We Have an Engagement Drought

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A drought is a weather phenomenon characterized by an extended period of low rainfall. This lack of rainfall creates conditions of peril, such as dropping groundwater levels, shrinking lakes, and drying streams. 

In areas without irrigation systems, the lack of rainfall can lead to the loss of all agriculture: food, animals, grass, and, essentially, everything that provides life and enjoyment!

Yet at the same time, persistence of drought can be the exact weather pattern some people seek.  Hot, dry, and consistent!

This Midwestern-raised guy prefers the drought-type weather conditions.  I enjoy hot and dry weather.  I loathe mud and wet.

The arid, hot, and consistent summers of the Western US are a dream compared to the rollercoaster of temperatures, humidity, and precipitation in the rest of the country.

Droughts can be sudden or they can build up.  A total lack of rainfall in one season can decimate life, or extended drier-than-normal conditions can reach a point where dire decisions have to be made.  Do we keep the herd of cows and feed them hay we have to buy, or do we sell them? (This was the situation many farms faced post-COVID, and why beef prices are what they are today!)

The farms that held on and bought the hay struggled financially for a few years, but are now able to recoup the expense with higher profits.  Others who sold their herd missed the financial exposure but are now sitting on the sidelines, waiting for animal prices to fall to a point they can justify reentering the industry. All the while, consumers are paying the ultimate price: higher beef prices due to lower overall supply and higher production costs.

Bet you didn't think today's newsletter would feature an economic case study of the beef industry.

Yet the American Beef Production dynamic and today's lack of engagement in the general workforce share the same precursor: a failure to address the real problem!

A quick look at the workplace engagement numbers from Gallup from their most recent report.

The Gallup Global Engagement Study—often referenced through Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace Report—tracks employee engagement levels worldwide each year.

According to the most recent 2024 Gallup report:

• 23% of employees globally are engaged at work — meaning they are involved, enthusiastic, and committed to their work and workplace.
  

• 62% are “not engaged,” showing low motivation and emotional connection.
  

• 15% are “actively disengaged,” meaning they are unhappy and potentially undermining their teams.

For U.S. employees, engagement remains higher than the global average but has slightly declined since its pandemic-era peak:

• 34% engaged (U.S.)
  

• 50% not engaged
  

• 16% actively disengaged

It's as easy for those who might not know to read what I wrote just a few lines ago and say that beef prices have gone up due to drought.  As it is, employees are less engaged in the workplace today due to entitlement, insufficient pay to cover expenses, and other factors.

The truth fits for both.  We didn't care enough when we needed to!

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The Solution

Mark C Crowley is an author and former banking executive.  In his first book, Lead from the Heart, Mark shared some fantastic stories and statistics that overwhelmingly showed that the heart is more than just a blood-pumping organ.

The Heart has memories and feelings.  For real, read the book and be blown away when he shares that the recipient of a heart transplant led to the conviction of the person who murdered the heart donor through the dreams they had post-transplant.

The solution for the American Beef Industry is not what some of the most prominent voices in the market share. Nor is the solution in the world workplace what some profess.

As Mark writes in his latest book, The Power of Employee Well-Being, driving engagement numbers is not about creating perks, more pay, or even making it easier for employees to work at their organization.

For the American Beef Industry, it's not about pointing fingers at consolidation, imports, or environmental opinions.

Both need the community within to look out for the greater well-being of everyone.

Employee well-being does take into account pay, career pathways, and childcare considerations, among other factors, but it doesn't stop there.

The American Beef Producers must consider the drought's impact on the entire industry and on consumers, but can’t stop there and blame herd consolidation on weather impacts.

Higher prices may make farming more profitable, but they also reduce consumption. A slight decrease in consumption far outweighs any potential profit gain from higher prices.

It may be easier for a leader to forgo niceties today in pursuit of the quarter goal, but the impact will be long-lasting, even when the boss is back to his nicer ways.

The jump in cattle prices was good for producers who have been selling cattle, but the impact is now a consumer wary of buying beef because of historically high prices.

The way to care for everyone is to increase heart and focus on employee well-being.  Caring about them as a person. Rhetorically and outwardly asking: are their needs met, do they feel valued, do they and their work matter?  

If you focus on those factors, employee engagement will follow; it can’t not!

If we all help the American Beef Producers focus on the long term rather than selling females to make a profit now, which will limit future herd size, we can provide high-quality, affordable beef to consumers.

Collectively focusing on domestic food security, everyone can eliminate harmful regulations that drive businesses out of the US.  Collectively, we’ll support farmers rather than attack them, recognizing that every $1 of farm income impacts the US economy by about $9!

Focusing on employee well-being may seem like an up-front cost, and in many cases it is.  But the downstream impact is exponential.  More engaged employees do more work, sell more product, show up more days, have less turnover, and are happier.

A thriving US farm is the backbone of the US. With it, we are all stronger. The way to help farmers is to buy local when you can.  Listen to the challenges they really face: employee, energy, financing, and environmental regulatory. 

And not to be understated, overconsolidation due to low margins has made the US beef industry, and most other agricultural enterprises, vulnerable to challenges. 

Farmers are resilient, yet they are also price takers at both ends.  They don't set the price; the free market does, which is overwhelmingly global on all accounts.

Just like the solution to a drought isn't to stop all water use — no water = no food — going all in on engagement for engagement's sake hasn't moved the needle in 15 years.

We can drive engagement when we go upstream and see that engagement is a result of well-being.  Drive well-being, and engagement will follow.

All of this comes back to being aware. Willingness to address the real problem and solution. But it’s also the hardest to be vulnerable when the chips are low and your back is against the wall.

Yet that's when it matters most!

Did you catch this podcast? If not, listen to it here.