How to Keep Staff Engaged

Keeping staff engaged is essential for maintaining motivation, productivity, and job satisfaction. Understanding why employees disengage is the first step to addressing the issue.

To find out more, we asked Dr. Phoebe Asquith, Research Psychologist & Senior Business Consultant at Sabio Group, to explain why staff disengage and what contact centre leaders to do to keep them engaged.

Video: How Do You Keep Staff Engaged?

Watch the video below to hear Phoebe explains why people disengage and how you can keep your staff engaged:

With thanks to Dr. Phoebe Asquith, Research Psychologist & Senior Business Consultant at Sabio Group, for contributing to this video.

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Three Reasons Staff Disengage – and How to Fix Them

According to Phoebe:

“To keep staff engaged, we’re using our knowledge of human psychology and cognition. So the first thing to do is to understand why humans disengage.

And the three I’m going to talk about is being tired and bored, having a lack of connection or menial work, and the third one is needing to protect yourself.”

If these three areas are addressed by contact centre leaders, they can create a workplace where staff feel energised, connected, and valued.

1. Tiredness and Boredom

When employees feel drained or uninterested, their engagement drops.

How To Fix It:

Staff need enough downtime to stay focused. Mind wandering is natural, so allowing flexible break times helps employees re-energise, as Phoebe explains:

“So first, if people are feeling tired and bored, we need to make sure that they have enough downtime. Mind wandering is really natural.

So we need to give people the space to be able to kind of take a step back, have a rest, so that they can reengage with enough energy. And that means giving people enough flexibility and autonomy to take breaks when they need them at work.”

Providing autonomy over when they take breaks can prevent burnout and improve engagement.

2. Lack of Connection or Meaning

Employees disengage when they don’t see the purpose in their work.

How To Fix It:

Show appreciation, reinforce company values, and offer clear career progression.

“The second is having a lack of connection or meaning with work. So we need to improve that sense of purpose for agents.

So this might be showing increased appreciation, having really clear team and organizational values, or helping them to identify a career path and really clear next steps.

Just to reengage them with exactly what they’re doing within their role, and helping them to feel like it means something.”

When staff understand their role’s impact and see future opportunities, they are more likely to stay motivated.

3. Feeling Under Pressure

A high-stress environment can cause employees to disengage as a way to protect themselves.

How To Fix It:

Create a supportive workplace where staff feel safe and valued. Adjust performance metrics to focus on development rather than constant scrutiny.

“The third one is protecting people from any stress or pain that they may experience during their role, and that means that they can engage with that role really safely.

So this might mean something like repurposing performance metrics so people don’t feel like they’re under scrutiny with work, and instead helping them to feel like they’re really doing well, and can feel really pleased with the way that things are going in their day-to-day job.”

Helping employees see their progress rather than just targets can improve confidence and motivation.

If you are looking for more great video insights from the experts, check out these videos next:

Author: Phoebe Asquith
Reviewed by: Robyn Coppell

Published On: 28th Feb 2023 - Last modified: 30th Apr 2025
Read more about - Video, Dr. Phoebe Asquith, Employee Engagement, Sabio, Videos