Recent research by highly-reputable firms such as Gallup and TowersWatson suggest that, on average, at least 70% of employees in a U.S. workplace are either passively engaged (“mailing it in”) or actively disengaged, undermining the success of operations.

In his latest of six books, The Three Signs of a Miserable Job: A Fable for Managers (and Their Employees), Patrick Lencioni focuses on three reasons why so many workers are passively engaged.

What are the three signs?

“The first is anonymity, which is the feeling that employees get when they realize that their manager has little interest in them a human being and that they know little about their lives, their aspirations and their interests.

“The second sign is irrelevance, which takes root when employees cannot see how their job makes a difference in the lives of others. Every employee needs to know that the work they do impacts someone’s life–a customer, a co-worker, even a supervisor–in one way or another.

“The third sign is something I call immeasurement, which is the inability of employees to assess for themselves their contribution or success. Employees who have no means of measuring how well they are doing on a given day or in a given week, must rely on the subjective opinions of others, usually their managers’, to gauge their progress or contribution.”

My suggestions?

1.  When discussing performance with a direct report, focus on results of effort and keep in mind that results can be better (i.e. improvement), worse, or the same. Whichever, find out why.

2. Praise outstanding results in public (celebrating well-deserved  recognition for achievement); discuss unfavorable results only in private (offering constructive criticism because of sincere concern).

3.  Help people to become more alert observers. Reward problem finders as well as pro0blem solvers.

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Patrick Lencioni is the founder and president of The Table Group, a firm dedicated to helping organizations become healthy. We do this by providing ideas, products and services that improve teamwork, clarity and employee engagement. Lencioni’s passion for organizations and teams is reflected in his writing, speaking and consulting. He is the author of nine best-selling books with nearly three million copies sold, including Death by Meeting, The Three Signs of a Miserable Job, and The Five Dysfunctions of a Team — which continue to be a fixture on national best-seller lists.

Recently named in Fortune magazine as one of the ‘ten new gurus you should know,’ Lencioni and his work have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, Bloomberg Businessweek, Inc. and Harvard Business Review, to name a few.

When Lencioni is not writing, he consults to CEOs and their executive teams, helping them to become more cohesive within the context of their business strategy. The wide-spread appeal of Lencioni’s leadership models have yielded a diverse base of clients, including a mix of Fortune 500 companies, professional sports organizations, the military, non-profits, universities and churches. In addition, Lencioni speaks to thousands of leaders each year at world class organizations and national conferences. He was recently cited in the Wall Street Journal as one of the most sought-after business speakers in the nation.

Prior to founding his firm, he worked as a corporate executive for Sybase, Oracle and Bain & Company. He also served on the National Board of Directors for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America.