Understanding Employee Engagement: Part 2 of 3 — Your Not Engaged Employees
Last week, we explored strategies for supporting your most engaged faculty and staff. This week, we focus on a group that often flies under the radar — and where supervisors have the greatest opportunity to make a real difference: not engaged employees.
According to Gallup, "Not engaged employees are psychologically unattached to their work and company. Because their engagement needs are not being fully met, they're putting time — but not energy or passion — into their work."
Not engaged employees are unlikely to be disruptive, but they are equally unlikely to go the extra mile. They arrive on time, meet deadlines, and don't make significant errors — but rarely contribute in team meetings, don't seek out growth or professional development opportunities, and may not feel connected to a future in their current role or organization.
Supervisor Strategies for Not Engaged Employees
This is where supervisors have the greatest impact. Because not engaged employees are not actively hostile, small, consistent actions from a manager can shift them meaningfully toward engagement.
Do:
- Schedule regular one-on-ones focused on "How can I better support you?" rather than task review alone
- Connect their day-to-day work to the larger mission of the organization
- Ask about their strengths, interests, and career goals — then create small opportunities to activate them
- Offer genuine, specific recognition even for routine contributions done exceptionally well
Avoid:
- Treating them as "just fine" and focusing only on your star performers or problem employees
- Skipping or cancelling one-on-ones — signaling to the employee that they don't matter
The not engaged employee is often just waiting to be seen. Small, consistent gestures from a supervisor can be genuinely transformative. Join us next week for our final installment, where we'll address the most challenging category: actively disengaged employees.
Contact engagehr@gmu.edu for questions or support with the Faculty and Staff Experience Survey results.