Few managers enjoy the luxury of working with consistently motivated, happy, and engaged employees all the time. Indeed, team members who offer their best work every day don’t need much management at all! However, eventually, every business leader has to deal with disgruntled or uninterested employees.
Getting the best from your team at these moments is a true test of your mettle as a manager. The good news is, you don’t have to face such a situation alone. Rather, check out these four helpful hints that will assist you in setting your team back on the right track:
Listen
Learning to develop active listening skills is beneficial in any walk of life; it’s positively crucial for business leaders, though. The first step to addressing an employee-morale issue is to listen to your team’s concerns, questions, or complaints. If multiple staff members have a problem with a new policy, program, or strategy, then you should consider changing it as a result. (Employee feedback is extremely valuable in this regard.) Furthermore, sometimes employees simply need to feel like they have a voice –– even if they don’t have anything, in particular, to vent about.
Never underestimate the power of one-on-one meetings with your team, and make it a point to schedule them regularly.
Be There
Sounds easy enough, right? Psychologically, employees take cues from their bosses. So if they see you working long hours (first one to arrive, last one to leave) and going the extra mile for them, they’ll feel more motivated to up their own performance. The difficulty here is that many managers also play other roles at their company, and they may be forced away for business trips, conferences, or even personal reasons. Still, the more you are physically present with your team, the more they’ll respect your decisions –– even if they don’t agree with them.
Note, it’s a bad look to ask any subordinate to take on a task you yourself wouldn’t (or couldn’t). So don’t be afraid to “get your hands dirty” either.
Educate
Many of the best business leaders think of themselves as teachers. And that’s a good way to consider your role. After all, one major pain point that team members often struggle with is adapting to new technology in the office. Instead of thrusting a new set of call tools or data software upon your team without any training, set aside a few hours to educate your staff on these features. Not only will this improve employee mood and ease internal frustrations, but it will enable them to utilize beneficial tech upgrades with greater effectiveness! Talk about a win-win.
Make Sound Staffing Decisions
The “right fit” for a position on paper doesn’t always pan out in real life. Managers who have control of staffing their team need to take the hiring process seriously because any new team member will bring about a change in overall office chemistry –– one way or the other. Remember, staffing decisions come down to more than just comparing resumes and performance reports; it’s about determining who will work well in your current setup.
