Many employees’ enthusiasm will drop over time. How can HR keep engagement up after ‘the honeymoon’?
During the first six months of employment, many workers are engaged. However, once this period is over, 40% are not engaged and 8% are actively disengaged, research from Gallup has found.
The level of engagement is set to steadily drop from this point onwards, with more employees becoming actively disengaged up until the 10 year mark, at which point engagement becomes static.
The reason for higher levels of engagement in the first six months – also known as the ‘honeymoon period’ – is due in part to the excitement of joining a new company, with an employee’s enthusiasm and hopes to learn and grow blinding them to any negative impressions they may otherwise have.
Although a steady decline in engagement post-honeymoon is the current trend, employers can integrate strategies to help combat or even reverse it.
Gallup suggested that employers “start with the honeymoon”, actively engaging with new employees to establish a strong groundwork. This can be achieved by ensuring the acknowledgement of the individual’s ideas and opinions, as well as pairing them with engaged managers and leaders to help guide them.
However, the process cannot be a one-off, and needs to continue throughout the employee’s tenure.
Employers should investigate the engagement at all levels of the business – the research found that organizations with a highly engaged executive team had higher engagement across the board. Persistent measurement and monitoring of employee engagement through surveys or other methods can greatly decrease the chances of engagement dropping unchecked.
Is your workforce engaged? How do you keep enthusiasm up past the six month period?
