Stepping up amid low workforce morale

We all have up and down days. Sometimes we can rival Anthony Robbins in the energy stakes and at other times we might be more like Sleeping Beauty. The market around us can also be turbulent — and when growth slows, any resulting cuts to pay raises and training budgets impact team morale.

How do you lay the groundwork to keep your team firing when energy is low? Practice these seven key behaviours to keep motivation high.

Clear the path ahead

A big part of being a manager is setting clear targets and expectations for your team, then stepping aside so that they feel empowered to deliver results. Instead of micro-managing, keep your team on track by creating checkpoints and guiding their progress.

Share a vision for what the team is trying to achieve, then communicate and personalise it. Encourage people to give their best by helping them understand where they’re headed, how they can contribute and then be recognised.

Build trust through regular communication

Communicating your vision is just the start. People need context to do their jobs well. Periodic team meetings are opportunities to inform your team about what’s happening, share your own feelings about what it means and how it might affect their work.

Everybody interprets messages differently, so it’s important to clarify things. For instance, follow up announcements with an email, a notice in the pantry or create a topic on internal chat boards to check awareness. Take informal opportunities to connect with people and help them feel comfortable approaching you before any concerns fester.

Regular, open communication creates trust in you as a leader and motivates people to give their best.

Recognise your team’s contributions

Appreciating people’s achievement is key to motivation. This can be a pat on the back, a mention at weekly meetings, an announcement in the company newsletter, a notice on the shop floor or a gift voucher to say “Thank You”. As Gary Burnison, Korn Ferry CEO, points out, it is common now for companies to focus on increasing benefits when raises are restricted.

Be creative: incentivise and reward great performance with paid time off, a club membership, a voucher for a family day out or entry to a sporting event.

Take a look at your work culture

After an extensive review of company cultures (50 companies, 20,000 workers), performance experts Lindsay McGregor and Neel Doshi concluded: “Why we work determines how well we work”.

Self-determination theory gurus Edward Deci and Richard Ryan set out six key reasons why people work: “play”, “purpose”, “potential”, “emotional pressure”, “economic pressure”, and “inertia”. McGregor and Doshi draw on this research to argue that companies who prioritise play, purpose and potential in their work culture have the edge. Gauge how you’re doing by asking whether your team:

— Have room to try out new ideas (play)?

— Understand the impact or contribution of their work to overall strategy (purpose)?

— Can see their next development opportunity (potential)?

Listen to your emotional intelligence and your team

Use your emotional intelligence skills to be responsive to your team’s needs. Preserve privacy, but don’t be the last to know about any day-to-day challenges: be interested in people’s life beyond the office.

Feeling truly acknowledged is a powerful motivator. Being able to listen empathetically is crucial and regular one-on-ones with your team members can provide this opportunity. Make sure you have a feedback mechanism in place so that people know they have been heard, whether for suggestions, ideas or complaints.

Lead by example by looking after your health

It’s one thing to have a bad day — it’s another to be constantly tired and negative. As Edward J. Cripe and Katherine Mansfield suggest, if you display “low energy, frustration, anxiety or tension” then your team will probably mirror this behaviour. Lead by example by sleeping and eating properly, exercising, practising relaxation techniques and guarding your downtime.

Make sure your team sees that you value these behaviours. Research from Sabine Sonnentag shows that separating your personal and professional life can “increase employee well-being and engagement”.

Invest in training and team building

Staying current and developing new skills can be a powerful incentive. As Jim Blasingame argues in Forbes, training also directly improves the bottom-line through increasing employee self-confidence, loyalty and improved customer service.

If your training budget is limited, consider creating buddying or shadowing programmes pairing less experienced team members with more senior staff. Take time out together as a team to strengthen relationships.

This could be as simple as bowling, going for pizza or a motivational workshop with inspiring speakers in your field — choose whatever fits with your team’s culture and needs.

The writer is CEO of HNI Training & Coaching.