Disengagement: How can organisations turn it around?

Employers have the capability to reverse disengagement in the workforce, but it's going to take some effort, according to a new Humanforce report.

"It takes some skill - and a lot of it comes down to managers firstly recognising a problem and secondly doing something about it.”

To "turn" a disengaged employee around, the report said managers first need to understand what they're dealing with.

"It's important to understand why an employees' behaviour may have changed," the report read. "Each worker is unique, which means managers need to pay attention to every individual's working style to notice when things are off-kilter - and then take the time to understand why."

After observation, the report said managers will need to have a conversation with the employee.

But Humanforce also underscored that listening is better than understanding: "Skilled managers will provide opportunities for the employee to voice their concerns about whatever is troubling them."

According to the report, skilled managers also tend to listen more than they speak, and they ask open-ended questions to encourage conversation.

This conversation should be followed up by action from the employer.

"Not only will this build trust with a struggling team member, but that team member's disengagement might be indicative of more widespread, systemic issues which otherwise would go under the radar," the report reads.

Disengagement can have various impacts on an organisation, according to Humanforce. Read more about these consequences in this free white paper.