Disengagement is a coping mechanism. Nobody wakes up wanting to just get by; it’s a way to deal with not feeling connected.
As of May 2024, Gallup research shows that only 33% of employees in the US are engaged, while a striking 16% are actively disengaged. Now, that might sound like a small percentage, but let’s break it down.
Imagine you have 8 disengaged employees at your company—it might not seem like a big deal at first glance. But those 8 actively disengaged employees could be costing you over $100,000 annually. If this issue isn’t addressed, these costs will only continue to climb. The long-term impact of disengagement is enormous.
We understand that there’s no “one-size-fits-all” solution to employee engagement. We can’t expect 100% of employees to be fully engaged 100% of the time, and that’s not our focus today. Instead, we’re diving into the inner workings of a disengaged employee’s mind.
We often hear HR professionals discussing how to solve disengagement, but rarely do we hear from the disengaged employees themselves. What are the triggers? How does someone gradually go from being engaged to finally putting their foot down and saying, “I’m done”?
So we sat down with Christie Hoffman, an HR thought leader and consultant specializing in employee engagement and retention.
Q: Let’s start with some context. How do you define disengagement, and how does it differ from job dissatisfaction or burnout?
Christie: It might seem like just semantics, but when HR leaders are reading blogs or attending webinars to figure out what’s going on, these terms are often thrown around interchangeably. It’s easy to lump them together or feel confused about what they really mean, so it’s crucial to have some clarity.
Disengagement is the result of factors like job dissatisfaction or burnout. Essentially, disengagement occurs when an employee decides, “I don’t care about this company anymore because it doesn’t seem like they care about me.” This can be triggered by several issues—such as excessive deadlines, shifting priorities, a poorly equipped manager, or being part of a toxic team.
Job dissatisfaction might originate from a variety of sources, like location, commute, access to necessary tools, or even something as simple as an uncomfortable desk setup. Many factors can contribute to job dissatisfaction, which can also lead to burnout.
Here’s where it gets more nuanced: employee experience encompasses the ongoing, smaller moments that an employee encounters throughout their work week, month, or year. These experiences, whether positive or negative, shape their overall perception and feelings about their job and employer. It’s these everyday interactions and situations that build up and can ultimately impact engagement levels.
Disengagement is essentially the outcome of a prolonged negative experience, where the employee’s overall experience has deteriorated to the point where their engagement is in flux. Disengagement is a symptom of poor employee experience, which affects how employees feel about their roles and their commitment to their work.
While job dissatisfaction and burnout can unfold as part of the input, the broader employee experience—comprising all those mini moments and interactions—plays a critical role in determining engagement and overall job satisfaction. Engagement levels are always in flux as the employee experience evolves.
Q: From your personal experience, what are the main reasons employees start feeling disengaged at work?
Christie: The number one reason employees start to check out is that they don’t know what’s expected of them at work. When employees don’t know what’s expected of them, they end up doing a bit of everything, which can lead to burnout or even a freeze response—where they just don’t know what to prioritize.
This confusion often stems from a lack of clear company goals. Employees aren’t sure if what they’re working on is actually moving the needle or if all the effort they’re putting in is really worth it. They’re spending time away from their families or pets, pouring so much of themselves into work, and they don’t even know if it’s making a difference.
Another issue is managers who keep shifting priorities and moving deadlines. Employees don’t know what’s due when, or if the next huddle will just dump more work on them. Speaking of huddles, a lot of managers run unnecessary weekly huddles that employees hate—I know I did. With asynchronous communication, managers would get what they need, and employees would get their time back to focus on their actual work.
These are just a couple of factors that can make employees start to feel disengaged.
I’ve personally experienced this many times, even later in my career. By the time I was in my mid-30s—a mom of two, a homeowner, a typical adult doing adult things—I still found myself questioning, “Am I good at my job? Am I doing this right?” This uncertainty can lead to imposter syndrome, even for experienced professionals, and it causes a lot of stress for employees.
Q: What was the turning point for you? What made you decide to quit your job?
Christie: I love this question because it’s such an important part of my story.
Disengagement is a coping mechanism. Nobody wakes up wanting to just get by; it’s a way to deal with not feeling connected. And connection is synonymous with engagement. When you don’t feel like you care about the company or that the company cares about you, disengagement is what happens.
Having worked my way up from intern to head of marketing, and then shifting into an analyst role where I was deeply involved in studying the HR persona. So there I was, waking up for the eighth time at yet another company, thinking, “The pattern is me.”
