What should I do when a top performer is disengaged but hasn’t resigned?
Bright Ideas by ColorVizion Lab is the go-to newsletter for people leaders transforming the talent experience. We answer the tough questions people leaders face daily—with straight talk and real solutions. Cassandra Cassillas, Director of Growth & Operations at ColorVizion Lab, answers this week’s question.
❔ Question of the week: “What should I do when a top performer is disengaged but hasn’t resigned?”
Employee disengagement has taken a new form in 2024. People expect more from their employers, careers, and life in general. When their needs aren’t met, they detach.
When employees start to withdraw from a company, it can manifest differently for each person.
There are surface-level signs, like staying quiet during meetings unless spoken to, less enthusiasm about new projects, or skipping company events they used to attend.
Then there are the less obvious signs: Lack of creativity, sticking to old habits instead of pushing themselves to deliver innovative results, or offering fewer insights on project strategies.
This shift has a huge impact on a company’s financial outcomes. Employee disengagement accounts for approximately $1.9 trillion in lost productivity nationally, according to Gallup.
Employee disengagement often falls on people leaders because they are directly responsible for team dynamics and morale. They face the challenge of wondering if disengaged employees will resign and must build strategies to re-engage them while maintaining team performance.
To address this common issue, we need to explore what’s fueling the shift in engagement and identify actionable strategies for people leaders to turn things around.
Let’s take a look.
👎 The real reason employees are disengaged
Disengagement is a tangled web of new challenges. To tackle it head-on, people leaders need to understand current workplace trends shaking up employee motivation and commitment.
Cassandra Cassillas, Director of Growth & Operations at ColorVizion Lab, has run two dozen focus groups in the past year with companies ranging from 500 to 10,000 employees in industries like healthcare, software, fintech, and AI.
Here’s what she says is driving the disconnect between employees and their work.
📉 Layoffs: After downsizing, companies are left with people-sized holes in the culture. Anxiety around workloads and job security increases, distracting people from the idea of growing with their current employer.
🔄 Strategy whiplash: Companies are reacting to the recession by cutting budgets, changing hiring plans, and shifting strategies. Employees have to adapt quickly and often have little say in the matter, causing them to feel stuck.
💵 Economic pressures: Groceries are ridiculously expensive and childcare is more than rent in a lot of states. People are trying to survive – Going above and beyond at their companies is not a priority.
🌐 No alignment with company vision, mission, and goals: More employees are joining companies whose values and mission align with their own. Companies that don’t consider employees’ values when making business decisions are likely to end up with team members who don’t care about the work.
💻 Feelings of isolation in both remote and in-office settings: Whether employees are working from home or coming to the office to sit on Zoom calls, they may feel disconnected from the culture because they’re secluded. If a company doesn’t have a community that meets people where they are, employees will feel less likely to participate in conversations, contribute ideas, or ask questions.
💔Struggle with authenticity: Leaders forget that every person is an employee AND many other things that contribute to their identity. Concerns like picking up a child from school, facing bias over their appearance, or feeling unable to discuss their partner because they’re same sex can make it difficult for someone to bring their full self to the job.
🤖 AI anxiety: Companies are making a mad dash to include AI in their business strategy and employees are wondering how much longer they will have a job. It’s hard to stay engaged when you’re worried about future-proofing your career.
🌍 World events: Companies are expected to have a position on global issues yet not be polarizing. These events impact employees’ personal lives and when a company shows a lack of commitment to social justice, people feel a lack of belonging.
This list is only growing, so it’s crucial for people leaders to get to the root of the company’s disengagement problem as soon as possible.
🤔 Does engagement matter if an employee is meeting performance goals?
The short answer is yes.
Hitting performance goals is the minimum a company should want from employees. The magic comes when people are deeply invested in the mission and vision, and show up every day as innovators.
“Think of a tree with shallow roots. On the surface level, it looks like everything is fine. The tree could be producing fruit, providing shade, standing tall day in and day out. But eventually, whether through many small breezes or one large gust, the tree will fall.”
Cassandra Cassillas
The truth is not every employee is right for every company. You want people who not only align with your culture, but also strengthen it.
But what happens when an employee is no longer adding value?
There may come a point when a leader has to consider termination for an employee’s disengagement. It should never be the first step, but it can be the answer for either or both of these two scenarios:
- When an employee is not receptive to efforts to engage.
