If there’s a common New Year’s resolution among business owners, it would be a desire to have employees care as much about the business as they do.
This year especially, it’s going to take even more commitment and focus to get the world back on track again after a tumultuous 2020. However, right now, many employees are feeling disconnected both emotionally and physically from the office and from work. This disconnection creates a state where many employees can become more reactive instead of proactive, and employers struggle to keep everyone moving in the same direction.
The hidden impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic
COVID-19 has made it more difficult than ever to connect and collaborate. Reactive behaviors and disconnected actions can lead to lower productivity, creating scattered focus and more distractions across a team. Teams that communicate less are also less cohesive — not working together towards a common goal. The end result? Productivity and profitability loss. Employee retention is also endangered as disconnected employees feel their work is less appreciated and meaningful. In this environment, many managers feel less in control of their suddenly distributed workforce, and overcompensate by micromanaging decisions.
Thinking like an owner to boost employee commitment
But there is an alternative approach, and it starts with inspiring your employees to care as much about their work, and the business, as you do. This creates a thriving workplace where employees collaborate more, productivity and efficiency are increased, sick days and time-off metrics are lower, retention is higher and talent acquisition is easier. Here are 5 tips to get your employees to care.
Tip #1: Clearly communicate your aspirational vision
Your business exists to make more than money. Make sure you have clear communication about this ‘Why’. You will want to make sure that everyone in your organization understands the company's aspirational vision and the roadmap for both the company and for employee success. Don't be afraid to be vulnerable and realistic about the true challenges that the company faces in order to reach those goals.
Tip #2: Connect closely with your team
Be intentional about connecting with your team. Some leaders have fine-tuned their natural ability to connect and communicate with people personally. For those that find this talent harder to practice, understand that any effort can create significant benefits. Try to connect personally or use surveys to make sure that everyone understands what's going on, that they matter, and that they feel heard.
Tip #3: Use the right tools to drive employee engagement
Ensure you have the tools to incentivize, recognize and publicly reward performance and milestones. Power2Motivate is a flexible, customizable solution that can help automate the process of recognition and rewards tied to your specific business goals. It removes the guesswork and helps build a consistent workplace culture of appreciation. The right tools can also help to automatically maintain and grow engagement over time.
Tip #4: Workflows to simplify and encourage teamwork
Build workflows that encourage collaboration, communication and idea sharing. Here at CarltonOne Engagement, one thing we do that works really well is we host quarterly hack-a-thons to solve real business challenges and reward contributors with great ideas. These events bring the added benefits of fostering social connections (even when done virtually), jumpstart new product development, and even inspires some friendly competition.
Tip #5: Create goals and a roadmap
Set tangible goals with clear steps and measurable accomplishments. Your people need to know what's expected of them and they want to know how what they do every day fits into the bigger picture. So emphasize their role by connecting the dots for them, help them see how their role directly helps the company reach its goals.
At Power2Motivate, we understand every aspect of what motivates and engages your employees. We offer a number of different rewards and incentives programs to help boost morale, productivity and revenue at your organization. Our custom-built rewards platforms can incorporate a social news section, so you have the perfect channel to show even at-home employees how much you care about their great work. Contact us today to find out how we can help keep your team members focused and motivated, even while they work remotely. We can set up a demo of our highly configurable engagement platform, so you can see for yourself just how impactful it can be.
