Workforce Engagement is Rare

“80% of the population is at some level disengaged in their work – This is simply wrong”

How did we get to a place where so many people are in careers where they are just going through the motions with little fulfillment and no motivation? The most interesting thing around them is office gossip. Their strongest motivator is the pay cheque.

We’re in this situation because we’ve built a system that is geared to helping people get jobs – not the right job with the right employer. There are books and courses on writing resumes and cover letters, and on how to score in an interview.

Employers are advertising on Monster and Workopolis right next to links that teach candidates how to sell themselves to the employer. It’s all about the sales job – not the job fit.

It’s not candidates’ fault that they use these tools. We encourage them. We tell them that we won’t interview them if they have typos in their cover letters. So they fix the typos, or cut and paste the cover letter that they purchased from a cover letter writing service.

Let’s be honest: our track record for selecting engaged employees is poor. Much like Global Warming, the solution won’t happen overnight, but we all have to do our part. Change starts small and builds momentum. If 11% of the companies out there focus on hiring for fit and engagement, the momentum needed to reverse the track we’re on will start.