By Laura Morgan, Managing Partner at MorganHR
Although it may not be easy to tell whether you are truly engaged in your career, there are many signs that you can look for. For those who are looking for a new job, it is important to know the difference between being unengaged and disengaged at work. Working towards goals and being passionate about your work can be difficult to do, but it is necessary if you want to have a fulfilling career. Here are some things to look out for that might indicate you should reevaluate your career.
7 Signs That You Are Engaged In Your Work
- You’re excited about the things you’re learning & doing
- You’re exceeding expectations
- You look forward to completing tasks
- You adopt the vision, values, and purpose of your company
- You’ve applied for new projects
- You feel like your career is heading somewhere (in the right direction)
- You feel confident that you are valued at work and that you belong
The Difference Between Unengaged and Disengaged
Unengaged employees are not willing to go the extra mile. They still complete tasks, but only to the bare minimum. They are ones that might be excessively late or often absent, and their work isn’t up to the standard expectation. Productivity plummets with unengaged employees, and everyone pays the price.
Worse still are disengaged employees. They are not present at all and tend to drag their feet while completing tasks if they finish them at all. They do not represent the values of the company, and they are completely unmotivated. It is difficult to work with disengaged employees since they are missing any sort of motivator to get the job done.
What To Do If You Aren’t Engaged
Before talking to your supervisor, try to understand why you aren’t engaged. Ask yourself a few of these questions to get to the root of the problem:
- Am I lacking variety?
- Am I confident about the work I do?
- Do I feel that I have control in my job? Is that important to me?
- Have I achieved a goal of mine recently?
- Do I feel that my job has value?
- Do people notice my success?
- Do I feel that I belong on my team?
- Am I on the path to moving up the organizational hierarchy?
- Does my pay feel fair, relevant, and right?
Engagement is key to success in your job. The best way to be engaged is to be aware of your motivators and make sure that you are always reaching for them.
We recently conducted a survey on Career (re) Engagement
Here are the results of our survey:
- The majority feel that they are not on track with their personal goals and life plans.
- The majority feel like they are not on track with their workplace goals and life plans.
- The majority do not have a development plan that focuses on professional and personal goals.
- The results of our survey certainly match the current climate. The Turnover Tsunami, The Talent Tsunami, and The Great Resignation are mainstream, real, and profound.
- The current effects of the pandemic have given the workforce a renewed energy, a new way to look at their career and life decisions.