Stop, Revive, Survive - Employees need a boost!!

A few years ago Larry would’ve been called a star player and valuable person in his office. But lately, Larry’s performance seems to be lacklustre. He comes into work late, and while he does seem to do the bare minimum he doesn’t seem to excel or add more to the team as he used to. Does Larry sound like an employee you’ve worked with before?

In this week’s post, we talk about burnt-out or de-motivated employees and share some ideas on how you can re-invigorate those you feel are not progressing.

STEP ONE: VISIBLE SIGNS

Observe energy levels – while their performance may still be on par, they don’t have the same high energy level and thus, they may not be enjoying their work. According to Lontos (1997) managers tend to dismiss this because it hasn’t show up dramatically in sales figures or output numbers. But there are important signs to look at closer and do more than just a little motivating to prevent burn-out
Watch for overwork. Tell people when they need to slow down or take a break.
Be available to your employee to speak about their frustrations and problems with you. Holding in these feelings can lead to burn-out, de-motivation and in turn losses in your organisation’s bottom line.
Monitor and assist employees who have heavy workloads. Some employees can handle the workload and love it, but that doesn’t mean others can or will. And if they’re productive in their own right, you shouldn’t use that against them. Either way, you should monitor every employee to make sure they aren’t overloading themselves with work (even if they want it) and assist them by delegating it evenly.

Burn-out is less likely to happen if we are aware of its approach, watch for signs in its early stages and step in to support and educate the employee to change their ways before it starts affecting business.

STEP TWO: RE-INVIGORATING EMPLOYEES

These are some ideas to help those who are feeling de-motivated:

Set short term goals that are achievable and believable. These help to get people’s confidence back. If you were a marathon runner that had broken your leg and just had your cast taken off you wouldn’t think ‘right 20 kms next Saturday’. You’d start out gradually and build back up. After a series of hard times and setbacks look for the small wins, they are more powerful than you anticipate at reinvigorating your people.
Team-building exercises. Leaders can inspire their teams to do even better with a break from work to strengthen the bonds between co-workers, perfect communication throughout the organisation, and generally be inspired to be better workers. There are plenty of fun exercises that help work teams grow together. One of the most effective is listening to a qualified speaker expound on corporate merits.
Weekly Food Options. According to Forbes (2013), food is one of the most underutilized incentives in the office. In one their studies of more than 1200 workers, Forbes (2013) found that 60% of all employees feel more appreciated when their companies provide free food. Plus, food in the office allows teams to bond over shared meals. Leaders should consider making regular offers of sustenance to their employees; perhaps Friday can be pizza day, or Monday morning can have toasty breakfasts. If a weekly meal still isn’t in the budget, leaders can still use food as a reward by inviting employees to bring their own special meals to work. Usually, employees are more than willing to share their most beloved recipes with their co-workers, and potluck lunches can provide even more comradery than takeout.