Written by: Vickie Sullivan  |  July 23, 2013

Process vs People

Gallup is at it again with this update to the never-ending saga of employee disengagement.  In their 2013 State of American Workplace report, the statistics are beyond pathetic.  Over half (52%) are disengaged and 18% admit to being “actively disengaged.” (Translation:  these folks use their energy and creativity for all the wrong reasons.)  Makes you glad you’re self-employed, doesn’t it?)

What Gallup is doing about it:  a 12-question tool that identifies the key causes of employee discontent so leaders have a starting point.  Very nice.  Ask yourself:  do you have a diagnostic tool that helps your client see the impact of the problem you want to solve?

This report has even more stats to show the impact of employee disengagement.  My take:  leaders know the basics.  They know what to do.  The issue is impact; they just think those perks and processes support engagement when in fact those items are not enough.  In that gap lies a lot of opportunities for us.

If you want the 30,000-foot view, here’s a Fast Company interview with Dr. Jim Harter at Gallup.  For the report, click here.