An "I don't care" attitude is ravaging businesses from the assembly line to the retail floor. Gallop Organization research estimates that 70% of employees are disengaged, or no longer committed to the company. Employee disengagement is widespread at a time when companies are trying to increase productivity and brand themselves. Layoffs have contributed to the problem, but often organizations don't give employees reasons to care. One consultant reports that a ratio of four engaged employees to one disengaged employee is where a company starts to see gains in productivity. Managers need to know which employees are disengaged. Employees should understand where they fit in a company. There needs to be a purpose greater than themselves that they're working toward. Keeping people engaged and motivated is crucial, and can be done in many ways:

• Offer feedback every day instead of once a year at a performance review.
• Ask employees what they think is expected of them.
• Think about your own work experiences, and what kept you enthusiastic.
• Discover and develop employees' talents, instead of trying to fix their weaknesses.
• Fire managers who don't do these things.
• Review employee performance quarterly, focus on future performance instead of past.