In the second post in our workplace wellbeing series, we’re taking a closer look at engagement, and why it’s such a vital component of positive mental health at work.
But what do we mean by engagement? We all turn up to work every day, doesn’t that count as being engaged? Not exactly – there is no official definition, but when we talk about ‘employee engagement’, we’re referring to an individual’s attitude to work, their role, the company and colleagues. If someone is engaged, we might expect to see the investment of energy and effort into work, enthusiasm for the job and pride in achievements, and high levels of concentration and motivation.
The reverse of this is showing up every day but just going through the motions, with little evidence of any kind of satisfaction or joy. This actually has a definition of its own: presenteeism, where you turn up out of contractual obligation and necessity to pay the bills, but with none of the enthusiasm or dedication you might expect if you were truly engaged. We all have days where we don’t perform to our best, but if this sounds like you on a regular basis, then you might be disengaged with your work.
It’s tempting to say that this doesn’t really matter too much – after all, both parties are getting what they signed up for. The company gets the job done, and the employee gets paid, everybody’s happy.
Except they’re not.
The employee is far from happy – to spend every weekday doing something that gives them no sense of pride, reward or satisfaction is incredibly detrimental to self-esteem and motivation, and can eventually breed feelings of apathy, resentment and despair. Not only does work become a drain, but they start to view themselves in a negative light too, which puts them at risk of deteriorating mental health.
The employer isn’t happy either. It cost a significant amount of money to recruit a person for a specific role, and now that individual isn’t performing to their abilities, nor the standards the company expects. They are also starting to affect their colleagues in a negative way as their low mood starts to filter through the team, who start to feel resentful themselves that they are having to pick up the slack.
In order to overcome this, there are a few options. The first is for the employee to resign and find a different job that does stimulate them, which depending on the reasons for their lack of engagement, may be the best option for everyone. Sometimes, a workplace or a role just isn’t the right fit, and it’s best to move on.
But there are factors that can impact on employee engagement over and above the individual personality and making positive changes to these can help boost engagement on a widespread basis. These factors include organisational culture, job design (i.e. the resources available to carry out the work, or the level of demands placed upon individuals), and the effectiveness of the leadership and management teams.
Employees that feel overworked, unsupported and under-appreciated are not going to be fully engaged with their role or the company, so it’s vital that management teams lead with integrity, and work to motivate and support employees, empowering them to feel heard and involved with decision-making. It’s best to make these changes on an organisational basis, so that it becomes an integral part of the culture and objectives of the business.
By doing so, an employer can create a supportive and nurturing environment that makes people feel valued and fulfilled, which can in turn increase performance and productivity, improve collaboration, creativity and innovation between colleagues, and reduce staff turnover. Ultimately, it could result in a positive feedback loop where implementing measures to increase engagement can improve the wellbeing of the workplace, and improving overall wellbeing can boost employee engagement.
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