Don’t Let a Tough Economy Put Your Team into a Depression
5 Cheap and Easy Ways to Inspire Your Workforce
As the end of the year approaches, does the state of the economy and your business’s budget have you worried? If so, you’re not alone. A recent report by the Corporate Executive Board found that many Fortune 500 companies are looking at reducing or eliminating merit-based raises for 2009.
Times are tight, and businesses must do what it takes to survive. But in times like these, it’s also critical to remember that your remaining workforce is also enduring a tough economy. Consumer confidence has hit record lows, and reports show little sign of immediate improvement moving into the heart of the holiday season. Experts say all this weighs on the minds of employees and can affect motivation, creativity, and productivity. Here are a few creative and inexpensive ideas to let your team know they matter and engage a spirit of inspiration among your existing workforce.
Encourage innovation. The saying that ideas are free is true, and now is a perfect time to use innovation to set your services and products apart and stay ahead of the curve when it comes to the bottom line. Innovation is in short supply in many industries. So, taking the effort to encourage innovation across your workforce is a great way to motivate your team to do their best and instill in them the reality that their work matters. Check out these ways you can tap into innovation in your workforce today.
Help solve problems. Many employers are having a hard time hanging on to hope in light of the challenges they face, and this attitude quickly transfers down to employees at all levels of your business. Instead of giving in to a sense of desperation or discouragement, realize that now is the prime time to seek out creative solutions. Get your team in on the process, and help them solve the problems they are facing, too. This not only gives your business a better shot at success, it shows employees that their problems are important. To learn more, read our seven tips for solving problems.
Become a more lovable boss. An employee’s relationship with their boss is one of the prime factors contributing to their overall job satisfaction. When people know they matter to their employer, they are more likely to be engaged in their work and perform better. Discover the 12 signs of a good boss, and check out seven ways you can brighten your employees’ days.
Take time to make work fun. At this time of year, under end-of-the-year deadlines, employees often check out mentally and go into punching-the-clock mode just counting down the days until much-needed time off. Especially during the holiday season, when employees probably want to be anywhere but at work, it’s important to take time to make work fun. Make sure you check out these creative ideas to do just that.
Make your appreciation known. With year-end goal evaluation, budgeting, and planning top-of-mind right now, chances are you’re spending most of your day on high-level business matters. It’s easy to get consumed by these things and lose sight of the needs of your workforce. Even if you only have a few moments to spare over the next few weeks, consider making it a point to say thank you to your team. Need some creative ideas to make your gratitude known? Don’t miss our creative ways to thank your team.
By taking the time to use a few of these tips, you can inspire your workforce to do the kind of work your business needs to thrive, but the payoff doesn’t end there. Businesses that still take the time and effort to invest in employees are at a premium today. Word travels fast about great workplaces that are doing what it takes not just to balance their budgets and keep the doors open, but to treat employees right during the process.
Vision Casting through the Storm
Don’t Wait, Communicate with Employees Now
As businesses seek to navigate through a shaky economy, top brass are not the only people concerned about the future. With news of layoffs, buyouts and bankruptcies among businesses from large to small, it’s a sure thing your employees are wondering about the future of your company and what that means when it comes to their jobs – especially if you haven’t addressed these issues formally.
A recent poll by research firm Weber Shandwick showed that 70% of employees haven’t heard from senior management about how the current economy will impact their company. Effectively communicating with employees during a time of crisis or change – no matter what’s going on in your company – is critical to ensuring long-term success. Employees need to know your plans for the future – because their futures depend on the success of your business, too. Now more than ever, your business depends on the success of your employees to fulfill its mission to get you through the tough days ahead.
In times like these, with all the stressors employers face, experts say it’s critical to avoid communicating fear, frustration, and anxiety to your workforce. These messages, whether verbal or non-verbal, intentional or unintentional, can poison employee satisfaction and quickly lead to an exodus of your most talented workers. Instead of communicating gloom and doom, there’s another strategy you can use – communicate an inspirational vision instead. Here are some tips for vision casting to your workforce.
Define your vision. The first step is to clearly formulate your vision. Start by considering the key messages you want to share with employees. Where is the company going – both in the short term and the long term? What’s the roadmap that will take you there? What role do employees have in helping achieve your inspirational vision? Take time to clearly enumerate your vision in a way that reflects your current reality but inspires employees to think beyond these uncertain times.
Create a communication plan. The next step in communicating your vision to employees is to create a plan. Depending on the size of your organization, this may include many formal steps or it may consist of a just a strategic few. Make sure to lay your plan out on a timeline, including when you will communicate with leaders, when you’ll take the message to employees, and when you’ll send out written communication. Though you want to have a clear plan of action, don’t wait too long to communicate with employees. The markets move fast these days, and waves of uncertainty move even faster. Also, consider the different forms of communication you want to use and who will communicate key messages. As a part of your plan, don’t forget to set some expectations for what you want to accomplish.
