Remember that old-fashion concept of employee engagement? You probably thought it went away, right? I mean, who cares if employees are engaged when the economy is in the crapper? Where can they go?

I asked people to finish this statement about a job they quit: “I knew it was time to leave when…” They had a lot to say:

“…when I saw no more room to grow.” Betsy P.

“…when there was nothing more to learn.”  Patricia H

“…when the job became increasingly administrative and less development / creative oriented, and I couldn’t wait to go home at the end of the day. (And I was increasingly crabby!)”  Linda D.

“…when I realized there is no career growth or opportunity to learn further. Work was monotonous and there was no appreciation/recognition for good work.” T. S.

“…when I realized that I was the smartest person in the company.” Arnold N.

“…when I knew I had gone as far as I could there, and if I stayed longer I would go stale.” Cliff E.

Maybe you don’t have engaged employees because your employees have unrealistic expectations about work fulfillment. Or maybe it’s because you fail to engage them in meaningful work.