The Problem of Employee Disengagement

We’ve been talking about conflict and its impact on teamwork , specifically whether it’s creative abrasion or the type of conflict that diminishes the team . We’ve discussed team members who are unable to share, and the use of humor as a weapon against each other. In this post, we’ll address the thread of disengagement.

Disengagement by one or more members of the team can be another significant barrier to trust within the team , and a tremendous source of conflict. When I was young in my career, only at my second job out of grad school, I was the director of Human Resources for a large, entrepreneurial, fast-food franchise. I started taking on other areas of the company to manage facilities and administrative services.

Unfortunately, I learned something about myself: I liked the exciting project work of creating new programs a lot more than I liked maintaining them. I came to really dislike the work, and it showed. I was becoming toxic, and poisoning everyone around me about the work, my boss, and my co-workers.

I will always be grateful to my boss for what she did: She first counseled me, pointing out my negative behaviors and the impact they were having, and then encouraged me to turn things around. I tried to have a more positive outlook; I really did. But I was stuck in a sour mindset and no amount of effort on my part or hers could change that. Mind you, I was not grateful then, but I can now look back on it and say that it was a gift to give me 60 days to begin to look for other work, which, thankfully, I successfully did (and loved my job for 7 years as an external consultant).

To this day, I keep this personal experience in the back of my mind when I coach leaders to do what was done to me. If you have an employee that you think has some potential for success, then you have a responsibility to do what you can to help them change, or regain, their effectiveness. Put forth your best effort to help the problem employee who is no longer engaged or performing up to standard to turn the situation around, and make it clear what behaviors and results need to change.

Then, if the employee is not able to deliver, and you can honestly say that you have done your best as a leader and coach to help them succeed, it is time for that person to move on. The most critical point here is to let them leave with dignity , for their own sake, and so that you don’t alienate the other members of the team. This sends a clear message to the people who are left behind that you value and expect results, but you will treat with respect those who cannot meet these standards.

Sometimes disengagement is not limited to just one person. Occasionally, real or virtual distance keeps members from building the bond of trust, and I am often there to facilitate a session to bring this very lack of engagement to light. If this is a challenge for your team, let's connect and identify some options.