Unless you work on a desert island, the chances are you will have to work with an unengaged colleague today. According to a major survey (Gallup, 2010), 20% of us Danes are engaged in our work. But a full 72% are not engaged, and 8% are actively disengaged — which means actively spreading a bad mood. So when you find that your colleague’s motivation is in short supply — what do you do?
Kickstart your colleague
One reason you are more productive when you are engaged is that you are better at mobilising your own resources (A. Bakker, 2011). In other words, you are better at starting an upward spiral, where energy gives you more energy. Kickstart your colleague with feedback, a real say, social support and a taste of success. That way you create a positive spiral of optimism, self-sustaining energy and self-worth in your colleague. The effect of your shot in the arm will give your colleague a whole new drive at work. Here is how:
Gem 1
| Feedback meets your colleague’s need to grow (E. Demerouti, 2008)
Keep this in mind when you give feedback:
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Kickstart your colleague with feedback, a real say, social support and a taste of success. That way you create a positive spiral of optimism, self-sustaining energy and self-worth in your colleague.
Gem 2
| A real say meets your colleague’s need for control (A. Bakker, 2011)
Giving your colleague a real say in a task helps raise their engagement. When you give your colleague the chance to influence the outcome of the task, they become a player rather than an audience. That creates ownership and meets your colleague’s need for control. Engagement may vary from task to task, but as human beings we are born engaged by nature.
Your colleague will automatically seek a real say in order to help you, once you share your ‘why’ in the work. When you show that you are competing against yourself, your colleague will be keener to help you — unlike when it is about creating a success that mainly benefits you. |
Gem 3
| Social support meets your colleague’s need to belong (B. Uchino, 2013)
Your colleague’s engagement will automatically blossom when you give them the feeling of belonging in the project. You can do that in four ways:
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Everyone wants a cause to care about
When you kickstart your colleague with feedback, a real say and support, the engagement may not appear instantly. It will help your patience, though, if you treat low engagement as a muscle that needs rebuilding. Even though we are born engaged by nature, sometimes it takes more rebuilding than we think.
Feedback meets your colleague’s need to grow. A real say meets your colleague’s need for control. Social support meets your colleague’s need to belong.
Studies show that when we are engaged in our work, we are also engaged in our free time (W. Schaufelib, 2008). The vast majority of people dream of being engaged, but have run into a brick wall. The classic mistake we make when we meet a colleague’s lack of engagement is to return it with a lack of engagement of our own.
If your colleague has fallen into the trap of external motivators like holidays, a fruit basket and company parties, then remember the three gems: feedback, a real say and social support. Show the way to engagement.
Sources and more inspiration
The State of the Global Workplace
Gallup, 2010
An Evidence-Based Model of Work Engagement
A. Bakker, 2011, Association for Psychological Science
Towards a Model of Work Engagement
E. Demerouti & A. Bakker, 2008, Career Development International
Social Support and Physical Health
B. Uchino, 2013, Yale University Press
Work Engagement: An Emerging Concept in Occupational Health Psychology
W. Schaufelib, A. Bakker & M. Leiterc, 2008, Work & Stress: An International Journal of Work, Health & Organisations
