The 2024 Gallup State of the Global Workforce Survey reveals that we’re still experiencing an epidemic of employee disengagement.
According to this year’s survey, a staggering 77% of us are not engaged with the work we do or the organisation we do it for.
It’s a shocking indictment of our workplace cultures and an enormous waste of human talent.
There’s an answer to the employee disengagement problem and it’s probably not what you expect.
More on this later but we first need to answer this question.
Why are employees disengaged?
The 2023 Gallup Survey highlights the following as the key drivers of employee disengagement:
- Unclear goals
- Unfair treatment
- Lack of recognition
- Leaders/managers with poor people skills
- Lack of opportunity to learn, grow & develop
Therefore, to increase employee engagement we need to:
1. Provide opportunities for learning, growth, and development.
Plus
2. Change the way people are managed.
Gallup goes so far as to state that:
“70% of the difference between engaged and disengaged teams is how they are managed”
The cure to the employee disengagement epidemic might therefore be COACHING.
Coaching leaders to bring out the best in themselves and others
When I ask managers and leaders what they do, I often hear phrases like ‘strategy development’,’ project delivery’, ‘stakeholder management’ etc.
These are all important but the most important responsibilities of all and the ones shared by all managers and leaders are to:
1. Maximise the potential of each team member
2. Get each team member to buy into the company’s purpose and mission
3. Encourage collaboration and reward teamwork
Excellent leaders use coaching to bring out the best in themselves and others.
As the Gallup Chairman’s Blog eloquently puts it:
“Great managing is AN ACT OF COACHING”
The effect of coaching on employee disengagement
According to ICF/HCI research:
“70% of the difference between engaged and disengaged teams is how they are managed”
How do we change leaders/managers into coaches?
In my experience, it is not as simple as training leaders/managers on coaching skills. Welcome and necessary as this is.
For a coaching style of management to become embedded it’s essential to create a culture where:
- Coaching is integral to leadership development
- Leaders act as role models for coaching
- Managers are rewarded for coaching outcomes
- Coaching and being coached are encouraged throughout the organisation.
Is it worth investing in coaching to reduce employee disengagement?
The answer is emphatically – YES!
According to Heather Whiteman – People Analytics Expert – University of California
“65% of staff in companies where coaching is valued are highly engaged.”
The effect of engaged employees on business performance
According to Gallup employee engagement drives growth.
Companies with highly engaged employees are:
- 17% more productive
- 21% more profitable
Employees are also happier and more loyal.
Coaching is a proven remedy against the ills of employee disengagement
Whilst there is no silver bullet to combat increasing levels of employee disengagement, a coaching culture that drives employee engagement is the hallmark of some of the world’s best-performing companies.
Building a coaching culture takes work, but every step on the journey taps further into the wealth of talent that organisations have at their disposal.
As a leader:
1. How do you foster a ‘coaching culture’ in your organisation?
2. How does your coaching culture actively combat employee disengagement?
3. Can you measure the impact of improved employee engagement on your bottom line?
