• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

  • Home
  • Topics
  • Blog
    • About
  • People Artistry
  • Resources
    • Model
    • ENGAGE: The Course
    • 10 Principles of Engagement
    • What Others are Saying about David
    • Clients
    • Books
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Archives for Canadian Employee Engagement Speaker

Employee Engagement: Is Employee Disengagement a Form of Death?

September 23, 2014 by David Zinger Leave a Comment

Something dies in us when we disengage

RIP Employee Disengagement

I was flying from Winnipeg to Singapore at the end of August to do a one day workshop on employee engagement. I was minding my own business when my brain began to nudge me with a quiet question that began to get louder and louder in consciousness: Is employee disengagement death?

At first it felt like an absurd question to be pondering at 39,000 feet over the Pacific ocean. My immediate answer was no. But the question had me in its grip and would not let go. Before I got to Singapore I had decided that disengagement is indeed a form of death. I believe something dies in us when we disengage.

What dies might be such things as

  • contribution,
  • fair exchange,
  • all the time we spend working,
  • a distant career spark burning out like an old light bulb,
  • a sense of meaning,
  • both care and caring for ourselves and others,
  • working relationships,
  • a spiritual connection that work provides to something greater than ourselves.

Here is a little thought or word replacement experiment I encourage you to try at work.

When talking about employee engagement substitute the word life for engagement, as in employee life or living. When using the phrase employee disengagement change it to employee death or dying. Yes, I know, it sounds too strong but perhaps we need this strong language to stop being complacent or helpless around employee disengagement.

Organizations, leaders, managers, and supervisors all have an obligation towards employee engagement not just for the organization but for the life and wellbeing of each employee. Don’t let employees die on the job because of career suicide, being murdered by meaningless work, or the hundreds of other ways one can die on the job.

So, what do you think? Can we infuse life into work or am I dead wrong on this?

David Zinger – Employee engagement speaker and expert who firmly believes that work can make us well.

Filed Under: Employee Engagement Tagged With: Canadian Employee Engagement Speaker, employee disengagement as death, Employee Engagement, meaningful work, work/life balance

Ranting Against Employee Engagement Evangelists

October 1, 2013 by David Zinger 1 Comment

Be Small. Do Good Work. That is Enough.

Employee Engagement Development Symbol

Recently, I have noticed more experts referring to themselves, or having other refer to them as evangelists. Evangelist means  a person and especially a preacher who tries to convince people to become Christian or someone who speaks with “great” enthusiasm.  We don’t need to convert people to employee engagement. We need to respect, empower, listen and get out of the way. If you want to evangelize then go to a church and preach to your hearts content. If you want to make a difference at work:

stop cajoling -> start accepting

stop preaching -> start teaching

stop telling -> start asking

stop speaking -> start listening

stop presenting -> start facilitating

stop owning -> start sharing

stop the sermon -> start serving

stop shouting -> start whispering

stop getting -> start letting

stop fearing -> start caring

stop commanding -> start inviting

stop doubting -> start trusting

 David Zinger Employee Engagement Speaker and Expert

David Zinger believes in small, simple, strong, significant and sustainable actions to take steps in the right direction in employee engagement. Contact him if you dare to be small and good with your work.

Filed Under: Employee Engagement Tagged With: Canadian Employee Engagement Speaker, David Zinger, Evangelist, listen, trust

David Zinger

Email: david@davidzinger.com
Phone 204 254 2130

Copyright © 2023 · Aspire Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in