Zombie Employees: Re-connecting the disconnected
Dealing with disconnected employees can feel like a catch-22. Technically they are doing their job but not very well and often negatively impacting other employees. They can be passively on auto-pilot or actively creating conflict as a way of dealing with whatever has them irritated.
Gear up because for this situation the best defence is employer offence. Employees are often apprehensive about sharing why they are unhappy. And employers are equally as apprehensive about ‘disciplining’ employee’s who has become disengaged and unpredictable. It’s a relationship that needs some counselling…but before you hire the big guns…
Reach out! Give them a forum to air their thoughts and feelings and provide you with the information to fully evaluate the situation.
This is information gathering; it is not a performance review, so it’s best not to talk about all the ways that they are under-performing or compromising their credibility. This approach is a deal breaker.
Be genuinely concerned and see what they volunteer. Most likely you will discover something you were not aware of. On the other hand, if they don’t start to spill it, you are going to have to bring it up. *sigh
Tell them you sense that they are unhappy and you would like to know why. Let them know both the positive and negative things you have been observing using as many examples as possible.
Listen…till they are done. It’s not about you, it’s about them.
Let them know how their performance is impactful. Ask them if they want to stay? Ask if they like their job?
Always ask why! As many times as you need to.
Remember you are trying to solve the “REAL” problem, investigate with empathy but emotions need to be anchored. For an employee to say “I am not happy”, is half a sentence. They need to know why or at the very least try and openly collaborate towards discovering “REAL” problem.
Don’t assume its your fault.
It may be personal circumstances instead of a workplace change; or both that could be triggering their lack lustre behaviour. Provided they do not disclose any underlying medical conditions…(whole other topic)
Either way there will be 3 outcomes to your conversation;
- The problem is internal and you can fix it; (YAY!) (It’s you!) or
- The problem is personal and the company can ‘accommodate’ some changes to the work environment to return their performance to where it was (YAY!) (It’s them); or
- The problem is personal and outside the company's control to help and you start the conversation on how to turn things around. (It’s up to them)
The best way to approach a disconnected employee is to treat them like any other employee. No favouritism for the grouchy. Ask them if they are aware their behaviour is inappropriate? Explain why it is and be clear that it must stop. Period.
The hope is always that you can help facilitate the situation to make the changes needed to bring them back on-side, but the reality is some employees will change and some will not.
Employees become disconnected, and that’s okay. But you need to deal with it, and do it well. If you find yourself unable to prioritize having difficult conversations with your employees, read this. Ostriches don’t bury their heads in the sand — but we do!
