A recent Gallup poll suggests that poor employee engagement is contributing to high staff turnover, as managers across the globe struggle to meet the needs of their staff. Of the 1500 employees surveyed, 24% of them described themselves as disengaged. Statistics indicate that low engagement can often lead to decreased productivity, profitability and morale.
Our experiential training company Dramatic Training Solutions is hoping our innovative take on leadership and communication training will provide disengaged employees with more confidence in the workplace. Our company specialise in providing leadership, sales and communication workshops where employees are placed in simulated situations with actors so they can play out actual work scenarios with their ‘managers’ and subsequently use those learnings in the office environment.
Following the release of the Gallup report, we gathered real feedback from participants in their training programmes and found that junior employees in particular were more motivated and inspired in the workplace as a result of our unique training programme. One participated said ‘my biggest fears is role playing in front of my colleagues, but I found the experience to be far more enjoyable and worthwhile than previous role play experiences and far more useful than the one day training session we attended earlier in the year.’
My co- founder and partner Peter Rice believes experiential training is critical for equipping staff with the key skills needed to keep them engaged and motivated. “We are certainly not surprised by the findings in the Gallup poll; this is quite common feedback we usually receive from the companies who contact us about our training programmes. These types of studies are exactly why we are absolutely committed to providing a practical solution to employees who are disillusioned and disenfranchised in the workplace.” he said.
The Gallup poll also stressed the need for management to provide solid plans for improvement or risk becoming a barrier to employee, team and company performance. It suggested leaving managers to their own devices can create disengaged workplaces and called on companies to offer tailored and intensive training, coaching, support and guidance to all managers.