'Employees that are engaged are happier and happier employees perform better'
The ‘great detachment’ is taking over Gen Z workers at many workplaces, according to a report.
That’s largely because of the remote work setup, finds a previous Gallup study.
The great detachment refers to “how employees – and I would say in particular, younger employees – don't feel connected,” says Janet Candido, founder and principal of Candido Consulting Group, in talking with Canadian HR Reporter.
“They don't feel engaged with their employers. In its simplest terms, they don't have that connection.”
The average Canadian remote worker speaks to someone else only 4.2 times a week - or about once per day, according to the survey published in the Financial Post. As a result, 50 per cent of Gen Z participants noticed a decline in their social skills, and 25 per cent reported a decline in verbal skills.
Similarly, a previous Preply report found that over four in 10 (43 per cent) Canadians believe that their social skills have declined due to limited in-person interactions during remote work.
This should be a cause for concern for employers, says Candido.
“When employees aren't engaged with the company, their performance is not as good,” she says, adding that it can spell as much as a 10 per cent difference in performance.
“Also, employees that are engaged are happier and happier employees perform better. So, if you have a team of people that are disengaged, what that means is you have a team of people that don't really care how well the company is doing: They don't see how their work matters, they don't recognize the contribution that they're making, they're not linked to the company's success, they're they're not linked to each other.”
Why are so many employees disengaged at work?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many interns who experienced remote working viewed their experience negatively, according to a previous Glassdoor report.
Workers who came into the workforce during or after the health crisis simply do not have the in-office experience to be able to connect with the company, says Candido.
Before the pandemic, “whether we were conscious of it or not, we were learning social skills,” she says. “We learned how to read body language. We learned how to talk to our colleagues.
“People who were hired either during or post the pandemic don't have that office experience to fall back on, especially if they're working fully remotely. But even if they're coming in and they're in a hybrid situation, they don't have the experience of working with other people. So, they don't have the social skills, they don't have the communication skills.”
Most Canadian workers are OK with heading back to the office – but employers do not seem to be ready to meet their needs, according to a previous report from Cisco.
How to engage a younger workforce
Making the return to office experience worthwhile is a good place to start for employers to fight the great detachment among young workers, says Candido.
“You have to create experiences during the day that bring them together, that, first of all, justifies for them why they came in. Because if they're just going to sit at their desk and work, they might as well be at home.
“So, justify why they came in, but also create those opportunities to connect with other people in a more meaningful way, so that they do start to develop those skills.”
Another important option is mentoring – especially when it comes to soft skills and people skills, she says.
Also, communication is key to engaging Gen Z workers, says Candido.
“And by communication, I mean two-way communication, not just you as a leader telling people what's going on. Although that's important – telling them what's going on, what they are doing that's good, help them connect their contribution to the company's success — all those things are good.
“But to really engage them, you also need to have communication from them. So, give them opportunities to contribute their ideas, their opinions, their suggestions. It gives them more of a sense of ownership over the work that they're doing and more of a connection with the company.”
Employers might want to re-evaluate their employee recognition and feedback mechanisms, because employees are finding them uber-important in the conduct of their work, according to one expert.
Candido also suggests team-building activities, sharing meals during lunch or dinner with workers and other bonding experiences for workers. It’s also important to engage both people who are in the office and those who work remotely in these activities, she says.
