| There is a nationwide concern about America's | | | | before they're hired and does not emphasize |
| "divorce rate," but they're not talking about matrimony. | | | | interaction after they're hired.Many businesses fail to |
| "The increasing number of American workers who are | | | | focus on employee development, training and retention |
| divorced from their jobs and completely disengaged | | | | at any level, including managers. "Companies don't |
| from their work is shocking," says Eva Jenkins of VIP | | | | realize how important it is to give their managers the |
| Innovations. "More than that, it's costing businesses a | | | | tools and training they need to do their jobs, too," says |
| fortune in lost productivity and revenue."Dismissing | | | | Jenkins.Time Badly Spent |
| charges that 21st Century workers are slackers or | | | | Since they haven't received proper training, many |
| possess an un-business like sense of entitlement, the | | | | managers themselves do not know what it takes to |
| blame squarely should be placed on the shoulders of | | | | succeed in a particular role nor do they have an |
| ineffectual human resources management and | | | | incentive to care. More often than not, the focus and |
| managers. Disengaged employees aren't born that | | | | emphasis of the H/R department is "putting out |
| way. They're created by ineffective, badly trained | | | | fires."For the average manager, the bulk of a workday |
| managers and lack of strong human resource | | | | is spent working with employees who are negative, |
| management within corporations.Instead of matching | | | | completely disengaged and should be terminated |
| the right employee to the right position for long-term | | | | because they shouldn't have been hired in the first |
| success, most companies and H/R departments put | | | | place.Know When To Hold 'Em and Know When To |
| the emphasis on simply filling the position as quickly as | | | | Fire 'Em |
| possible. As a result, American businesses are losing | | | | Jenkins is quick to point out that "not all employees |
| money as fast as they're losing employees. Each staff | | | | can, or should, be saved." She says that those who |
| turnover cuts into the bottom line.Gallup and Galloping | | | | are actively disengaged may thrive on the negativity |
| Disinterest | | | | and refuse to become part of any solution, preferring |
| Jenkins is not the only employment professional ringing | | | | to perpetual problems.As workers increasingly rely on |
| the alarm bell. The statistics on workforce | | | | each other to generate products and services, the |
| engagement are shocking. The Gallup Management | | | | problems and tensions that are fostered by actively |
| Journal's semi-annual Employee Engagement Index | | | | disengaged workers can cause great damage to an |
| reports that 54% of employees are not engaged, and | | | | organization's functioning. "If an employee repeatedly |
| 17% are actively disengaged at work and only 29% | | | | refuses opportunities to engage again, terminating their |
| are actively engaged.What does this mean to | | | | employment should be seriously considered," says |
| American businesses?There are 22 million actively | | | | Jenkins.Last Resort |
| disengaged employees in America, according to | | | | Termination is often necessary in order to avoid |
| another Gallup statistic. Their dissatisfaction is | | | | further damage to staff morale and remove obstacles |
| manifested in employee absence, illness, and a variety | | | | to organizational progress. The solution is a flawed one, |
| of other big and small problems that occur when | | | | at best, since a tremendous amount of money is lost |
| people are unhappy at work.Unfortunately for their | | | | every time a new employee needs to be found, hired, |
| employers, when people are unhappy, they let you | | | | and trained.A more effective approach is the |
| know it in a million different ways. They create | | | | development of in-depth hiring processes that will result |
| problems with co-workers and customers alike, and | | | | in the right people being selected from the start. Once |
| can demoralize an entire operation.Ultimately, | | | | the right people are in place, managers need to work |
| disengaged employees can undermine a business and | | | | to keep employees interested and engaged so that |
| put it on the fast track to being out-of-business. It is | | | | they're stay in place.Jenkins advises that all |
| therefore essential for managers and H/R | | | | management supervisory training programs include |
| professionals to refine their hiring process by | | | | Employee Retention Workshops. "From my |
| expanding their methodology and using whole-person | | | | perspective, Employee Retention Training should be a |
| assessment tools.The Peter Principle Lives On | | | | full course within the MBA Leadership Programs," she |
| Jenkins says two key features characterize a | | | | says.Expectations, Clarification and Measurement |
| whole-person assessment. "A manager needs to look | | | | To grow and sustain employee engagement, |
| at whether the candidate is a good match for the job | | | | managers must regularly provide expectations, |
| in terms of hard skills," she explains. "But it's also | | | | clarification, and measurement to employees. A good |
| important to make sure that it's a soft skills match, | | | | place to start is with conversations about expectations |
