Motivating Employees during Difficult Times
There is a general perception that employees would be happy just to have a job during times when company is laying off their employees every and then and these news keep coming in through various sources. You all will also think that employment would be enough to motivate your people to perform at such high levels even at these troubled times.
However, from my experience, employment doesn’t seem to solely motivate employees, especially top performers who are very fragile and might move out and join the competitors. That’s why it becomes sole responsibilities of the managers to keep motivating during both good and bad times to keep the best on board. The best leaders do their best to motivate and galvanize their teams during troubled times.
Ways to motivate employees
Revisit Your Organizational Vision and Mission
During severe economic slowdown lot of companies make lot of deviations in the organization to adjust and minimize financial losses or
curtail their expenditures. This involves laying of many employees, changing their organization structure to suit their financial profits, changing the entire management structure, eradicating products and services, and redesigning operational processes which are beneficial and will suit them. The result may mean that your organization has a different purpose and mission and the same should be communicated to the employees to build in their trust amongst employees.
Communicate the Current Vision and Mission
With clarity on the current vision and mission of the organization, you will need to communicate this information clearly to your employees so that the rumours can be set to rest as rumours travel faster than facts. This communication has to be two-way. You will always have to spend time with them to make sure that the employees clearly understand the changes and to listen to them as they communicate any concerns with the management. This is an emotional time for your layoff survivors as they have concerns about keeping their jobs and their job security. Communication is very critical and your team will appreciate your extra efforts to engage them and respond to any concerns that they have.
Align Your Organizational Sector with the Current Vision and Mission
Everyone in the company would most likely need to make adjustments to comply with the new organizational vision and mission. As the company works to find its bearings in the face of ongoing market shifts, this is also an ongoing adjustment process. Allowing your employees to contribute ideas and assist you in making improvements would boost their morale. It will also give them a sense of control and intent in the process, which will improve their overall employee engagement.
Focus on the Short Term but Don’t Neglect the Long Term
It’s critical to achieve short-term targets for your unit in order to keep the company afloat, but it’s also critical to remember long-term objectives for your organizational field. This is especially critical when it comes to the team’s coaching and employee growth activities. They would appreciate your continued involvement in their company’s growth and professional advancement.
Help Your Surviving Employees Find Their Place
Survivors of layoffs must contend with a wide variety of emotions. They normally experience relief as well as survivor’s remorse for
missing out on the corporate downsizing. When they observe the changes taking place around them, they will become confused and anxious about their future. Showing the team where they fit into the new organizational image can help to calm their nerves and inspire them to do their best work.
Invite outside speakers and keep investing in training
Invite an outside motivational speaker to talk to your group, and then reinforce the speaker’s main messages. Continue training programs as well, as this will keep the employees on the career path they expected.
Empower your employees
Inspire the staff to be innovative by asking them to come up with new ideas for how to make the business more competitive and boost results. Employees will be compensated with a portion of the cost saved if the outcomes of an idea are observable and quantifiable.
These techniques are aimed at ensuring that your workers are aware of the company’s strategic direction, your organizational area of responsibility, and their position in this new reality. Although you can’t personally inspire your employees, you can build a positive atmosphere that encourages them to give it they are all. Although incentives are significant, helping your layoff survivors recognize their worth in this new reality and assuaging their fears as best you can is often more effective.
More importantly, your efforts will increase your team’s confidence in you. You will be remembered and praised as a manager who was fair and compassionate during tough times, rather than as a manager who kicked them when they were down. When the economy grows, you should predict higher employee participation and motivation as well as lower voluntary turnover.
Your employees would not easily abandon you as a business owner!
