{"id":8485,"date":"2021-01-12T11:02:09","date_gmt":"2021-01-12T16:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/?p=8485"},"modified":"2026-02-12T04:54:39","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T09:54:39","slug":"7-ways-to-spot-if-an-employee-isnt-engaged","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/7-ways-to-spot-if-an-employee-isnt-engaged\/","title":{"rendered":"7 ways to spot if an employee isn\u2019t engaged"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPeople & Leadership<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t7 ways to spot if an employee isn\u2019t engaged\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"Headshot\t\t\t\tCharlotte Penny<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The world is in the middle of an employee engagement crisis. Only 33% of employees in the U.S. are engaged at work, according to Gallup<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the start of a new year, disengaged employees may start looking around to see if the grass is greener elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While this may seem like the ideal solution, People Companies (companies that value their people and put them before all else) care about their staff \u2013 with the right approach, disengaged employees can be turned into engaged ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If it\u2019s your top talent who are disengaged, hanging on to them will pay dividends in the long run, and helps avoid additional recruitment costs of trying to replace key individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how can you spot when employees are disengaged? Here\u2019s seven signs that indicate when employees are not engaged and how to tackle it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Missing deadlines<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re hearing a lot of excuses from an employee about falling behind and not delivering projects on time, especially if they\u2019re pointing the finger elsewhere, it could be a sign of disengagement<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This one is a tricky one to gauge though, as there are of course genuine reasons for employees missing deadlines, from having personal issues to being overloaded with too much work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only way to know for sure is to initiate a conversation with the employee to find out what\u2019s been going on in their world and find out what\u2019s behind them missing deadlines<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If, after an initial chat, it\u2019s clear they\u2019ve simply lost all motivation to do the job, then it\u2019s going to require a joint approach from their line manager, supported by the HR or People team, to work with the employee to find a way to reinvigorate them and get to the bottom of why they may not be as engaged as they can be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the role they have isn\u2019t quite suited to their skillset. They may feel more fulfilled in a different team or department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe they want more recognition for the work they do. Alternatively, they may simply have too much work on and need more support with managing their workload.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Apathy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Another clear sign of a disengaged employee is a lack of interest in their work and the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If any attempt to try and engage with them over a piece of work is met with a real disinterest, managers and colleagues may feel like they\u2019re bothering this person and end up tiptoeing around them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If this is unusual behaviour for the person, this could be a good sign, as it means there is probably a genuine reason for their sudden disinterest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And this is what line managers need to get to and understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps a manager or colleague has upset them, or they\u2019ve not received feedback on a certain piece of work that required a miracle to deliver on time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps wider changes within the organization are making them feel disengaged with the senior management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If it\u2019s just general apathy, then the resetting of goals or incentives is often a good starting point to engage the worker and get them interested again in their role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even better than this is asking them questions such as: \u201cWhat would make you more engaged at work,\u201d or: \u201cHow can we better support you at work, and create the type of role, team or company that you want to work at?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just 12% of employees are asked regularly about what would improve their experiences at work, our latest research found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simply by asking employees what makes a great employee experience<\/a> can make a difference \u2013 not only can you find out how to design great experiences, but they\u2019ll appreciate being asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Lack of communication<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When an employee becomes withdrawn and stops sharing with colleagues and managers what they\u2019re doing, it indicates a certain lack of engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If they sit silently during team meetings and don\u2019t offer any kind of verbal contribution throughout the working day, there is often serious disengagement going on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A first point of call is to look at how the manager is communicating with the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is there a problem with communication across the team<\/a> or is it just with one individual? Have there been reports of managers not communicating with staff properly in this department?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the individual may have lost trust or faith in their manager and decided to stop communicating with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good people data can help pinpoint if this is an isolated incident or more of a department-wide problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Regular complaining<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Every company has those who may be more vocal about things they don\u2019t like than others, but recognizing when an employee has valid complaints and learning how to engage with them over these points is the key to turning these disengaged workers around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does your company have a formal means for employees to share any concerns or make suggestions for improvements to the office environment for example? Do you run quick pulse surveys to gain regular and instant feedback from your workforce?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If not, perhaps complaining is the only way these disengaged members of staff feel they can be heard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asking employees what matters most to them in the workplace is often a much-undervalued question that many businesses never ever ask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Almost half (47%) of respondents to our survey have never been asked by their employer how they can improve their working experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, introduce ways for open dialogue to become a part of the day-to-day culture within the business and turn the complaints into results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Resistance to requests<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Disengaged employees will be unlikely to want to take on anything outside of what they see as their core remit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They will make excuses or find reasons why they can\u2019t take on extra work or try a new way of doing things. Even simple requests may be resisted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asking them what it is that they are concerned about may open a new level of communication with them that hadn\u2019t existed before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps they have concerns about the amount of work they\u2019re already doing and are feeling overwhelmed or stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working with them to establish some clear structure and manageable goals could turn this disengagement around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It might also be worth thinking about what training has been offered to line managers \u2013 are they clear in how they communicate requests to their reports?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are they supporting those they line manage so that people in the company feel they have their backing and encouragement?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every person in your organization will have a different way of working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some may like to have things shown to them, others could want to see the outcome of the work they\u2019ve done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Put training in place to make sure your line managers understand this range of different ways of working, and how they can change their approaches based on what their reports are most responsive to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Low quality of work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There could be a number of reasons why an employee may be consistently delivering a poor level of work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps they\u2019re in a role not suited to their skillset, or they may have things going on outside of work that is affecting them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do they have enough \u2013 or too much \u2013 work?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HR and People teams need to support line managers to fully understand the reasons behind low quality work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bear in mind they may have never actually had it pointed out to them that what they\u2019re delivering is under par. Past managers may have avoided what they deemed to be a difficult conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ensure you\u2019re supporting line managers to give clear, concise and time-specific feedback so employees know what is expected, how they can step up, and what they need to do next time to address this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Assessing the employee\u2019s training needs and skill levels is essential in this scenario to raise the bar and get them back on track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Lack of ownership<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNothing to do with me\u201d, \u201cNot my responsibility\u201d, \u201cThought someone else would do it\u201d are common refrains of someone disengaged with their role and the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding things that they do care about in their role, even if it\u2019s just one element, is the key to changing the mindset of these employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, perhaps one day a week they may be involved in video editing for the digital marketing team and really enjoy that task but the rest of the time they\u2019re apathetic about their other tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Could they become more engaged if there was the promise of expanding the amount of time they get to do the video editing, for example?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A reallocation of duties among a team can often revive disengaged employees, with certain team members thriving do certain tasks that others really don\u2019t get any enjoyment out of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Good People Companies \u2013 organizations that put their people first beyond everything else \u2013 are constantly tuned into their people\u2019s needs and engage with them regularly so they can provide better workforce experiences, and in turn, engage their people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Companies are facing an engagement crisis but disengaged employees can be turned into engaged employees. Read our guide to the 7 signs of how to spot when an employee isn\u2019t engaged.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1660,"featured_media":8486,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[284,253],"business_type":[41],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[411],"persona":[99],"imagine_tag":[215,413],"coauthors":[616],"class_list":["post-8485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people-leadership","tag-hiring","tag-performance","business_type-growing-business","industry-human-resources"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-us","author_name":"Charlotte Penny","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/GettyImages-595348209_super-1675x525-1.jpg","imagine_tags":{"215":"HR and Payroll","413":"Human Resources"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice US","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8485","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1660"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8485"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8485\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35015,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8485\/revisions\/35015"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/8486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8485"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=8485"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=8485"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=8485"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=8485"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=8485"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=8485"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=8485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}