This type of employee can spread negativity and discontent through the team, annihilate morale and bring production to a grinding halt. Of all people-related jobs, management may be the most difficult and it is the disengaged employee who makes it so arduous.
For more than a decade Gallup has reviewed employees' responses to the Q12 survey, an assessment of the levels of employee engagement. More than 3 million employees have responded to the 12 question survey during this time, providing Gallup with an interesting, if not at times disturbing, insight into the behaviors and attitudes of employees. From this information, three distinct employee "personalities" emerged, based on levels of engagement. The first, "engaged" employees are the active builders of the organization. The "not engaged" employees are somewhat lukewarm regarding their employment. They are not quite negative - yet, they aren't turning cartwheels about the company either.
The third personality, the "actively disengaged" employees are the bane of manager jobs everywhere. They are against everything that the company stands for, their negativity spreading like a virus throughout the organization, destroying morale and wreaking havoc. These employees are unhappy at work, but what makes them a problem is that they act out that unhappiness and systematically, stealthily tear down everything that the engaged employees attempt to build. These people hate their jobs, management, company and they show it in some very destructive ways. The problem is they often fly under the radar, undetected, until it is too late.
The actively disengaged employee is hard to spot. Perhaps the best way to identify potential actively disengaged employees is to take a look at recent activities within the organization that may have left that person disgruntled. If they have been passed over for a promotion, if the job is not turning out as it was promised when they were hired or they have not received a raise as promised can all contribute to the negative feelings. Harassment - sexual, general or otherwise can also contribute. Mobbing, a form of generalized harassment or workplace bullying, is gaining a great deal of attention on the organizational landscape and is a major trigger for actively disengaged employees.
Manager careers in the personnel field focus on motivating employees, keeping them productive and happy. When even just one employee turns from the fold and seeks to destroy, morale is threatened and everyone is affected as the dissatisfaction in jobs, management and organization spreads through the team like a plague. It is up to the manager to identify these employees, initiate communication to determine the root of the problem and seek to rectify that problem, whether it means making a change in the employee's status, the organization or some other area. Management is a rewarding career, but no one ever said that manager jobs were easy.
