HBR Guide to Motivating People (HBR Guide Series)

CHAPTER 3

Go Ahead: Ask Your Employees If They’re Happy

by Allison Rimm

When was the last time you made the effort to learn, really learn, what the people you work with are thinking and how they’re feeling about their jobs? With Gallup’s 2017 State of the American Workplace survey showing that 70% of U.S. employees are not engaged at work, it seems that the majority of managers would greet that question with a blank stare. Those managers are missing key information needed to attract and retain talented staff—not to mention keep them actively engaged in turning out superior results.

Despite the dismal statistics on workplace engagement, there are many enlightened leaders who do one simple thing: They ask their employees how they feel. When they ...