How to Identify a Disengaged Employee

A majority of new employees work very hard to prove themselves to their supervisors and management. However, not everyone can keep up with such performance especially if they are passed up for promotions or they are bored with their current role.

These type of employees is referred to as disengaged employees. Why? Because they lack motivation and show up to work for the sole purpose of receiving a paycheck. They affect productivity and office morale by spreading their negative attitude throughout the office. 

In this uncertain economy, disengaged employees are prone to stay with their current employer. Here are the warning signs of a disengaged employee:

1. Attendance issues

A disengaged employee often take their time in doing things. They will:

• Arrive late
• Take long breaks
• Leave early
• Go AWOL (Absent without leave)

If any of your employees exhibit these traits, they might be disengaged. They are not prioritising their job, which indicates a personal issue or issues in the office. 

If there's only one employee with this issue, you need to have a face-to-face meeting to confront the problem. If a whole department is experiencing this issue, you might want to conduct a survey to find out the real issue which could be a problem with leadership or processes. 

2. The employee actively evades everyone

If there's an employee who always skips meetings, they might be disengaged. Engaged employees are interested in hearing about new procedures, secure new clients, and get updated regularly. 

When an employee is evasive, they will pretend to be busy when they are actually spending their time searching for ways to be evasive. 

Sometimes the warning signs of a disengaged employee can be very obvious.

3. The employee is isolated

Most engaged employees prefer to keep up with their appearance. They want to look their best every day. If an employee has been very social and personable in the past and is now becoming isolated, there is a chance they may be disengaged.

If this is the case, you should act fast to address these uncharacteristic habits before the situation gets worse.

4. The employee has issues with the management

A disengaged employee may show their hatred for management in a number of ways. They will even see nice gestures from management as a reason to complain. This unjustified hatred is an obvious red flag for disengaged employees.

The employee is so unhappy and disinterested in their work that they are trying to justify their negative emotions and spread negativity to their co-workers. 

The best way to deal with this is to discuss why the employee is unhappy with management. If issues with a manager need to be addressed, it may show the employee you are listening. 

Remember, disengaged employees affect office morale, production and even profits. Take the time to identify these employees and write new policies so that all of your employees remain motivated and engaged in their jobs.

If employees are still disengaged, you may need to consider written warnings and maybe even termination so that you can free up space in the organisation for employees who wish to be there.

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