Signs of a Disengaged Employee

Marcianne Kuethen

Updated July 5, 2024

There’s a lot of talk going around about employee engagement. You’ve undoubtedly learned that it’s a great thing that you want your employees to have. After all, engaged employees put forth more discretionary effort, which contributes directly to the success of your organization. But what exactly are the signs of a disengaged employee? From experience, I’m sure you have your ideas, and I have mine!

For instance, when I was a school librarian, a teacher’s aide once told me that the kindergarten teacher fell asleep on her desk every afternoon for about half an hour. The teacher had planned to retire but fell on hard times, and now just didn’t care enough to stay awake to teach her class!

But a disengaged employee doesn’t always look lazy–one manager I know disagreed with the way her boss was running the company. In passive-aggressive style, she got her work done but also secretly took every opportunity to undermine her boss to other coworkers, dragging down the morale of the entire staff.

Or what about the prima donna who always has to have her way? Whenever an employee’s daily agenda is more about her needs than the needs of your organization, the term disengagement most likely applies!

There are all kinds of reasons for workplace disengagement to occur, some of which you, the employer, can do something about. A disengaged employee could have gotten off to a bad start, or not gotten the kind of feedback he needed to stay motivated. It could be that the employee hasn’t sensed a culture of respect or been given meaningful rewards or recognition for her efforts. Or it could be that your disengaged employee is misaligned with your company’s mission and values and simply is not a good fit.

To get a complete picture of the signs of a disengaged employee, check out this cool infographic created by OfficeVibe.com:

This infographic was crafted with love by Officevibe, the employee engagement platform that helps managers see the ROI of company culture while making employees happier and more motivated at work.

By Marcianne Kuethen

Marcianne Kuethen

Marcianne Kuethen is a Senior Writer at Amtec, where she has written over 700 blog posts in the past 18 years. Her family has led the company across three generations, from her father who founded Amtec in 1959 to her son Barrett who serves as President and CEO today. Outside of writing, she makes art, music, and gardens.