The stress test - steering your workforce through turbulent times
In many companies, a host of counterproductive emotional issues are in play ... and executives who don't recognise and address them will have difficulty moving their organisations forward.
Uncertainty and fear are the biggest obstacles
Companies undergoing layoffs are dealing with anxious employees, as are those where workforce reductions are a future possibility. With terminations being conducted in waves and reported daily in the press, no one knows if and when the P45 is coming. These are not circumstances conducive to engaging and motivating employees.
The insight out
With the current economic climate, trust and pride in your organisation can be eroded and an attitude of ‘me first' can dominate even within the ‘survivors' of layoffs - exactly the opposite factors needed to ‘right the ship'.
Negative feelings always impact productivity and work quality. The consequences generally are increased error rates, decreased creativity, higher levels of absenteeism and poorer problem solving. When fear and doubt replace employee trust and encouragement, resentment and suspicion towards the company are continually reinforced.
There's a downhill trajectory in this scenario and if not reversed, you could end up with a lose-lose outcome.
Navigating rough waters
Getting your workforce through a difficult time is a true test of corporate leadership. The following three actions will help regain some of that lost trust and go a long way towards improving morale.
- Communicate. Speak honestly about the challenges being faced, as well as anticipated direction. Without direct communication, employees will fill the void with worst-case scenarios. Communication is critical in times like these. Employees need assurance that their commander is in control, has planned for contingencies and knows where the company is headed. Frequent, effective communication is key to holding the team together. Knowledge and information keep rumours and speculation at bay.
- Develop front-line managers. Employee engagement is ‘local'. It occurs at the individual and team levels, and is highly influenced by the actions of an employee's direct manager. However, many front-line managers lack the skills to create an atmosphere where their direct reports can be engaged. The manager who sets clear goals, communicates, builds trust, holds employees accountable, and then recognises in an effective manner will improve overall employee survey scores. While managers cannot often change the tasks in their organisations, they can change employees' attitudes toward their jobs by setting clear corporate or team goals. By defining the purpose of a task and tying it to a desirable end result, effective leaders infuse work with meaning and purpose. The task remains the same, but its significance in employees' minds skyrockets. Invest the time and resources to develop these skills in your managers.
- More importantly, don't cut back on rewards and recognition during leaner times. Now more than ever, you need your core team to feel appreciated and important. Make sure that the people most critical to the business have the right workplace programmes that focus their attention on the right actions, meet their specific needs and preferences, and align with the organisation's cost and talent objectives. Recognition is critical to driving the right performance results, especially in a tough financial climate.
While these measures won't turn back the clock to the good old days... they'll increase your odds of making your workforce and organisation more productive. They're the ‘must-do' actions that can foster the ‘can-do' reactions.
When you think of great leaders in history that you really admire, chances are they were leaders in very trying times, what we call these days as ‘turbulent times'. These were and are great men and women that were cast in a role of having to become better than themselves to achieve goals much higher than they could ever imagine. The list of these great leaders is long, but includes Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther Jnr., and Ghandi. All great leaders who in their time made a huge impact on their people, their countries and causes.
Today we find ourselves in turbulent business times, a time that will test our resolve and our leadership. Where we will be called on to engage and inspire our employees and fellow workers, to encourage them to continue to be productive in their jobs and caring for clients. Now the business world needs great leaders and great leaders are made in tough times. Nothing accelerates leadership in trust, communication, goal setting and accountability better than implementing the right workplace programmes that focus the attention of employees on the right actions, meet their specific needs and preferences, and align with the organisation's cost and talent objectives. We are indeed part of the answer to these troubled times. Become a great leader!
Created on: 07-Jan-09 10:11
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