BY BEN WIGERT AND COREY TATEL VIA GALLUP
Original article: https://www.gallup.com/workplace/653711/great-detachment-why-employees-feel-stuck.aspx?version=print
FACILITATED DISCUSSION BY ALYSIA KEHOE, KEHOE CONSULTANTS | Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Continued from Part 1…
Solution No. 2: Connect Individual Contributions to Mission and Purpose
Finding mission and purpose in one’s work provides intrinsic motivation for high performance. People want to know their work matters and that their employer makes a difference in the world. Mission and purpose also bond people together. Highly engaged employees feel like they belong to a community, not just a job.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, employees’ connection to the mission or purpose of their organization initially held steady as employers worked to unify their workforce and employees rallied to save their business.
In mid-2021, amid the Great Resignation, employees’ sense of connection began to erode as organizations experienced the pressure of constant change, uncertainty, and a volatile labor market which led to fatigue. A rapid decline ensued, with connection to a company mission dropping from 38% in March 2021 to a record low of 30% in February 2024.
Connection to mission or purpose is particularly low among younger employees, fully remote workers and front-line employees.
To turn this trend around, leaders must communicate an inspiring vision that people want to get behind. This is critical at the organizational level, but ultimately, the connection must be made at the team level. Employees need a manager to show them why their effort makes a difference.
The best leaders and managers:
- Clarify and exemplify the mission and values of the organization
- Help employees see how they contribute to something bigger
- Ask employees to share stories about what makes them proud of their work
- Ensure the employee experience is delivering on the company’s mission and values
Big Hint / Idea from Alysia #4
Based on your organization’s most current vision, mission, and overall purpose:
Action: Conduct a Vision, Mission, Values (VMV) Review & Clarity Session with your organization and implement actions within each team.
- Vision: The long-term impact your organization aims to make (legacy lasting 100 years)
- Mission: The current goals for the organization over the next 12-18 months
- Values: Practices and passions, with a discussion on common In-Group/Out-Group Behaviors for each value listed
- An in-group is a group that a person identifies with, while an out-group is a group that a person does not identify with.
- Ask for weekly and daily suggestions from team members and leaders on how to implement the vision, mission, and values (VMV) with clients, other team members, and self.
Big Hint / Idea from Alysia #5
Conduct an exercise on Levels of Engagement during a team meeting. Draw a horizontal line chart and number the line from 1 (low) to 10 (high).
Ask individuals on your team:
- Where are you from 1-10 and why?
- Then engage your employees in a team discussion and have team list actions to take to increase engagement.
The Power of the Employee-Employer Bond
The Great Detachment indicates that many employees are struggling to navigate new priorities and new ways of working. They are also questioning the meaning and purpose of their work and have yet to be answered. This presents a challenge for companies that want to retain their talent, strengthen their culture and grow their business.
The good news is that by addressing two declining elements of engagement—clear expectations and mission or purpose—leaders can turn these risks into game-changing strengths. Gallup’s 11th edition of its Q12® meta-analysis (from 2024) shows:
- Improving clarity of expectations from today’s levels to best-practice levels can lead to a 9% increase in profitability and an 11% improvement in work quality.
- Improving the connection between employees’ jobs and the mission or purpose of their organization can lead to a 32% reduction in turnover and a 15% improvement in productivity.
Organizations that deliver on these two critical needs will build a more committed workforce and inspire their people’s best work. That’s good for employees, employers, and their customers.
Big Hint / Idea from Alysia #6
Tie all work & projects to the vision, mission, and values (VMV) of the organization.
Action:
- Ask on a daily, weekly, and quarterly basis:
- Each person should reflect on how their specific project ties into the overall VMV.
- This will help individuals regularly see the correlation between their work and the productivity & direction of their organization.
Best Practices / Expectations
Action: As an individual on your team finishes a project,
- Ask the person for a ‘best practice’ that came out of this project.
- Discuss how this best practice can be implemented in future projects.
By embedding these strategies into daily operations, organizations can create a workplace where employees feel valued, engaged, and connected to a shared purpose. This will lead to stronger teams, higher productivity, and greater overall success.
Interested in learning how Kehoe Consultants can help your organization improve real engagement, productivity, and success? Schedule a FREE consultation call below! ⬇️