That’s when I realized I loved what I was doing, but I was also exhausted—spiritually, emotionally, and physically. I kept asking myself, “What’s wrong with me?” And then it hit me: Nothing is wrong with me—nothing is wrong with any of us. The problem was that I was trying to transform every company I worked for, trying to create an incredible culture as an employee without the authority or position to make those changes. I wasn’t in HR or the C-suite, so I was trying to manage up in an organization where the employees wanted more, but I didn’t have the power to effect change.
Then, I had a moment of clarity. I thought, “What if I leaned into my strengths instead of trying to turn around cultures that aren’t mine? What if I focused on nurturing the HR leaders who had been reaching out to me for years, saying, ‘I love your advice from the disengaged employee’s perspective. I never thought about sending a survey that way. I never thought about positioning something like this to an executive to get a budget’?”
It was like a light bulb moment—it was so obvious, but I had to let go of my ego to see it. Once I leaned into my strengths, I felt so much better. My career became more rewarding, and now I get to talk to people like you, so it all worked out.
Q: From what you’ve seen, what do disengaged employees wish their HR departments understood about their experiences?
Christie: There are two key points I want to highlight here.
- First, employees wish you knew just how much disengagement is caused by managers. That was my experience—I lived it, and I can absolutely validate that it’s true. Gallup has been studying disengagement in the workplace for four decades, and they have deep, deep research on what causes disengagement and what can be done about it. Gallup’s research shows managers drive 70% of disengagement—which makes sense—as the employee spends the majority of their time with the team.
- The second thing I want to emphasize is the importance of not brushing off negative feedback. When you receive negative feedback, it’s not just a storm of anger—it’s a call to action. You need to step up and address these issues head-on. Don’t panic or run away from the feedback; instead, see it as an opportunity or direction toward improvement.
A lot of HR leaders, when they receive negative survey responses, tend to take them personally. It doesn’t feel good to hear employees say, “I hate it here.” But it’s not an attack on you as an HR leader—it’s a cry for help.
Q: What role does employee recognition and rewards play in boosting engagement?
Christie: I’ve always loved working at companies that had a recognition program. We’ve been working so hard for so long without much gratitude, and there’s so much power in that simple acknowledgment. Gratitude is incredibly important.
However, here’s what I would say about when to implement a recognition program: it’s not always the first thing you should focus on. Just because it’s visible doesn’t mean it’s the most urgent need. There’s something called the Employee Hierarchy of Needs. This hierarchy is similar to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs—just like you can’t expect someone to be their best self when they’re naked and afraid in the woods, you can’t expect employees to thrive if their basic needs at work aren’t met.
At the base of the pyramid is clarity around what’s expected at work, which is a matter of goals, management, and training. If you implement peer recognition but employees don’t know what’s expected of them, you risk rewarding the wrong behaviors. For example, some people might work themselves into the ground just to get that recognition, while others might feel overwhelmed and unable to keep up. If you’re telling someone, “Good job,” but they’re also thinking, “Yeah, but my manager is a jerk, and I’m exhausted,” the recognition feels hollow.
So, before focusing on recognition, ensure your employees feel comfortable with their day-to-day work, understand their goals, and have the support they need from their team.
Q: How do you see the future of HR and Employee Engagement evolving over the next couple of years?
I’m the disengaged employee here to tell you—this is the golden age of HR. I honestly believe that the right perspectives are finally coming together to fill in the gaps left by basic HR training. What they don’t teach you is arguably the most critical part: how to drive engagement, especially when all eyes are on you, asking, “What are you going to do, HR leader?”
No one teaches you that. And if I can shamelessly plug my community for just a second, what I’m doing right now is saying, “Hey, this is what we hated as disengaged employees, and here’s what needs to happen for us to feel high-performing, safe, and trusting of each other.” This is how you gather and act on negative feedback.
I realized HR wasn’t being taught how to drive engagement. And that’s a systemic issue—it’s why so many people are burned out, tired, and asking, “What’s the point?”
HR professionals need a repeatable skill set, rooted in psychology, that they can take with them to any organization and use to troubleshoot and improve the culture. It’s been really exciting to explain this approach, but that’s probably a whole other conversation.
The key takeaway is that HR must learn to think independently, apply these essential skills, and embrace their role as a vital revenue driver for the business. By taking exceptional care of the talent that drives revenue—ensuring they can perform at their best and remain loyal to the company—HR becomes the most strategic partner within any organization.
