We get it in science, but we don’t get it with people. We need to change and build upon what we now know about people to foster engagement in the workplace.

What is true today? Motivation – therefore engagement – comes from loving what you do. You love what you do when you’re in the right position and growing.
David Ogilvy said: “If each of us hires people who are smaller than we are, we shall become a company of dwarfs. But if each of us hires people bigger than we are, [we] will become a company of giants.”

People want to achieve at their highest level of potential. They want to be seen in the best light. They want to be fully engaged. Your people are your most important asset and therefore your responsibility. Help them love what they do and they are yours – fully engaged.

1. Is the employee using her natural skills?  
2. What is her productivity level compared with her potential?  
3. How is the team’s productivity?  
4. Should this employee be counseled to consider work in a different environment?  
5. Should the employee be repositioned or reclassified?  
6. Is the employee ready for new responsibilities?  
7. What can her direct supervisor do to increase her job satisfaction?

“Only through dedicated work does a man fulfill himself.”
- William S. Carlson

“Anybody can become angry–that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time, and for the right purpose, and in the right way–that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy.”
- Aristotle

Today’s hiring efforts are more daunting than ever. Resumes often leave hiring managers with more questions than answers. Even after thinking they made a “good” hire, it’s not unusual for hiring managers to be left wondering, “What was I thinking?” Not unlike the days of 207 B.C., it is still impossible for hiring to be done by a scientific process. Only a systematic approach and an awareness of common mistakes made in the hiring process will enhance your odds of hiring superior performers. From research conducted by The Kabachnick Group we found the following to be the most common mistakes made during the hiring process:

1. Hiring in reactive mode. Too often there is panic and a feeling of having to quickly fill a position simply to replace someone who has just left, causing steps to be skipped and potential dangers to be overlooked.
2. Expecting to find the twin. Susan was terrific, so I need to find another Susan. The only thing we’ve successfully cloned so far is sheep, so don’t expect to clone Susan.
3. Unrealistic expectations. The job description looks like it was created for Superman, including expectations that no one person could possibly meet.
4. Asking poor interview questions. The interviewer fails to probe into specific examples, focusing instead on generalizations or opinions versus substantive facts, as if they were taken right out of a book on how to interview.
5. Taking the resume at face value. Beware of simply taking the resume at face value. Think of it as “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” because it probably is. After all, who is about to include that six month stint that was a complete failure?
6. Relying on references. No one lists anyone but positive references. And, even if they did, with today’s legal issues, no one’s about to reveal the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
7. I like you because you’re just like me. It’s very easy to fall into the “halo” trap and like the candidate because he/she’s a lot like you. The problem is, your job is already filled and the one you’re trying to fill likely has a whole different set of criteria.
8. Undefined job competencies. Because the competencies required for top performance in the job have not been clearly defined, and because the candidate’s competencies have not clearly been identified, there is no assurance that the candidate is actually well matched for succeeding in the job.
9. Past performance assumptions. Just because the candidate has previously performed in a job that seems similar there is an assumption that their past success will be duplicated in this job. Since you have no way of knowing the true nature of the previous job, this can not only be a bad assumption-it can be a dangerous one.
10. Failing to follow any real interview process. All too often there is no systematic approach tied to the interview process other than identifying who interviews the candidate. Without a systematic hiring process to follow, both you and the candidate risk eventual disappointment.

Does your hiring process take into consideration all hiring systems take into consideration all the critical elements that are necessary for superior performance in a job? When a good person is aligned with the skills and behaviors necessary for success in the job, you’ll find an individual who will likely experience job satisfaction and good performance. However, when that same good person is also aligned with culture fit, that’s when you get a passionate, committed and superior performer. There is a difference.

• 92% of employers tell us their company fails to deal effectively with poor performers.
• 54% of employees leaving a company do so because of having to deal with disengaged co-workers.
• 78% of managers tell us their greatest challenge is “managing today’s workers.”

What’s an employer to do? Here are a few of our recommendations:

• Be more diligent about holding people accountable. In the long run, employees who want to perform expect to be held accountable.
• Define accountabilities clearly and get consensus early on in the job; don’t wait for the one-year performance review-that’s way too late.
• Address poor performance immediately. Then set required behavior changes and time frames for improvement.
• Spend more time with your star performers than you do with your poor performers. Devoting too much time to poor performers will demoralize your best performers.
• Involve star employees in aspects of the business that are not part of their regular routine. This recognizes their value.
• When hiring, be sure to hire only those who match your culture as well as specific benchmarks for the job.

