#45 The Dark Side of Employee Engagement

Over-engagement can negatively impact employee well-being and performance. Prevent it by promoting work-life balance, setting realistic goals, fostering a supportive culture, and encouraging self-care

Employee engagement is often seen as a positive force leading to increased productivity, better job satisfaction, and thriving workplace culture. However, recent studies suggest that too much engagement can adversely affect employees' well-being and job performance. In this article, we explore the concept of over-engagement, its potential consequences, and ways for people managers to balance encouraging engagement and preventing employee burnout.

Gary was over-engaged. It did terrible things to his hair.

Defining Over-Engagement

To understand over-engagement, we first need to define what employee engagement is. According to the Corporate Leadership Council, employee engagement refers to "the extent to which employees are emotionally invested in and focused on creating value for their organizations." Engaged employees are committed to their work, feel valued by their employers, and have a sense of purpose in what they do.

However, engagement can also have a dark side when it becomes excessive or over-involvement. Over-engaged employees go above and beyond their job duties, often at the expense of their personal lives, physical and mental health, and job performance. They may work longer hours, take on more responsibilities than they can handle, and put their needs and well-being last. While over-engagement can initially boost productivity and job satisfaction, it can eventually lead to burnout, stress, and disengagement.

The Consequences of Over-Engagement

Several studies have highlighted the potential consequences of over-engagement. For example, a 2019 study by the University of Bath found that over-engaged employees are more likely to experience exhaustion and psychological distress, leading to decreased job satisfaction and increased intention to leave their jobs. Similarly, a 2018 study found that over-engaged employees are more likely to be less creative, have higher in-job poor performance measures and poorer behaviour.

Other studies have shown that over-engagement can lead to physical problems like back pain, headaches, and sleep disorders. Employees who work long hours and have high job demands are at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attacks and strokes, than those who work fewer hours and have lower job demands. Moreover, over-engaged employees may need to pay more attention to their personal relationships, hobbies, and self-care activities, which can further exacerbate their stress and burnout.

Why Employees Become Over-Engaged

Several factors can contribute to over-engagement among employees and one of the main ones is the organizational culture that values work above all else and encourages employees to "go the extra mile" or "be a team player" regardless of their own well-being. In such cultures, employees may feel pressure to conform to the norm of overwork and sacrifice their personal lives for the sake of their jobs. Moreover, they may fear being perceived as "lazy," "uncommitted," or "not a good fit" if they do not meet the high expectations of their employers.

It could be that employees just really love working for your company and going the extra mile is just … work. They don’t see it as over-engagement, just as doing something they enjoy, or something that’s rewarding or satisfying to do. They may also derive a sense of self-worth and identity from their work accomplishments and feel guilty or anxious when unsuccessful.

Additionally, individual personality traits, such as perfectionism, conscientiousness, and workaholism could lead people to be over-engaged. Folks with these traits may have a strong sense of responsibility and duty to their work and may find it hard to disconnect from work even when not on the job.

Preventing Over-Engagement

To prevent over-engagement among employees, people people can take several steps to create a work environment that promotes employee well-being and prevents burnout. Here are some suggestions:

1. Promote work-life balance: you can encourage employees to prioritise their personal lives by offering flexible work arrangements, such as telecommuting, flexible hours, or job sharing (if you’re not already). You can also bang the drum for using vacation time, sick leave, and other time off benefits and discourage employees from working during their off-hours or holidays. Model this by ensuring your senior team are doing the same thing.

2. Set realistic goals and expectations: you can ensure that responsibilities are aligned with employees' skills, abilities, and resources. Managers should also communicate clear expectations and goals and provide regular feedback and recognition for employees' accomplishments. This helps employees to feel valued and motivated without feeling overwhelmed or pressured.

3. Foster a supportive culture: you can create a culture that values employee well-being and encourages open communication and support. For example, you should promote proper employee engagement through team-building activities (man, just typing that makes me gag a little, but they’re still useful), social events, and recognition programs. You should also provide resources for employees to manage stress, such as counselling services, wellness programs, and mindfulness training. Some people will see this as a bit woo-woo. But, they’re the ones missing out!

4. Encourage self-care: you absolutely should be encouraging employees to prioritize self-care activities, such as exercise, meditation, hobbies, and socialising. You can provide resources and incentives for employees to engage in these activities, such as gym memberships, mindfulness apps, or employee wellness challenges. You can also lead by example by caring for your well-being, modelling healthy behaviours and inviting others to join you.

5. Balance the people books: make sure you’ve got the right number of bodies on the books for the amount of work needing to be done. If you’re spreading 10 peoples’ work amongst 6 people, you’re probably the problem pal.

Employee engagement can be a powerful force for productivity and job satisfaction, but it can also have a dark side when it becomes over-involvement. Over-engaged employees may experience burnout, stress, and adverse health outcomes, harming their well-being and job performance. HR managers can prevent over-engagement by promoting work-life balance, setting realistic goals and expectations, fostering a supportive culture, and encouraging self-care. Doing so can create a thriving workplace culture that values employees' productivity and well-being.

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