In a recent report by Gallup “The State of the Global Workplace: Employee Engagement Insights for Business Leaders Worldwide” (ref: http://www.gallup.com/strategicconsulting/164735/state-global-workplace.aspx), it was reported that “worldwide, only 13% of employees are engaged at work”.

It is a scary number and worrying stat. If productivity is a direct correlation to level of engagement, think of the amount of inefficiency there is in each organisation.

However, the first thing we think of when we see a report like this is – “the company is not doing enough”, or “the morale is bad, and management is doing little about it”.

Immediately, the finger is pointed at management or even HR. Is that the case? Or is there a chronic issue with the modern employee’s mindset?

Often we view the owner’s of the problem being the party that has the most to lose. In this case, one would naturally feel that this is an organisational issue for management or HR to fix. However, I beg to differ.

By the same token, if productivity is a direct correlation to the employee’s engagement, and if a highly productive employee is a high performer, doesn’t it make sense for each individual to take extra efforts to be personally engaged with his/ her organization and work?

After all, a high performer moves up faster and gets more opportunities both internally and externally. Therefore, as much as it is an organisation’s issue, it is a personal issue.

Seriously, how hard is it to be engaged at work? And why are we scoring so low on the engagement surveys?

Let us take a look at the questions the gallup survey asks, and see how I fare answering them.

Q1) I know what is expected of me at work
Yes. I know my deliverables, and take an active role in defining how that can be achieved. Also, I help my boss understand how I would like to be measured and we setup these parameters early on in the year and review them once every few months.

Q2) I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right
Most of the time – Yes. Come on, the world is not perfect. There will always be data you need for a report that is not complete, and processes/ policies that you don’t agree with. Tools that would solve world crisis if management would have the wisdom to put them in place. The truth is, nothing is going to be ever good enough. Part of doing the work is to make do with what you have. Just think the reality TV show “Man vs. Wild”, only here it’s “Man vs. Work”!

Q3) At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best everyday
Seriously! My best talent is taking photos of my 3-year-old son. Unless I’m a kid photographer, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do best everyday at work! We have to understand that there is a big fat line between passion and work. Only a handful of people I know turned their passion into profession. I wouldn’t want to do it even if I had the chance to. I tried becoming a product photographer when I was much younger. The money was ok, but when you need to think about how you can get enough business to make it sustainable, that killed the interest for me. I realised that I wouldn’t want to touch a camera for leisure, that’s when I realized that this was not working for me. The key is work-life integration and seeing the larger picture. The fact that you know what you’re doing eventually contributes to the organisation’s growth is a very powerful motivator.

Q4) In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work
Yes. And, I realised that I am someone that relies on recognition to push me on. Thus, I made this clear to my manager that this is important. Another tip, I actively seek feedbacks after every project. Sometimes, I would ask for recognition from the key stakeholders for me and my team once the job is done. This is important to me, and I would ask for it. There is no need to feel shy about it. The last thing I want is not knowing if I did good or not, and having that contribute negatively to my “happy index”.

Q5) My supervisor, or someone at work seems to care about me as a person
Why wouldn’t they? They are humans too. However, we need to realise that this is still a work environment, and as much as you like to feel lovey-dovey, being overly involved in someone else’s personal life can make it uncomfortable for individuals, and that could be the reason why you’re not “getting all that love”. Apart from being able to read the mood, you need to open up to your managers and colleagues (in an appropriate manner, of course) too. It takes 2 hands to clap, so if they don’t know what’s going on in your life, how would they know when to show concerns.

Q6) There is someone at work who encourages my development
Yes. I have a very good manager who makes this a regular topic in our regular catch up. However, I hate to think that you would “stop developing” when there’s no one encouraging you. I like to think of this as going to the gym. Yes, there could be personal trainers you can hire, but ultimately, you need to put in the effort. Having said that, what’s stopping you from identifying someone in your organization, and asking this person to be your mentor? I’m sure he or she would be honored and happy to have that discussion.

Q7) At work, my opinions seem to count
Yes. The 2 things I make sure I observe when giving opinions are “timing” and “context”. I’ve seen “careless” opinions being given countless times, and no matter the intent of the opinions, those are generally not welcomed.

Q8) The mission or purpose of my company makes me feel my job is important
Yes. Always take time to understand what your organisation stand for, and how you contribute to that cause. There is no better satisfaction than being able to see your efforts contribute to the organisation’s cause.

Q9) My associates or fellow employees are committed to doing quality work
Definitely “Yes”. Don’t judge. Sometimes we tend to impose our own standards or assumptions on others. This is where conflicts begin. Let’s just say, your colleagues are not at the level of performance, but that doesn’t mean that they are not performing to the best of their abilities. Naturally, in any organisations, there will be the top performers, the bottom performers and everyone else. An organisation cannot be made up of just superstars. Always maintain a “help them help you” mentality, this can go a long way in eliminating the miscommunication.

Q10) I have a best friend at work
Yes! If you don’t have one, go make one. Who do you lunch with anyway? Never underestimate the power of the social interaction at work.

Q11) In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress
Yes. My manager and my peers. I do take an proactive approach in asking for feedbacks. Yes, some of which are a little harsh on the ears, but we’re adults, we can deal with it. This helps in ironing out all the potential issues and misunderstandings which occurred in the course of work too.

Q12) This last year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow
Definitely. Early the year, when we setup our goals with my manager, I made sure that we talk about stretching the portfolio a little. Both from a job function and projects perspective. Of course, there are some hits and misses, but being proactive about your own learning have its merits

All in all, I think I’m pretty engaged at work. After I worked through the questions, I do admit that there is a certain element of management’s doing. However, that doesn’t mean that there’s nothing us as employees can do. All it takes is a little proactive attitude and not to be shy about what you want in your career.

Thoughts anyone? Or, am I just being too optimistic?

Cheers

Eric