The fact that most people truly want to develop and grow remains quite consistent. However, when trends like the current trend of disengagement is not addressed, the trend creates a ripple effect, impacting even the best of employees. As an employer, you have the opportunity to reverse the trend if you treat it like a gardener. Provide a “greenhouse” environment. Remove the dead and dying plants that suck up the oxygen and contaminate your eco system. Instead, continue to feed and nourish the buds and bloomers so they can continue to flourish.

Matching people to jobs enables you to reduce the amount of “training” that an individual needs to get them up to speed in their job. Different products demand different behaviors to be successful in selling them and in relating to the customer buying them. High priced fashion apparel requires a totally different behavior than children’s clothing. As does selling shoes compared to selling intimate apparel. Don’t forget to put into this equation the company culture—what I call “company behavior.” Victoria’s Secret is NOT Gap or vice-versa.

This is also not just about skills and knowledge. Some of the most knowledgeable salespeople can’t meet their goals. Why? They don’t have a value and belief system to support and justify what they are selling. And here’s where understanding values and beliefs in conjunction with behaviors rounds out the picture and provides you an “MRI” into the employee or applicant.

To determine an applicant’s or a current employee’s behavior preferences you begin by asking the person to complete a simple 15 minute online assessment. After completion, a behavior profile report is then generated. A behavior profile is not a complete indicator of a person’s suitability to the job or to the organization. Rather it serves as a signpost directing you to dig deeper and profile that person’s underlying beliefs and values - the true motivators of success and failure.

People today are sophisticated, savvy, and street smart. Whether they have degrees or not they are educated. They can’t help but be. Survival today depends on wit. Wit comes from witnessing – watching and being. Too much is out there not to notice. This developed seventh sense is like a search engine. It zeros in and finds exactly what is needed at the moment, for the moment. In an interview this search engine hones in on the interviewer and determines quite quickly what is needed. The responses that follow may or may not be true – but they sure can be accurate. Stories and examples are many from managers who were “bamboozled” by applicants that were too good to be true. They were.

When you clearly know yourself, know your organization, know your employees, productivity and profitability are the natural outcomes.

The biggest problem faced by this increasingly important group of workers, is the attitudes of their bosses, managers and full-time co-workers, who too often regard the part-timers contributions to the work-place as insignificant. Yes, part-timers are made to feel insignificant when in fact, the opposite is true. Our research reveals that part-timers’ performance scores are approximately 30% higher than full-timers’. Part-timers also show a higher energy level, do not get bored as easily, and are less likely to get caught up in work-place politics. After all, they simply have less time to develop these less desirable habits.

Full-Time Appreciation
To tap this resource and prevent disengagement among highly productive part-timers, you must first view them as genuine contributors to the company. Here are some suggestions to improve the quality of work you get from your part-timers:

1. Review your company policies. Reacquaint yourself with policy regarding part-timers’ pay, benefits, schedules and other areas where you may be hanging on to “sacred cows.” Look at part-timers from a fresh viewpoint - mainly from a generational viewpoint. Don’t merely focus on young workers – high school and college students. Also consider the aging baby boomers, and the 60 and older population – the “not-retirement-ready” workers. Flexibility and a sense of accomplishment are extremely important to this group.
2. Show respect for part-timers. Just because they work part-time doesn’t mean they should be relegated to positions that are unimportant, and delegated tasks nobody else wants. Many part-timers build solid relationships with customers – sometimes to the point where customers will only shop during the hours when they work. Give part-timers flexibility in scheduling appointments with customers outside of their normal working hours. This helps build customer loyalty and profitability. Yes, the scheduling may take a little more maneuvering, but you will see valuable results in the end.
3. Provide guidance and education. Do not exclude part-timers from training sessions and meetings. Many will voluntarily listen to educational tapes and study training manuals to become better at their jobs. Encourage them to participate in meetings and offer ideas and recommendations. Give them an opportunity.
4. Acknowledge their temporary status. It’s no secret that many part-timers will be with you temporarily. Bring this out in the open. Explain that while they may be with you for only a brief time, you will provide them with learning opportunities to help them achieve their goals. All you ask in return is that they be responsible, attentive and give you their best.
5. Partner a full-timer with a part-timer. Ask a full-timer to communicate any news, important information, policy changes, meeting notes and general correspondence to the part-timer. Reward the full-time person for this responsibility.
6. Touch base regularly with your part-timers. Build a relationship. Do this every other week or at least a minimum of once a month. Find out how they are doing, and offer feedback. The time you spend with part-timers will be noticed by full-timers, and will send the important message that you consider part-timers to be important employees – valuable workers that are worthy of your time.
7. Recognize and value seniors who work part-time. Many older employees bring vast experience with them. Many were managers and leaders in their pre-retirement days. Ask them to become mentors. Ask for their advice. Make them feel important. Everyone will benefit.

