Know The Enemies of Employee Engagement

We don't need another academic study to confirm for us that employee engagement is linked to greater employee productivity, better customer service, higher revenues, and profitability.  There are plenty of such studies already. Here's the question I keep asking myself--Why should we spending our energies proving what we intuitively know already?  Instead, if we already know that higher levels of employee engagement are worth striving for, and we are serious about creating a more engaged workforce, it seems to me that we should be focused on:  1. understanding the obstacles to employee engagement, and 2. implementing the practices that increase it.

"Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster," wrote Sun Tsu centuries ago.  If business leaders truly want to fight the battle for employee engagement, then the first sign that they are serious about their commitment is when they begin to acknowledge the enemies of it. When judged by this criterion, we see evidence that many companies are not taking the commitment to building a culture of engagement seriously.

So, as a service to readers, I have created an "employee engagement enemies list" below.  Most of these are based on an analysis of 200,000 engagement survey comments that my co-author, Mark Hirschfeld, and I read for our new book--Re-Engage: How America's Best Places to Work Inspire Extra Effort in Extraordinary Times.

Realistically, the "enemies" of employee engagement are probably too numerous to list, so I am allowing space for you to write in those that may be particularly pernicious in your organization. To make the checklist even more practical and meaningful, think of a specific employee (perhaps yourself) whose level of engagement you would like to see increased.  After checking  the organizational and senior leader issues, enter the employee's name and then check the manager and employee issues that apply based on your view of the employee and his/her manager.

Employee Engagement Enemies List

There are so many factors that can undermine employee engagement, even a partial list can be intimidating or depressing to contemplate.  That is certainly not my intention; the goal is to help you take inventory of what you're up against so you can begin to focus on challenges and next steps.  Focus only on a few where you can realistically make a difference.  Obviously, a senior leader can control or influence more than a manager can and a manager more than direct reports.  The list also drives home the point that all employees, despite the personal issues they may face, are also responsible for employee engagement--their own.

Whatever your level or role in the organization, I would welcome your comments about the enemies checklist and whether you find it useful.