Ways to Encourage Your Most Apathetic Employees to Engage
It is quite common to have an apathetic employee in every company. You try your best to engage everyone and make them feel like they are a part of the team. Despite that, you will still find employees who will show up to work, do their job, and leave. It does not mean that they are not doing a good job. However, you need to help them change their attitude because their apathy could be detrimental for the team in the long run.
Lead by example
Perhaps, you have apathetic team members because you also act the same way. You do not show enthusiasm when holding meetings. You feel like you have already given up even before you commence a project. You also do the same thing each day and not engage with the employees. Worse, you pretend to always have meetings elsewhere to run away from them. This is not how you lead by example and if you stay this way, you cannot expect anything from the people you work with.
Offer incentives
Sometimes, people need this extra push to help them become more engaged with work. If you give them a reward for a job well done, they might do more than what they are doing. If they get involved in meetings and tasks beyond their own, you can also reward them. It does not have to be in monetary terms. You can give them free movie tickets. You can allow them to have an extra paid leave. You can also treat them to dinner. These incentives will make anyone in your team excited.
Keep an open door
Do not be the type of leader who rejects conversation with the employees. You want them to set an appointment with you before you talk to them. You need an open door policy so that any time they need your help, you will be there for them. Being open also means that you do not write their ideas off even if you think that they are ridiculous. You want to motivate them to engage and being dismissive does not help.
Give them a leadership role
It does not mean that you will promote them to a higher position for them to finally become less apathetic. It means that you can give them a leadership role on the next project. They can have the same position, but you can let them lead the team. Perhaps, this is their chance to finally shine and show their strengths. They just need that opportunity to show what they can do.
You cannot force everyone at work to be engaged when they are not in the mood to do so. Every employee is different and not everyone in your team is energetic or is compassionate about the company and its goals. You need to understand these differences, but still learn how to motivate everyone in the team.
Photo Attribution:
Featured and 1st image from https://unsplash.com/photos/09xOI1m9Pk8
2nd image from https://www.businesschief.com/leadership/3826/Is-Employee-Apathy-a-Danger-to-My-Business
