"70% of American workers are “not engaged” or “actively disengaged” and are emotionally disconnected from their workplaces and less likely to be productive." 1
So much has changed! Read the statistic above again. We were on the job, but not present. We were there and putting in the hours, but many of us felt dissociated from the work experience. We showed up, but were numbed out and shut down to the experience of doing the work and accomplishing results.
Why do you think that was? Was it the quality of the meetings? Was it our team mates and/or leaders? Was it the lip service paid to the vision and values of the company? Was it the relentless pace of the workflow coupled with the ways we compensated when we got home? Was it the loss of inspiration and enthusiasm for what we were spending 40-60 hours a week doing? Had we lost our connection with our core values and how they informed our work?
Look at us now. There is a lot of confusion, but we are taking so much less for granted. We appreciate having a job. We are grateful for the people there who support us. We are not able to connect in person, but we look forward to the virtual meetings. We are on task AND doing what is good for us too. Our self care is higher. We are paying attention to what is important AFTER work. We have slowed down. We aren't going through the motions, bored and certain of what tomorrow will bring.
Our engagement in our lives translates to our engagement at work.
Our engagement in our lives translates to our engagement at work. Can you see that? Do you feel differently about work? Are you emotionally invested in new ways? You can be. It's a generated experience. Get excited. Be enthusiastic. Come to your meetings happy. Manage your mood throughout the day. Stop and take a break when you notice you are not present. Get outside or take an actual walk to inform you of who you are and your connection to the world.
We work for a living. HOW we work is up to us. Watch for overworking or procrastinating. Practice daily self care. Find the sweet spot of efficient and effective action and then notice when it gets interrupted. Then find it again. This is our life currently. Enjoy it. Notice it. Engage in it. Remember, suffering is optional.
1Lipman, Victor. “Surprising, Disturbing Facts From The Mother Of All Employee Engagement Surveys.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 30 July 2015, www.forbes.com/sites/victorlipman/2013/09/23/surprising-disturbing-facts-from-the-mother-of-all-employee-engagement-surveys/?sh=7bbb37aa3120.