But you need them.

How can you get them motivated long term? How can you get them to care?

If you want employees to care, then care for the employees.

The Gallup organisation in 2008 published a wonderful brochure showing that the ratio of Engaged V Disengaged employees in very different for ‘World Class’ Companies and ‘Average’ Companies.

In World Class companies the ratio of Engaged to Disengaged employees is 8:1 whereas for average organisations, there are only 1.5 engaged people for every disengaged person.

So how do you change this?

Here are 13 questions your staff should be answering in the affirmative to indicate they are very engaged – the last is mine.

  1. I know what is expected of me at work.
  2. I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right.
  3. At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.
  4. In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work.
  5. My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person.
  6. There is someone at work who encourages my development.
  7. At work, my opinions seem to count.
  8. The mission or purpose of my organization makes me feel my job is important.
  9. My associates or fellow employees are committed to doing quality work.
    I have a best friend at work.
  10. In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress.
  11. This last year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow.
  12. I know why my organization exists – it’s purpose.

Now do two things:

Ask yourself if you would like to be managed so you could answer Yes to all of these.

Ask yourself if you are managing in a way that your employees could say Yes to all of these.