Checked-out, disinterested, and unmotivated. These are all synonyms to described disengaged employees. And the effect on your company’s bottom line — not to mention company morale — can be severe.
Decades of behavioural research has shown that in order to be engaged at work, employees need a combination of all six ingredients detailed below. If not, then absenteeism, recidivism, and lack of productivity sets in. Scroll down to see the cost of disengagement on your organization.
Why does your organization exist? What value does it bring to the world? And how can members of your organization lend their unique skills to this common purpose? These are just a few of the questions that an organization must answer if it hopes to reach its goals, and ultimately, creating a culture where employees are intrinsically motivated to work together towards a shared vision.
For organizations to thrive, all levels of an organization must feel psychologically safe, have some degree of autonomy, and be relationally connected. This means that managers must develop the leadership skills to respond to each employee uniquely, so that all employees can grow in a culture of learning. These skills are the bonds that glue a culture together.
Employees who are inspired by their organizations enjoy cultures that are honest, have clearly defined roles and responsibilities, and demand fairness and accountability. Transparency is at the heart of these cultures, ultimately because without it, a culture of distrust takes over. At 6 ½ Consulting we help organizations establish protocols for communication and systems for positively reinforcing them.
Emotional intelligence is the capacity to be aware of, in control of, and express one’s emotions in a way that preserves interpersonal relationships both judiciously and empathetically. At 6 ½ Consulting we help all levels of an organization understand what EI is, develop self awareness and self-regulation in themselves, and positively develop those skills in others through empathetic listening and shared understandings.
At 6 ½ Consulting, we don’t strive to create conflict free work environments. That’s impossible. Conflicts are a natural, and necessary, part of life. Instead, we provide leadership trainings so that all levels of an organization can engage in conflict in healthy, productive, and proactive ways. This is where innovation happens. Our goal: to equip teams with the collaborative skills to move an organization forward and grow.
Inspired workplaces share a lot in common: from effective time management practices, to efficient meeting agendas, to clear procedures and protocols. This is because at the core of what they do, engaged employees all share a common vision and want nothing more than to achieve their goals in the best way possible. At 6 ½ Consulting, we help organizations craft these imperative systems.