suddenly not sharing their opinion so freely, maybe that person is disengaged – they are literally not engaging.

• Openness to you

You may hold regular 121s with your team. If someone is always late, maybe never turns their video on, or seems to have run out of ideas they once poured in your direction – you may have a disengaged employee on your hands.

• Surveys

Whether you want to run an annual survey or do regular ‘pulse’ surveys, it can be really helpful to acquire data on what people are feeling within the business. I am also a champion of ‘exit surveys’ a simple link you share with leavers once they have left the business to see whether you could have done anything to keep them and understand their honest views of what could be enhanced.

• Listen

In my experience people who are disengaged or disheartened are bursting at the seams to be listened to. You give them the space and they will be open, honest and passionate about what is on their mind. More often than not, an air of disinterest overlays a deep well of emotion, and it is easier than you think to get to the root of that pain. Having conversations where you actively listen and then using your influence to make things better where possible, is essential to good organisational health.

• The gossip

Many will disagree with me, but I believe it is important as a business leader to understand what's being discussed throughout the business. There may be rumours and some discussions you may not wish to be involved in, but often the noise from the trenches gives excellent insight into how your people are feeling. Do not shut off from this, and take the time to understand what's beneath the gossip.

Final Thoughts

I don't believe it is realistic to expect perfection - we simply can't please everyone all the time. However, most new starters turn up engaged and excited to start their journey with your business. Have a think - what happens to that individual to turn them from eager to disengaged? What steps could you take to prevent such negative outcomes?

I love working on retention strategies. I love helping businesses with their engagement levels. Please do reach out if you think I could help.