Engaging Employees in the Era of Disengagement
My talk at Disrupt HR - September 2023
I unexpectedly quit my job a couple of months ago. I know you might not know me yet but that is NOT something I would ever normally do especially without something lined up.
I’m Lindsay Benitez, and I’m a First-Generation Latina Millennial with Gen X tendencies, which altogether means I’m the most loyal. So why would I quit If I’m so loyal? More on that later.
Loyalty has been a big topic lately, and companies are saying 'employees are just not loyal anymore'. Talent is saying 'why would I be loyal to a company who doesn’t value me'?
There used to be a definition of work that said you work 9 - 5, you did what you were told and you were grateful to do it. Talent has moved away from that definition and CEO’s are upset. Google the guy who said, “we need to kill the attitude where employees feel the employer is lucky to have them”.
As Dolly Parton so wisely sang 40 years ago in her song 9 to 5, "we know there’s a better life and we dream about it." Except now we don’t just dream about it, we make it our reality.
We are in an Era of Disengagement. Gallup estimates that 77% of our workforce is disengaged. 77%! Attention spans are shorter than ever and there’s a major lack of trust in businesses and governments. We now have the most multi-generational and cross-cultural workforce. Let’s be honest, we’re not really doing a good job of actively understanding and engaging this evolving workforce.
Millennials, Gen Z, and most likely Gen Alpha coming soon after them know how valuable life is and have seen firsthand what burnout and a chaotic world can do to us. Now if they don’t like what they see in a workplace, they will go find it or create it themselves.
I wrote a piece a couple of months ago, where I also share my belief that DEI is just a buzzword being thrown around with little to no action behind it. So, it’s time to re-engage and understand our workforce, act on the learnings, or plan to get left behind.
On top of all of that, we had a little something that happened in 2020 that completely rewrote where, when, and how we work. Now companies are trying to go back to what was and having some trouble doing it without a real understanding that our definition of work has already changed.
From my own experience as an employee, an HR Leader for ~14 years, and many other peoples' reasons for taking a step like I just did - I have 4 pillars that I believe are key in re-engaging your talent.
1. Transparency
The big scary T word! in this age where information is at our fingertips, if there is even a whiff of your company not being transparent, your talent will wonder what you are hiding. The stories, skepticism, and disengagement grow from there. Our government is even telling us to be transparent through the pay transparency law and many companies are still struggling with that! Of course I understand you can’t be transparent in all sides of your business, but you can be transparent in many sides of your business in order to build trust and relationships. The more your teams see that you value transparency the more they will value you.
Here are areas of your organization where you can infuse transparency:
Hiring practices - be upfront about open positions, where you are sourcing candidates, what key factors are in your hiring decisions, and obviously salary
Promotion criteria - promotion timing, open positions, salary bands, and expectations in order to receive that promotion
Performance management process and expectations - feedback should never be a surprise! We need to be clear about what success looks like and lean into feedback being the gift it is.
Company goals - your team should know what your company goals and priorities are for the year. If they don't, how will they know where they need to focus their efforts?
Communication around business decisions - employees understand that sometimes hard decisions need to be made. Bring them into the conversation early or be open about why you landed on a certain decision. They can handle it because they know it's ultimately your decision to make.
2. Choice
Everything is a choice and your talent knows it. They are in charge of their own careers and need to know we recognize that too. Remember if they don’t like what they see, they will go find it or create it themselves. So treat your talent like the entrepreneurs they are and empower them with choices around their own careers within your organization. Yes, you still need to set your expectations, but you also need to figure out what choices lie with your talent. Make it a win-win all around.
Here are a few ways you can empower your employees with Choice:
Transfers/rotations/internal mobility – encourage reskilling/upskilling to move people within your organization instead of out of it
Where, when, or how they work - I know you most likely can’t do all three, but empower your employees with ways they can be most productive.
How they engage with your culture – when employees have ideas or want to lead an initiative, celebrate it and empower them to do so! Similarly, if there’s something that doesn’t align, don’t force it. Not everyone wants to engage in that weekly happy hour for a variety of reasons, so don’t make them.
Wellness and benefits – allow your employees to customize a package that suits their individual/family needs
Professional development – variety of resources and support to reflect various learning styles
3. Redefining success
We have such narrow definitions of success in organizations and that needs to change. For example, you’re successful when you become a manager. I know we all know, that not everyone should be a manager. So don’t make them! It's important to understand what your talent’s definition of success is, what motivates them, and how they want to be engaged. If you don’t already know that, you need to find out and quickly. Here are a few ways you can do find out how your employees define success and work together to build new paths:
Regular and consistent manager check-ins
Engagement surveys
Career pathing conversations
Professional development and coaching
4. Coach Your Coaches
I have a theory that if it's well known that people leave companies because of their managers, then we need to rewrite the role of a manager. What if we moved them from managers to think, act, and speak like coaches? Coaches are curious, supportive, empathetic, goal-oriented, and empower accountability. This is an area I’m currently working with HR leaders and company executives to help coach their coaches. Let’s test out this theory, because I do believe they’d be less likely to leave those they see as their coaches!
These were some of my own reasons for leaving, and I know many others are doing the same. We value transparency, we know we have a choice, we are actively redefining what success looks like, and we need coaches that will help us grow.
So, if you’re ready to disrupt, help rewrite the definition of work, and re-engage your multi-generational and cross-cultural workforce, let’s talk!
If you’re a manager, HR leader, or employee navigating these workplace challenges and are interested in learning more, message me to chat or click on my calendar below:
https://calendly.com/lindsaybcoaching/introduction
About me:
I am a Certified Professional Coach (CPC) through the Institute of Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC) and a certified Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner (ELI-MP). I earned my BA of Business Administration from Loyola Marymount University.
I have over 15 years of HR leadership experience with various Marketing and Advertising organizations. I specialize in all aspects of Talent Management including Recruiting, Learning & Development, DEI, Employee Engagement and more.
I recently started Lindsay B Coaching to help coach, consult, and train managers and executives at all levels of their careers, anyone who identifies as First Generation or has ever felt like “other”, and anyone who is looking to develop their skills and grow. My goal is to bring together my HR, coaching, and life experience to help you have the internal and external tools to be able to unlock your potential, raise your awareness around the life you truly want, and help you live your most authentic life and thrive.