Employee Engagement, Burnout, and Research: Why Your Actions Aren't Working and How to Fix Them
What the REsearch is Saying
A recent employee engagement survey conducted by the ATD (Association for Talent Development) determined that leaders and managers are critical in boosting engagement and mitigating employee burnout.
This was no surprise to me, since it aligns with our Extraordinary Leadership principles; however, as I dove into the research results further, I discovered something that made me sit up and pay attention!
The Issue
According to the survey, nearly 75% of talent development professionals indicated that employee engagement is important to their organization. They go on to state that organizations that offered more than four engagement initiatives were also significantly more likely to be high performers.
A second finding indicated that 55% of the research respondents reported that employees in their organizations were burned out.
Pay attention to the top three reasons for the burnout:
- Lack of control over projects and workload;
- Poor communication from leaders and managers; and
- Lack of role clarity.
Here's Where It Gets Interesting!
Obviously, organizations want to boost employee engagement and reduce burnout. Here are the top three strategies being used:
- Formal training or development opportunities;
- Social activities;
- Encouraging employees to take time off or use paid time off (PTO); and
- Employee recognition activities.
Is It Just Me -- Or Does Anyone else See the Disconnect?
The solutions being adapted aren't solutions at all! They do not remotely address the three key reasons why employees were disengaged and burnt out!
Here are my suggestions that you, as an Extraordinary Leader, can use to enhance employee engagement and rejuvenate your people! (BONUS: You will also see an increase in productivity!)
- Targeted mentoring and Leadership Think Tanks for Leadership, focused on enhancing communication, listening, and empathy skills;
- Team gatherings focused on clarifying roles and expectations, and pinpointing exactly what individuals need from each other and their managers to get the job done;
- Turbo training for anyone who manages others, designed to build the skills of empowering others; how to hold others accountable for results; and how to lead without micromanaging.
It's time to get serious about building the skills that are sadly lacking in so many leaders today! Putting your dollars, time, and energy to address the specific issues will reap benefits that go beyond the budget, and result in engaged, inspired employees who are excited because they have leaders who care -- and know how to lead!
For more ideas on how you can empower your leaders to be Extraordinary, please schedule a complimentary Zoom session, and learn about our Extraordinary Leadership Think Tanks, Turbo-Training, and Retreat Forward Team Gatherings.
