10 Surefire Ways to Lift Up the Spirit of Disengaged Employees

Highly engaged employees make the customer experience. Disengaged employees break it.”
– Timothy R. Clark

It’s simple. The way your employees feel, your customers will feel the same way. If your employees feel valued, they will put their best effort into making the customers feel the same.

According to a recent study, about 50% of employees in the US are either looking for a job change or secretly having the desire to leave their present organization.

Scary, isn’t it? And here comes the scarier part. Every industry encounters a few disengaged employees who become more demotivated with time. It affects their performance and drags down their colleagues’ enthusiasm with them.

In my early workdays, I remember how our boss used to encourage us by throwing us a party after wrapping up a project or connecting personally whenever he saw some employees performing a little bit poorly or being silent for quite some time to resolve their issues. And these worked like magic.

We can’t afford to be this kind of boss in today’s fast and competitive era. But still, there are a bunch of simple and easy strategies that can be your magic wand for motivating disengaged employees.

Take a look right now:

10. Take time to have a talk

It might sound a bit unusual, but there’s no problem in the world that can’t be solved through effective communication. When it comes to motivating disengaged employees, engaging in a deep conversation over a cup of coffee can work wonders.

Invite them to join you for a coffee and create a comfortable environment where they can openly share their thoughts and concerns. Make a sincere effort to understand their perspectives. As a leader, it’s crucial to empathize with your employees and their challenges.

Once you’ve established this connection, you’ll find it much easier to motivate disengaged employees. Even if you can’t solve all their problems, they’ll still feel valued and motivated. Trust me, having a manager who empathizes and understands their challenges can significantly boost motivation and engagement.

9. Get them a flexible work schedule

As an employee, I’d jokingly say that an annual bonus is the most effective way to motivate disengaged employees. But on a more serious note, there’s another approach that can help rekindle their enthusiasm without straining your budget.

That approach is offering your employees a flexible work schedule. When staff members have control over their time, they tend to become more productive and are more likely to put in extra effort to maintain that workplace flexibility.

8. A call a day keeps disengagement away.

In today’s landscape, the majority of organizations are operating remotely. Working from home often leads to a sense of isolation, with the absence of a physical office contributing to disengagement. The most effective way to combat this disengagement is through continuous communication and connection.

Regularly organize group calls to check in with your remote team. In addition to discussing work-related matters, take the time to ask about their well-being, such as “How’s the weather where you are?” or “How is your family doing?”

By demonstrating genuine care and interest in their lives, employees will naturally feel more engaged with the company and their work.

7. Let them grow

When someone joins your organization to work, earning money is never their one and only priority. Every employee wants to see growth in their career while working in your company. So, invest in their career development.

Encourage and help them to learn new skills. Let those skills be implemented in your organization. Offer them a promotion after a particular time. If you can do these, you will see every employee is working for you wholeheartedly.

6. Tell them what you expect.

An employee must know what the organization is expecting from them. A clear goal and regular review from the seniors keep them motivated. So, let them know the value of their performance to the organization. And review their performance regularly.

Once they get to know that their excellent work is being noticed, they will feel more motivated. It is a very effective way of motivating disengaged employees.

5. Stay open and transparent.

In every organization, there will always be a rumor mill churning away. However, it’s essential to keep it at bay. Ensure that your employees receive accurate and timely updates about business changes, issues, and the company’s goals.

Encourage open communication and keep your staff informed about every detail of the company’s operations. This proactive approach will help prevent the spread of false information among your employees, ultimately maintaining their motivation and trust.

4. Encourage feedback

The motto is straightforward: let them talk. Great leaders talk less and listen more to their workforce. Demotivation comes when someone feels their voices are not being heard.

It is possible that your disengaged employees have fantastic potential, but they can’t get involved as they think their opinion will never get appreciation.

So, I would suggest you welcome their feedback in meetings. Ask them to come up with new ideas. It is pretty evident that you can’t bow to every request they bring, but appreciating their opinion doesn’t hurt. Right?

3. Behave like a proud parent

If you leave a new joiner with their devices, there are chances that they will withdraw from the business. Let them know that you are monitoring what they are doing. And, obviously, it should not look like micromanagement.

Better, try to act like a proud parent who feels great by seeing their children’s progress.

People often forget that watching is caring. Make the employees realize that the management is regularly watching everything they are doing, and each good work is being noticed. It is a fantastic way to keep employees motivated.

2. Say “thank you.”

Let me ask you a simple question? When did you thank your employees openly for the last time? They are working 8 hours a day to fulfill your dream.

They deserve a heartfelt “thank you” from your side. Isn’t it? Let them know you are grateful for everything they are doing for the organization.

It will motivate them to work even better in the future. Your demotivated employees will become proactive once they realize how much their good work means to the organization.

1. Praise mistakes

It might sound a bit unusual, but the truth is that mistakes serve as invaluable teachers. Every mistake provides an opportunity for learning and growth. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, many of these mistakes occur in the workplace.

However, it’s highly demotivating for an employee to be publicly criticized for a mistake they’ve made. It’s important to remember that employees typically don’t make mistakes intentionally. Instead, it’s essential to embrace the errors made by your team and encourage your employees to learn from them and move forward.

Author’s Opinion

Everyone experiences ups and downs in their career. Even someone as accomplished as Sachin Tendulkar left the field with a score of zero 20 times in his ODI career. So, if someone is feeling demotivated right now, it doesn’t mean they’ll remain that way for the rest of their lives.

Most often, demotivation stems from the behavior of the management towards employees. I would encourage you to believe that demotivated staff are not lost causes. Start by addressing the way you treat them and implementing the practices mentioned above. You’ll likely see a more emotionally engaged staff as a result.

Wishing you and your team all the best!