When Is Silence Not So Golden?

Have you ever participated in a meeting where the silence among the participants was deafening and uncomfortable? It could be that you were in a meeting of extreme introverts, or maybe it represented a problem with employee engagement.

You may have heard the term "quiet quitting." According to Gallup, "quiet quitters" are actively disengaged employees who comprise at least 50% of the workforce! It is a trend that can't be ignored.

There can be many reasons for an employee to feel disengaged, from lack of motivation to fear of consequences if they do speak up. Still, chances are, if you look deep enough, the problem doesn't exist with just one employee, but may spread throughout the organization.

I could list many ways a disengaged employee might "look" in your organization. But every organization is different, and to get to the real reason, you need to start by engaging in honest conversations.

Here are three ways you can start building a dialogue with your employees.

1. Commit to regular one-on-one meetings.

Schedule one on one meetings for your employees. They can be conducted by the leadership or the supervisor of the team. The key is to be consistent and make them a priority. Here are some tips to make them productive.

• Recognize successes and contributions. Effective recognition is the act of noticing, accepting, and letting the person know they are seen. Celebrate successes.

• Set goals for them to achieve.

• Keep the conversation relevant.

• Keep yourself and the employee accountable to goals or promises.

2. Invest in an assessment tool to help start the conversation.

DISC is a great assessment tool that helps understand each employee's communication style. Investing in a tool such as DISC has multiple benefits.

• The employees may see that investment as a great start in the organization's attempt to understand their employees better.

• It provides the foundation to start meaningful conversations.

• It is an excellent team-building exercise.

• It creates a platform to normalize different communication styles, which helps make things less personal when communicating with others.

3. Create an Employee Engagement Strategy.

An Employee Engagement Strategy is the ultimate way to get to the heart of understanding where you stand with employee engagement. However, it takes more than just a survey to create the strategy. A good engagement strategy begins with a plan before the survey. A properly executed strategy can go a long way to improving the culture and engagement of the company.

Consider the possibly of an engaged organization.

Engaged employees tend to be more productive and perform at higher levels.

Higher levels of engagement contribute to employee loyalty, reducing turnover and associated costs.

Engaged employees are often more innovative and creative.

Satisfied and motivated employees will likely go the extra mile to meet customer needs, increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Employee engagement is closely linked to the well-being of employees.

Engaged employees often work well in teams and communicate effectively.

Engaged employees are more likely to adapt to change and demonstrate resilience when facing challenges.

By addressing the underlying issues contributing to silence, you can work towards reengaging employees and creating a more positive and productive work environment.

Do you need help evaluating your employee engagement? Contact me for a free consultation at Deanna@DPConsultingPartners.com