Jun 20 2019

As I write this, I reflect on the 35 years of my working career and the reason people leave companies. Is it because they don’t feel valued, is it because their line manager doesn’t seem to care and isn’t engaged anymore? Or, is it because there is no career progression? 

From my experience that has stretched over many industries, it seems to be all of the above.

I see leaders and owners disconnect from their teams quickly, is it due to their workload? Or do they just know that they don’t have the support or training required to be an effective leader? Or, do they too feel beaten, exhausted, etc.? The catch? All of this results in staff disengaging and eventually disconnecting.

According to the dictionary, the definition of disconnection is - a lack of understanding or connection. 

Let’s talk about staff engagement

Do you remember the phone call you received from your future employer to let you know you have been successful and you have the job? The excitement fills the room, and you can’t get to the phone quick enough to tell your family and friends.

The new ideas and how you can contribute to your new employer are screaming inside your head and you reach for paper or smartphone to write them down, in fear you forget any of them. The euphoric feeling inside of you of success, progress, career, and recognition is almost overwhelming, finally, you have the job of your ‘now’ dreams.

This is engagement at its peak. 

How do we lose that feeling or better still how do we keep that feeling? 

From all my research and talking to staff at all levels from the board level to the front line, engagement is how we feel about our role. This can vary from the time we are first employed, to the present day. 

How do we get satisfaction from our day, how do we keep that feeling alive in this jam-packed world called life? Whilst balancing work, family and you?

It’s important to note, the below formula is a guide, a methodology. It is designed to show you balance and is not definitive.

The idea is to show you that we as humans need balance and we all have the same 24 hours in a day, it is just how we choose to spend it.

The formula to achieve the elusive “balance” 

Digressing a little, but bear with me. Over the years, I have come to realise there are three core areas to everyone’s life (no matter of your personal circumstances).

Family - time spent with loved ones

Work - learning to how structure our day and prioritise daily tasks (and to finish at 5 pm)

You - exercise, passion projects, restful sleep, growth, mindfulness practices

Here is my perfect score for a balanced life. We have 168 hours per week, 56 hours per week on each – sounds simple right? There is a reason that many professionals strive for balance over their whole careers; it’s not as clear-cut or simple as this.

And, trust me I am still trying to get to my perfect score and I know it sometimes feels like we can’t achieve this or it is so out of our reach. 

But, I have found that as soon as you are aware of this, the more balance will come into your life, and that has a ripple effect. 

Back to engagement

In every conversation I have had with staff and teams, they all want engagement and to do a stellar job, but sometimes it doesn’t work out that way. 

We seem to have more pressures put on us every day, in every way. 

People don’t go about their day being disruptive or doing a bad job, people want to be amazing and recognised for the work they do – but how do leaders resolve this global issue and where is it going wrong? 

Organisations invest a large amount of time, resources, and money into recruitment. So, how do you keep them engaged? 

Understanding this is critical, as we all know, for every team member that resigns, the organisation loses money, risks team morale, and more; it’s a huge ripple effect.

(Keep reading to learn how much money is at stake each time someone resigns)

Leaders are humans too!

Someone very wise once said to me, 

“It is easy in the cheap seats to criticise a leader” 

However, leaders are trying incredibly hard to balance daily demands, and their teams’ needs, and let’s not forget the crazy things thrown at them throughout the day. 

When it comes to our staff, we can no longer say “leave your personal issues at home”. 

Especially when companies/leaders in turn expect our teams to take work home to finish projects, meet deadlines, etc. 

This too is the issue with family members wanting their families to “leave their work at work”. 

It’s easy to see that we are constantly on this mouse wheel trying to please everyone, and we often forget about us. This is where the issue lies.

Staff turnover

How do leaders, and organisations miss the signs?

How does it get to the point where a staff member feels like there’s no other option than to resign?

What are the tools you can put in place to help your leaders and team members to recognise the early warning signs?

I see it often, great people leaving because they feel like they don’t belong anymore. Or, they can’t progress, or they are so disconnected from their leader that there is no other option. They have taken that sharp turn, and are out the door before you know what’s happened.

I am a firm believer, that people don’t leave companies, they leave their leaders. 

And, believe it or not, much of the time staff do not want to leave. They just don’t see any way around the situation at hand. 

I have heard it a lot over the years, they feel like they are drowning. I suspect so is the leader.

For every resignation, I believe a company stands to lose 45% of that individual’s salary. This figure could be even higher. 

Not to mention the arduous task of recruiting, down time, cost to the business and your customers.

High turnover rates really do kill team morale, culture, bottom lines, and ultimately, businesses.

The Umana way

We need to get off the mouse wheel and slow down. 

I work with leaders to simplify their lives, learn what is important, and how to prioritise, which really helps take out any uncertainty and mania in their daily life.

This leads us to discuss in-depth and learn how to effectively engage with their team to get the best out of them. 

The results speak for themselves, and I have seen it so many times in the past.

Leaders who actively implement these techniques enjoy a highly engaged, effective and productive team. The leader themselves has their time given back to them, to strategise and catch up. Together, you will all work together towards the same goal, united.

No more playing small.

*We’ll discuss this notion of playing small soon.

If you’re wondering how to fix this issue, it’s simple: one company at a time, and one person at a time. 

The Umana Group works with companies and individuals to learn how to identify the early warning signs and develop a system to help. I can help you to identify any blind spots, show you how to make difficult conversations positive and productive; a win-win for everyone. 

This results in a highly engaged team, with less turnover which at the end of the day will save you thousands.

Imagine jumping out of bed everyday to get to work. That’s the plan.