Staying home for around a year resulted in pandemic fatigue among a lot of people around the country. This condition has significantly affected essential workers, including healthcare employees, who are at the forefront of the fight against the virus.
If nothing is done, it will de-motivate the employees and affect their performance and productivity. It can even result in employee turnover. This makes it important for companies to find ways to motivate their employees at the workplace. Here are some ways companies can motivate their employees in the middle of a crisis.
Create an Incentive Program
Some people are motivated by their belief in the values a company holds and the culture it promotes in the workplace. While this intrinsic motivation can keep some employees going for a few months, the health crisis may eventually cause them to lose faith and become de-motivated.
But the company can help bring their spirits up again through an incentive program. The program gives employees something to work for aside from their salary. It shows the employees that the company values them and aims to reward good performance among the employees. It also gives other employees a goal to aim for, especially when they see that one of them receives something from the company for doing well at work.
The incentive can come in the form of compensation, benefits, appreciation, or recognition. Additionally, the company can also consider getting incentive ideas from employees. The important thing is that it motivates the employees to perform well in their jobs.
Open Communication Lines
Open communication at the workplace offers a host of benefits for both the company and the employees. It avoids conflict between employees and between management and the employees. Communication also promotes productivity and encourages innovation among the employees.
Open communication also allows employees to know their performance based on the expectations of the company. Knowing their performance allows employees to know if they need to ramp up their productivity to meet the company’s expectations. It also allows them to reorient themselves with the goals and objectives of the company.
The company can keep the communication lines open through scheduled group or one-on-one meetings with the employees. It can also set aside time for the employees to approach management to ask questions, share ideas, or even complain about things in the office. The important thing is that management should always be open to what the employees have to say as long as it’s reasonable and doesn’t go against the company’s mission and vision.
Ask for Feedback
Keeping communication lines open means the company can ask for feedback from its employees. Since the employees are different from each other, the company can ask them what motivates them. A survey will facilitate this.
While it isn’t possible to motivate employees individually, the company can find a common theme based on the survey. It can use this to implement a plan to motivate them. The company can also use the feedback it gets from employees to improve an existing system or procedure to enhance productivity.
Since some employees are hesitant to share their thoughts, the company can allow them to remain anonymous in answering the survey or giving feedback. When the employees see positive changes in the system, it may increase their confidence and motivation to the point that they’ll be more open to the company’s management.
Be Flexible with the Employees
There are instances when management deems it necessary to micromanage employees to accomplish certain projects. But there are also instances the company allows employees to work without anyone looking over their shoulders. Doing this empowers the employees and motivates them to perform since they recognize that the company is confident with their abilities.
The employees will also trust their supervisors, especially if the supervisors recognize their achievements and celebrate them. When the company is flexible, it also encourages creativity among the employees, resulting in increased productivity.
Offer Career Development
Career development is one of the things that encourages employees to perform well in their jobs. The opportunity to move up the corporate ladder inspires them to increase their productivity. So, a clear career development plan within the company is a major motivating factor for many employees.
The career development plan can include online training sessions, attendance at relevant conferences, or in-house professional workshops to enhance their skills. The company can also establish mentoring programs or performance reviews so that the employees can regularly receive feedback on how they’re doing and what they can do to improve.
The stress of our current situation has a major effect on the productivity of employees of different companies around the country. But proper motivation will lead to better productivity and allow the company to thrive even in the middle of a pandemic.