Workplace apathy is not hard to diagnose. Lack of enthusiasm. Too many Excuses.
Missing Deadlines. The motto of apathetic employee’s motto is:
“It is not my job.”
The word apathy is derived from Greek apatheia, which means “without emotion” and has been variously evaluated. Apathy in the workplace is a concern not only for the sake of productivity but also for employee satisfaction. Causes include poor physical environment, unsuitable working conditions, lack of opportunity to apply skills, discouragement of initiative and responsibility, curbing of social interactions, burnout and lack of job security.
Apathy has commonly been described as an absence or suppression of concern, emotion, excitement, feeling, motivation or passion, and also as a state of indifference that are otherwise or generally found to be arousing. Positive psychologists describe apathy as the result of the individual feeling that s/he is unable to address challenges or also of perceiving no challenge at all (learned helplessness).
Apathy is also considered the response of an organism when it is subject to stimuli that are excessively intense or complicated.
Ensuring cleanliness, better lighting, soft background music, conducting
informal meetings, providing infrastructural access and amenities,
clarifying roles & goals, instituting reward systems and
personal integrity on the part of managers are measures that go a long
way toward boosting motivation and interest.
Employees who demonstrate apathy at work may do so because daily tasks
aren’t fulfilling, the environment lends itself to disinterest,
management doesn't set goals or because employee performance isn’t met
with reward. Apathy at the workplace leads to decreased productivity,
which can cause major setbacks in a business’s bottom line. To keep your
workforce happy and interested, you must take an approach that keeps
employees excited.