- When one person’s disengagement is rubbing off on other people, causing a ripple effect.
“Take a people-first approach. Have a conversation free of judgment. Maybe they’re going through something personally or maybe they’re at capacity. But don’t let the culture or company suffer.”
Cassandra Cassillas
📊 How to approach the issue with a data-driven mindset
People leaders have the complex job of connecting leadership expectations (business objectives) with people expectations (culture). That means they’re tasked with being the canary in the coal mine.
The best – and sometimes only – thing you can do is build cases for culture with cold, hard, data.
Performance might not be an issue, but have you seen a decline in comments in company Slack channels? Did the engagement rate drop quarter over quarter?
Use engagement surveys, pulse surveys, and focus groups to pinpoint how employees feel about the culture and what support they need. Pull data where you can and show the impact on the business.
When it’s time to strategize and present solutions, start with leadership and make sure your data is aligned with their values. Without their buy-in, corrective initiatives will fall flat.
Connect with leaders early on to understand their expectations for cultural initiatives, whether that’s an attendance benchmark, an adoption rate, completion metrics, or something else. This way, when you see a red flag in the data, you know it’s going to be something the leadership team considers important.
“Blindly throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks can be an expensive engagement strategy. Employees want to be heard and listened to. Pull in their feedback to show you care.”
Cassandra Cassillas
☑️ Your action plan for re-engaging employees
There’s no “one-size-fits-all” approach to re-engaging employees. Working with someone who has checked out is a challenge, especially if you don’t have the extra budget to give raises or bonuses.
To start building an action plan, here are four pillars people leaders can focus on:
Community
To foster stronger connections, start by listening to those who are away from the “hub,” whether they’re remote workers or those who prefer the office. Look for quick wins: monthly meetups, engaging Slack communities, or revisiting work norms to better accommodate everyone.
The most impactful community initiatives tie directly into your company’s culture. If your company values learning, bring in industry speakers. If playfulness is key, let employees vote on community activities, such as opt-in clubs or monthly museum vouchers. For companies that value team experience, consider lunch and learns or community Slack captains for specialized interests.
Purpose
Employees who don’t work directly with customers, products, or leadership may feel disconnected from the company’s purpose. Bring the company mission to life by highlighting customer stories, statistics around the changes you’re making, and stories from employees on why your work is important.
After all, 70 percent of employees say their sense of purpose is largely defined by work, according to McKinsey & Company.
Growth
Companies that prioritize development opportunities see 46% higher engagement, according to Culture Amp. And it isn’t just about promotions – there are many ways to encourage career growth:
- Empower managers to create personalized development plans.
- Strengthen internal hiring practices.
- Connect employees to stretch projects.
- Invest in development stipends and make sure employees have time to use them.
- Provide opportunities for employees to lead or contribute to non-role-related projects, like ERGs or volunteer committees.
Flexibility
Studies show that flexibility is key to retaining top talent. While not every company fits within the 9-5 mold, every organization can offer some level of work-life balance:
- Establish core meeting hours.
- Clarify expectations around response times and working hours.
- Encourage complete disconnection during PTO.
- Remind employees that taking time off is not just allowed but encouraged.
The key to re-engaging employees is to keep in mind their human side. Have transparent and meaningful conversations that result in company support and encouragement. Keep track of engagement metrics, loop senior leaders into the plan, and remind people they are valuable assets.
📞People leaders, what pressing questions do you have about talent, culture, or employee engagement?
No question is off the table. In fact, we want people leaders to submit the questions they often avoid.
Submit your questions here and we might feature them in our next newsletter with tailored advice from the ColorVizion Lab team.
📰 Story of the week: Are remote workers seen as less ambitious?
The CEO of a tech startup is ending the company’s hybrid work setup. He also says any employee who doesn’t like this decision can leave.
“Remote work is not compatible with a high ambition level plus high speed,” says Carl Pei, CEO of Nothing. “We know it’s not the right type of setup for everybody, and that’s OK.”
This begs the question: Are remote workers seen as less ambitious? Read the full article here and let us know your thoughts.
📩 Is your team having trouble engaging employees? Let’s partner on an action plan.
Employee disengagement can lead to unnecessary turnover and a dip in productivity – critical issues that demand immediate attention.
Our expert consultants can help you build talent strategies that keep your team motivated and connected.
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