For every five employed Kenyans,four lack the drive to go above and beyond in their roles at work, a new study shows.
A recent global survey by Gallup says 80 per cent of Kenyan workers are "disengaged" meaning they only do the bare minimum and are only with the current employer because they haven't found a job opening elsewhere.
‘Disengaged from work’ refers to a lack of emotional or psychological connection to one's job or workplace.
Employees who are disengaged typically show low levels of motivation, commitment, and enthusiasm for their work.
At 80 percent, the rate of disengagement is slightly higher in Kenya and the East African region compared to the world’s average of 77 per cent.
In Kenya for instance only one in every five employees (20 per cent) are engaged, with 63 percent disengaged and 17 percent actively disengaged.
The survey further shows that men are slightly more engaged compared to their female counterparts.
Further those in the managerial positions also tend to be more engaged than the employees in the junior positions.
“Over 75 per cent of the global workforce is either not engaged or actively disengaged at work, and it’s costing the world economy a whopping $8.9 trillion annually,” reads the report.
“As this data demonstrates, boosting employee engagement isn’t an easy feat and some employment analysts are noting that companies are now building up "emotional salary" to increase employee engagement and productivity.”
The findings further show that employees aren't getting what they need to thrive.
From the basics like having the right materials and equipment to long-term professional development, workplaces globally aren't providing the elements employees need to thrive at their jobs.
The report observes that this might be why many employees are feeling lonely, angry or stressed or are looking for another job.
An estimated 48 per cent of workers in the sub-Saharan region reported being stressed compared to a global average of 41 per cent.
More women (50 per cent) were stressed compared to men (47 per cent). The junior employees recorded a higher stress levels than managers.
Those aged below 35 years are slightly less stressed (47 percent) compared to the 50 percent above the age bracket.
A quarter (25 per cent) of employees are reportedly getting angry daily at the work place with both men and women tying at 25 per cent on the rate of anger.
Further 75 per cent of workers are actively looking to leave their current job, more women are in this category than men.
Life and Leadership Coach Alice Ngigi, who is also the founder and CEO - Alycer Coaching says that, in a country grappling with high levels of unemployment, such a high level of disengagement is sobering.
“When most of an organisation's employees are psychologically disengaged, it means little work is going on. That leads to low productivity, which ends up being very expensive for the organisation,” said Ngigi.
She says that when employees don't see a better future for themselves in an organisation, they are likely to feel discouraged.
In such a situation, they get pre-occupied with looking for other opportunities outside the organisation and when this is not forthcoming, they just hang around waiting for the time to clock out having done very little.
She says that rarely will employees become disengaged when they are treated well and when they feel valued. They will continue giving their best even if they are looking for new and better opportunities.