There's an invisible shelf at the entrance to every workplace in the world. Many people use it every day without thinking. When they arrive for work, they put their hearts and minds on the shelf -- and go about the day's work with little or no emotional or mental involvement. When the workday ends, they return to the shelf, reclaim the best part of themselves, and carry on with their lives.
According to the rosiest research on workforce engagement, only three out of ten people in the typical workplace use their hearts and minds every day. These "actively engaged" people are enthusiastic, committed, and productive. Two out of ten are "actively disengaged." They're the ones talking trash and seeing every workplace change as a personal slight. The rest -- half of the typical workforce at an organization -- is "unengaged."
That last figure is so enormous it bears repeating: Fully half of the people in your typical organization shelve their hearts and minds on the way in to work. As the workday unfolds, they are present in body yet emotionally and creatively absent.
It's a problem, but it's an even bigger opportunity. Here are seven ways to engage the unengaged:
START WITH PURPOSE
People want their work to have meaning. They want those tasks and projects to promote some greater good. When's the last time you and your colleagues talked about your overarching mission?
HUNT DOWN THE BUSYWORK
Over months and years, every workplace gets bulked up with meaningless procedures and process steps that steal time away from meaningful work. Try stepping off the busywork treadmill and taking a critical look at how you spend your time. With co- workers, pinpoint one or two time-draining activities you can ditch right away.
INVITE PEOPLE IN
If you're analyzing a problem, brainstorming ideas, weighing options, reviewing data, or doing anything else that requires brainpower, reach out to more people for input. Some of them will have to run over to that shelf to re-engage their hearts and minds, but that's the point, right?
RE-INVENT YOUR MEETINGS
Many meetings are a one-way routine in which the boss simply delivers information -- something that could be done more easily by e-mail or handout. The best meetings are forums for dialogue in which all participants can shape the agenda, ask questions, and freely share their views. Speaking of which, have you and your colleagues recently traded thoughts on how to make your meetings more useful?
GET SMART ABOUT SPACE
Thomas Edison designed his Menlo Park invention factory to be the best of both worlds. The first floor had separate workspaces so people could focus on their individual developments, and the second floor had community work areas where parts and pieces were turned into inventions. In your own workplace, are there complementary places where people can work alone and work together?
LEVERAGE THOSE STRENGTHS
Real fast now: What are the top three strengths of your three main colleagues? What are your own top strengths? If you're not sure, stop everything and come up with answers right now. Everyone has great strengths that are waiting to be put to work -- even that annoying co-worker, who just so happens to have the knowledge you need to solve that problem you've been struggling with for weeks.
SHARE THAT KNOW-HOW
The people around you are some of the smartest people you never knew. They have book smarts, street smarts, and rich life experiences that remain hidden. So why not set aside an hour for your own impromptu 60 Minute University? Take turns spending 10 minutes each teaching something -- anything -- to the team.
AUTHOR: Tom Terez (TomTerez.com) is an international consultant and frequent speaker on organizational performance (BetterWorkplaceNow.com) and personal excellence (InnerBest.com).