Connect employees to the vision. One secret of effective vision casting is to get employees in on the vision and be ambassadors for your message. One good place to start in seeking vision ambassadors is at the management level. Research shows that workers trust their direct supervisor more than senior organizational leaders, and experts say this is because most employees have a closer relationship with their direct boss than with higher-ups. So, connect employees to your vision by ensuring that your management team is on-board first. Then, help grow the trust levels between employees and top leadership by communicating your vision from the top and opening up venues for feedback so employees can share their questions and concerns.
Communicate consistently. Vision casting is not a one-time event or message you share with your workforce as the year comes to an end or when times are tough. To see an inspirational change, you must consistently and regularly communicate your vision to employees. Experts recommend publishing your vision, talking about it at employee meetings throughout the year, sharing it with new hires, and highlighting the efforts of employees who actively live it out in their jobs. This makes your vision more than simply a statement. It helps bring it to life.
Casting a vision to inspire your team is a great way to motivate them and keep them from worrying about what may come. Try using these ideas to energize your employees to do their part in helping your business thrive not just now, but as a bright, new future dawns.
Stress Management
Reducing and Managing Workplace Stress
With the holiday season in full swing, stress levels are beginning to peak – at work and at home. In a survey by CareerBuilder.com, more than 50% of workers reported working under a great deal of stress on a regular basis and 77% of the respondents said they feel burnt out. On top of that, an American Psychological Association survey found the holidays increase stress for women by 44% and by 31% for men. Some stress is unavoidable and a normal part of life, but prolonged stress levels or spikes in stress can lead to bigger problems like impaired physical and emotional health. With such a dramatic increase in stress levels this time of year, it's a great time to start helping employees cope with stress.
Why should employers be concerned about workers’ stress?
The stress level of today’s workforce is alarming considering that the U.S. Bureau of Labor estimates companies lose $300 billion annually due to absenteeism, turnover, health care costs, and other stress-related problems. When employees arrive to work depressed, fatigued, or in poor mental or physical health, it can cost businesses an additional $180 billion annually in lower productivity, according to a national study by AdvancePCS, a provider of health improvement services. Excessive amounts of stress can interfere with a person’s creativity and interest in work – which leads to lower quality of work and more frequent mistakes. Stress reduction doesn’t just benefit the bottom line for businesses. It improves an employee’s health, creativity, and productivity.
Identifying Workplace Stressors
Not every work environment is identical, so before you can reduce and manage workplace stress, you must identify which stressors arise in your workplace. Most stress originates from loss of control and creates a feeling of being overwhelmed. A straightforward method is to conduct employee surveys and exit interviews to evaluate stressors and their levels of consequence. Another idea to determine stressors is just to ask people what factors contribute to their stress at work. Whatever method you use, have employees specify what affects their stress levels the most.
Helping Employees Manage Stress at Work
When you’ve finished researching what stresses your workforce and have determined the top causes of stress, you can take preventative measures to help employees cope. Here are a few tips to help workers regain control when dealing with workplace stress.
• Offer Job Training – Providing better job training may seem like a simple solution that only benefits the company, but when employees are better equipped to do their jobs and work efficiently, their work-related stress will decrease.
• Facilitate Teamwork – Encourage employees to work as teams and develop relationships with each other. When your workforce has a strong ability to work as a team, they will be more likely to help each other out in times of stress.
• Encourage Relaxation – Encourage employees to disconnect when away from work. Allowing them time to take care of personal responsibilities will allow workers to come back to work less worried about things out of the office. One company’s successful solution to help employees disconnect has been to implement a stress relief technique. When employees try to send an e-mail during the weekend, they receive an out-of-office type reply stating: “It’s the weekend, so it’s important to disconnect and allow others to do the same. Please send your e-mail at the beginning of the workweek.”
• Consider Flextime – More businesses are progressively supporting flextime schedules, telecommuting, or alternative workweeks. This is an effective stress reliever for employees struggling to juggle family life with work or even those who have passions they’d like to pursue out of the office.
• Develop an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) – EAPs provide an assortment of assistance to employees with personal problems – such as legal or elder care issues. A 2006 Society of Human Resource Management Survey report found that 71% of businesses offered EAPs to help employees with counseling and problem solving after issues were identified.
• Offer Stress Management Programs – Many companies are implementing wellness programs for their employees’ physical health. But, businesses are also beginning to incorporate required or voluntary stress management training opportunities for their workers as well by offering weekly hour-long stress management courses whenever employees need them.
• Provide Child Care – Not having adequate child care can be among the top stressors for both single parents and two-income households. Providing on-site child care for employees helps alleviate the stress that comes with finding trustworthy child care.
• Create Relaxation Rooms – Sometimes, an employee just needs a few minutes to gather their thoughts, take a personal phone call, meditate, or pray. A converted office or closet can provide a quick escape for anyone needing a minute to relax and destress.
With high stress levels becoming an acute problem for workers as well as businesses, it’s important to realize that employers who help alleviate their employees’ stress benefit in the long run, too. As the holidays approach and stress levels strat to spike, try using these tips to help ensure your entire workforce has a healthy, happy holiday season.
Exchange is a publication of Express Services, Inc., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Copyright 2008.