According to recent studies, a significant proportion (85%) of employees are not fully engaged in their work. And while there are a lot of tips on employee engagement circulating at the moment, how can you tell if your employees are actively interested in their work or if they are simply complacent?

To help, we have rounded up the main tell tale signs of poor engagement among employees.

Signs of Low Employee Engagement

Here are 5 main signs of low employee engagement:

  1. Turnover is high
  2. Targets are missed
  3. No interest in incentives
  4. Increase in absenteeism
  5. No brand interaction

1. Turnover is High

Starting with the obvious one: if your employees are leaving roles with you at a rate higher than the industry average, you’ve got a problem. It’s as simple as that.

What Does Employee Turnover Mean?

In short, employee turnover is the rate at which employees leave an organisation and are replaced by new hires. It is usally expressed as a percentage and can be calculated over a specific period, such as a month, quarter, or year.

High levels of employee turnover can be costly for businesses for a number of reasons. Namely, high turnover costs the business money when it comes to expenses related to recruiting, hiring, training, and onboarding new employees. Additionally, it can disrupt team dynamics, affect morale, and overall engagement.

are your employees engaged
Disengaged employees are more likely to leave the company in search of better opportunities.

 

2. Targets Are Missed

One of the things that can put CEOs off from talking about employee engagement is the fear that costly changes will be made which will negatively affect productivity. The idea being that if staff feel too comfortable, they won’t be motivated to achieve business goals. Almost every worker will experience this type of workplace at some point in their career, usually headed up by a manager who will do anything to avoid confrontation.

Engagement is more complex than keeping employees happy at work; they must also have a leader with high standards to encourage them to meet and exceed targets.

3. No Interest in Incentives

There’s nothing worse than organising an employee get together or dress down Fridays, only to find there’s no uptake. If your team don’t want to attend work social events or decline perks, then either they aren’t invested in the business or you’re offering something they don’t want. If they aren’t invested in the business then they aren’t engaged and if you’re offering something they don’t want then you haven’t engaged with them. It’s important that this goes both ways.

Disengaged employees also might distance themselves from coworkers, reducing their social interactions in the workplace. They might also show disengagement and a lack of participation duing discussions, meetings, brainstorming sessions, or team activities, remaining silent or contributing very minimally.

4. Increase in Absenteeism

Staff take more sick days in Winter than any other month of the year. Now of course some of that is down to the increase in winter-related illnesses but it’s also due to mental health issues more likely to be present at this time of the year, stress and anxiety, which can be reduced by investing in employee well-being and creating a support system at work.

are your employees engaged
If your team are happy and healthy they’re less likely to take time off and if you are encouraging them towards that health and happiness they’re more likely to be engaged.

Ways To Invest in Employee Wellbeing:

There are a number of ways employers can invest in employee wellbeing, such as:

  • Ensuring a good work/life balance – Offering flexible work schedules, remote work options, or shortened work weeks can significantly help employees balance their personal and professional lives, and improve their wellbeing.
  • Mental health support – Providing a support system to employees via access to mental health resources like employee assistance programs (EAPs), counseling services, and stress management workshops is a great way to show your employees that you care about them and improve their mental wellbeing.
  • Recognition and rewards – Recognising and rewarding employees for their contributions and achievements, whether through bonuses, promotions, or public acknowledgment is another fantastic way you can improve employee wellbeing and engagement.
Are your employees engaged
When employees are well-supported by their employers and thriving, they tend to be more engaged, productive, and loyal to their jobs.

5. No Brand Interaction

This one is a subtle indication, but one worth looking for. You’ll probably be all too familiar with the notion that your employees should be your ‘brand ambassadors’, well, what if they aren’t? If your employees don’t have good things to say about you, if they don’t recommend you to friends looking for work or interact with your social media this is a sign that they aren’t engaged with the wider business.

To some business leaders, it might seem unimportant to keep employees engaged but – especially at a time when they may be looking to move around – it is essential. Retaining staff will always be more efficient than recruiting them, particularly as recruiting a new hire is thought to cost an average of £11,000.

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For more tips and insights into the world of recruitment, check out our career advice blog. 

At CPS Group, we only place qualified candidates within the tech sector, because we believe that specialist = expert. If you’re looking for a new role within tech, get in touch today, or for roles within finance, HR, marketing and sales contact our sister company, Faulkner Scott.