Types of Employees - Who works for you?

There are three levels of engagement in an employee

Engaged – These employees are highly motivated. They have the drive and enthusiasm do ensure not just completion of work but completion of the assigned work with quality and excellence. They have qualities of leadership and are often seen helping other members even when the work is out of their ‘scope of responsibility’. They  do not have any boundaries and are always willing to go the extra mile for the success of the project and team.

The management should focus on encouraging the contribution of the engaged employee and give them more opportunities for career growth and success. 

Not Engaged – They appear to be very neutral but my feeling is that they carry grudge and resentment. They feel that they contribute and are yet not being recognized. These employees will complete the task and but will not focus on the outcome. They never think of questions like “Can the task be done in a better way? What are the implications of doing it this way?” There is not out of the box thinking. They just complete tasks and say they have finished. It is a natural tendency for managers to favor the engaged employees because of their level of commitment and effort and this adds to the resentment of the not engaged employees.

Actively Disengaged – Do not finish assigned tasks on time, They are constantly negative and de motivate other team members. They have no sense of responsibility. They lack self confidence and have a lot of negative energy and are constantly arguing and giving other members a hard time. Some are very aggressive others are passive.

Some of the action steps to transform a ‘Not Engaged’ Employee to a “Engaged Employee”

1)      Awareness – Many  ‘Not Engaged’ employees are not in aware of their behavior. When they look at the chart of qualities of Engaged Employee vs Not Engaged Employee, they see where they fit in and  there is a realization BUT this is only the first step. This is sometimes achieved through a questionnaire, which when they answer honestly gives them their level of engagement vs what is expected of them.

2)      Motivation: In my workshops I often cite examples of people who have started at a very base level but have achieved phenomenon success due to their attention to detail, quest for excellence and passion for thier work.

3)      Self Confidence Issues – Many people are at the background and do excel due to lack of self confidence.  Through workshops these employees can be guided to identify areas that contribute to low level of confidence and convert those areas to strengths

4)      Inter Personal Issues – The ‘Not Engaged’ Employee often lacks people skills and often feels ‘attacked’.  These employees can be taught techniques like Emotional Freedom  Techniques (EFT) which will help them manage their negative emotions and develop self confidence and a positive attitude

5)      Encouragement – Managers and leaders will have to spend more time with these employees, setting clear long term and short term goals and encourage them.

I have worked as a project manager and interacted with all three kinds of employees. As a Peak performance trainer today I believe that people can change and improve if provided with the right tools and support. Employee Engagement is critical for the success of any organization.