Part-time workers are becoming a more important component in the workplace. Managers must learn to treat them as genuine contributors to the company in order to keep them engaged.

Survey after survey reveals that the number one issue facing business today is finding and retaining talented employees. Nationally, employee turnover averages 12 percent each year, a challenge that is costing millions. Yet retention is not a cure for turnover. Retaining a disengaged employee is actually far worse than letting him go—regardless of how valuable he once was.

Let’s face it. No one takes a job intending to fail. No employer hires with the intent to fire. Both parties want only the best. They both want to succeed. So what happens? Research by The Kabachnick Group has pinpointed the very soul of disengagement:

• Most disengaged workers were once engaged, caring, productive workers.
• Disengaged workers are not necessarily poor performers.
• Disengagement usually begins with either a new boss or a boss who becomes disengaged.
• Disengagement often occurs after changes in the responsibilities of a position.
• Disengagement sets in after a promotion.
• Disengagement begins when learning and development ends.

All disengaged workers are not the same. Yet the cost of different forms of disengagement is relatively equal in size—huge! Research by The Kabachnick Group found that 92% agreed that their companies do not identify or deal with poor performers. Therefore, by the time the disengagement is recognized, it’s usually too late.

Companies that discover the beginnings of disengagement early on and then deal with the disengaged quickly have a much lower percentage of turnover in their “star performer” ranks – the most productive and the most engaged.

Today, businesses have more difficulty finding and retaining productive workers than they do finding and building loyal customers. Even the best employees can become disillusioned and disengaged when they’re not treated as individual adults who are striving to become more than interchangeable cogs in the corporate machinery. In fact, your very best employees will be the first to leave if their needs and desires are not met.

Pay attention to your best employees. These are the people managers inadvertently ignore because they’re busy focusing on problem employees. Consider the advantages of improving a top-performer’s productivity by just 10%, rather than improving the performance of a mediocre worker by 10%. Keep in mind that the best employees are always the first to leave.

React to poor performers quickly. Your employees know before you do who is slacking off on the job and not contributing. Make it easy for caring workers to come to you with concerns about a fellow employee’s work habits. Emphasize that these conversations are confidential, but also indicate that you want specific examples – not random observations. Then, act on this information!

Disengagement occurs in stages. By the time an employee becomes “actively disengaged” it’s usually too late for intervention. By now the employee has become disruptive, unproductive, and has infected others in negative ways. It would be an impossible feat for him or her to retract everything she’s complained about and now adopt a positive attitude.

Important Note: Your good people are always the first to leave. They’re the ones with the most confidence and a proven track record. They know they’re talented and that their odds of getting a new job are very good. They also will not put up with someone else taking the joy out of their workday. In today’s world, people follow the natural leader, regardless of official job title.

Are you trying to deal with disengaged co-workers or employees?

Here are some interesting discoveries from our recent research on employee engagement:

• 92% say their company does not deal with poor performers
• 44% leave their jobs due to co-workers disengagement

In my book “I Quit But Forgot To Tell You” I cite numerous examples of the effects of disengagement on customers – on managers – on productive employees. 76% of managers admit their single greatest challenge is low productivity. I believe it’s time to take action. As the commercial says, “This is not a going problem – it’s a growing problem”.

I observed an interesting scenario while checking into a major chain hotel recently. A front desk employee decided he couldn’t deal with all the customer requests, expectations, and rudeness. He called the front desk manager over and announced he was leaving. The manager, ignoring the line of check-ins, took the employee over to a couch in the corner of the lobby and spent over an hour talking with the employee – in essence trying to convince him to stay – I know because I eavesdropped and apparently this wasn’t the first time this has happened. Meanwhile one front desk person was left to deal with the growing line of frustrated guests.

There are 3 separate – yet connected – issues here.

1. The employee that is apparently leaving.
2. The negative message sent to the customers with only one front desk person left to handle the job.
3. The front desk manager.

Some things to ponder: What would have been the correct way to deal with this? What could the manager have done to temporarily calm the disgruntled employee and also help service the line of guests? Or was this employee so self-centered and cared so little about the customers and the organization? Are managers so afraid to make the right decision when it comes to disengaged employees?

More from our research. It takes the average boss between 9 to12 months to fire a disengaged worker. Why?

I believe management needs to be tough but fair:

• Hold people accountable
• Define these accountabilities – get consensus early on in the job not one year later during a performance review
• Address poor performance immediately and set specific time frames for improvement
• Spend more time with your star performers than you do with poor performers
• Involve star performers in areas of the business they may not be involved in routinely
• Hire only those who match your culture and the specific job/position benchmark

People want to grow and develop. Provide this “greenhouse”. Eliminate the dead and dying plants that suck up the oxygen and screw up your eco system.

Have you witnessed occurrences like this?