Overcoming Cynicism, Misconceptions, and Apathy about Employee Engagement

Will the new decade bring new hope or just more cynicism to the business world? You may have seen this recent Dilbert cartoon, printed last month in the winter of our recessionary discontent:

Dilbert's Boss: "We need more of what the management experts call employee engagement. I don't know the details, but it has something to do with you idiots working harder for the same pay."
Dilbert: "Is anything different on your end?"
Dilbert's Boss: "I think I'm supposed to be happier."

The cartoon was an instant classic. Unfortunately, it captured the deep employee cynicism about the most highly misunderstood business buzzword of the decade just ended. As the cartoon suggests, many employers have earned the cynicism by invoking the term "employee engagement" to mean "doing more with less"-a burden to be borne by employees.

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