| too...that the candidate's interest and personal goals | | | | for every person in a given role.It's important that |
| and needs will be met by the work itself and they will | | | | managers strive to get each employee to view his or |
| fit into the corporate culture."Unless a company defines | | | | her role from a broader perspective instead of from a |
| success in a job, and in an organization, it cannot hire, | | | | narrow task-oriented point of view. Managers often |
| retain or grow their own workforce successfully. | | | | overlook the value of making an employee feel part of |
| Rather than being terminated themselves, bad | | | | the big picture and encouraging that person to see |
| managers are continually being promoted. Soon they're | | | | how his or her work contributes to the future success |
| victims of the Peter Principle.The Peter Principle is a | | | | of the company."The objective is to focus employees |
| theory put forth by Dr. Laurence J. Peter in 1969. It | | | | on outcomes as well as the steps it takes to get |
| states that employees within a hierarchical organization | | | | there," explains Jenkins. The change of focus allows |
| advance to their highest level of competence, are then | | | | employees to become goal-oriented rather than |
| promoted to a level where they are incompetent, and | | | | task-oriented and to enjoy a sense of achievement |
| then stay in that position because they no longer merit | | | | when goals are reached...and surpassed!"Getting to |
| advancement.With incompetent managers at the top | | | | Know You |
| and in control of hiring practices, this scenario spells | | | | For great managers, the path toward engaging |
| disaster for staffing.$350 Billion Lost | | | | employees and keeping them engaged begins with |
| The impact of employee disengagement is a bottom | | | | asking them what they want and what they need in |
| line issue. Gallup statistics show that unhappy workers | | | | order to be effective in their roles. Good managers |
| cost the American business economy up to $350 billion | | | | need to get to know their employees better than the |
| annually in lost productivity!"This is an urgent problem | | | | employees know themselves!To achieve this, |
| and businesses that don't address their own role in the | | | | management needs to define competencies for each |
| problem are doomed," says Jenkins. The problem | | | | job, division and the company as a whole. A sound |
| affects both companies and disengaged | | | | hiring/selection process and finely honed assessment |
| employees.Many outstanding employees end up | | | | methodology will provide the foundation.With the this |
| leaving an organization feeling lost and beaten down. | | | | type of hiring strategy, research shows that |
| After a bad work experience, it's hard for even the | | | | companies raise the odds by more than 75% that |
| most competent workers to re-define their own | | | | managers will make the right hiring decisions. Instead of |
| purpose and rebuild their self-confidence. As a result, | | | | simply filling a position, they'll bring in qualified, productive, |
| outstanding workers become "stuck" and find they | | | | engaged workers who feel they have a stake in the |
| have difficulty making a decision about their next | | | | business and its success.Give The People What They |
| position.The Honeymoon Is Over and Workers Are No | | | | Want |
| Longer Married to Their Jobs | | | | Jenkins recommends that a business "assess, |
| Jenkins is clear that she feels "Bad management and | | | | measure, survey and train the entire organization" to |
| bad leadership create a destructive culture where | | | | create a company-wide culture that "prioritizes |
| people will not thrive!" She points out that the vast | | | | employee engagement at every level."There's one |
| majority of workers accept new positions with | | | | expressed desire that frequently surprises managers |
| excitement and interest. "People are generally thrilled to | | | | and H/R people: many of the survey participants said |
| land a new position and are ready to give their all to | | | | they wanted to be challenged by their jobs. "In other |
| success."Sadly, that enthusiasm quickly gives way to | | | | words, employees don't want to sleepwalk their way |
| apathy when employees feel they are in the wrong | | | | through the workday," says Jenkins. They want to |
| place at the wrong time. HR departments or hiring | | | | matter...make a contribution...make a difference."And |
| managers don't take the time to match employees to | | | | that," says Jenkins, "is the very definition of being |
| their positions on all levels - professional and | | | | engaged!"Jenkins is a leading authority on human |
| personal.Trickle Down Blame | | | | capital management, and the driving force at VIP |
| Upper management is also to blame for the problem. | | | | Staffing and VIP Innovations in Washington, D.C. She is |
| Hiring managers know very little about their own | | | | also co-author of a book titled, "Conversations on |
| employees due to their own tremendous workload. | | | | Success", a collection of powerful interviews with |
| Additionally, today's corporate culture does not | | | | accomplished entrepreneurs in a variety of industries. |
| encourage managers to get to know their employees | | | | |