6 Team Motivation Tips When Times Are Tough

When the department’s budget is tight. When your company or department has just had to lay people off. When demand for your products ramps up but you don’t feel comfortable hiring new employees just yet, so your current staff is overwhelmed and overworked, it can be hard to keep your team motivated and engaged.
Read below for six tips to help you keep your workers motivated during tough times.

  1. Tell them they’re doing a great job. (Do so only when warranted, otherwise they’ll see right through you and your praise will mean nothing.) Single outstanding employees out for outstanding effort by providing them with outstanding praise.
  2. “Please.” “Thank you.” “I appreciate what you’re doing for the department.” All go a very long way to setting a tone of gratitude in your department. Gratitude can be a great energizer.
  3. Be exceptionally clear on your expectations. Do you want your team to get the project completely done by December 1, or do you just want a first draft? If your employees think you mean a first draft by the first of December but you want the project done, not only will it not be done, but morale will sink big time when your team members understand a) they were working under false belief b), they let you down and c), they think you’re a crazy person because you can’t articulate deadlines clearly.
  4. Praise and reward when warranted and provide consequences when warranted. In other words, if team members don’t meet your (clearly stated objectives), let them know what the consequences will be upfront. If the objectives aren’t met, make sure you follow through (unless truly extenuating circumstances prevented completion).
  5. Forgo the micromanagement. Tell your employees what results you want, when you want them and what they should look like. Then let them do their job without butting in. Be available for and open to questions and even check in with them every now and then to make sure they’re on track and to help them overcome obstacles and challenges. Otherwise, give them a long leash.
  6. Meet with each of your team members and together work on an individual improvement plan. Does she want to go earn a raise at the next performance review? Together create goals and accomplishments she needs to meet to earn the raise. Does he want to earn a certificate in a certain skill? Can you afford some monies from the budget to help pay for a conference/seminar/certification course?

Remember that no one can motivate an employee; the motivation must come from inside the individual. But a manager can provide an environment that’s conducive to motivated employees.
If your Anchorage company is looking for additional workers to motivate, contact the recruiters at the Opti Staffing Group. We can source skilled and reliable individuals for your firm’s temporary, temp-to-hire and direct-hire opportunities. Contact us today.

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