This article was inspired by Tim Sackett’s awesome blog post: How to Keep That New Job Smell. In it, Tim talks about how excited we are when we begin a new job, how we start out with passion, drive, and inspiration! Basically most of us start out as highly engaged employees, then become more and more disengaged as time goes on, and tasks become rote.
In his post Tim shared some ways that we can maintain that kind of excitement towards our jobs for ourselves; this article will share some ways that you can help keep things exciting and fresh for your employees.
Because what more can we all ask for than to be happy at the prospect of starting our work day? A positive feeling towards our career and the company we work for leads to things like increased referrals, going above and beyond the scope of the job, and envisioning a long bright future with said company.
Here are a few things you can do to keep work fresh, and exciting for your team:
Handle the Basics
Before you can begin to implement any new employee morale related policies, it is necessary to ensure that the basics of employee engagement are being met.
- Do your employees know exactly what is expected of them? Is your message to your team clear, unified, and purposeful?
- Do your employees have what they need to accomplish their tasks successfully?
- Do your employees feel supported by management and HR?
If the answer to any of those questions is no, then that’s where you need to invest your time and focus, because research has shown that if you can make it so that the answer to all of these questions is yes, then your employees “will commit to almost anything the company is trying to accomplish.”
If you are unsure about whether or not you have these basics covered, or wish to learn more about how to ensure that your company is meeting engagement requirements, then give this article a read.
Diversify Tasks
Doing nothing but data entry, all day, every day is soul sucking. Minds start to wander, bathroom breaks increase, and brains begin to shut down. Henry Ford may have disagreed, but for the sake of team morale, diversifying tasks can be a very smart move.
Interestingly enough, this goes both ways.
Not only should you throw in the occasional challenging, or complex assignment for those employees stuck doing monotonous work, but you should also throw in some mindless jobs for those employees who must perform a great deal of highly creative, and/or mentally challenging tasks.
Giving those employees a chance to step away from the more demanding aspects of their work will actually increase their creativity, and promote problem solving according to Scientific American.
Shift Your Focus
Changing the way your staff view their jobs, daily assignments, and the challenges they face at work, can be a powerful tool for keeping them excited, engaged, and productive.
For example: Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you had way too much work to get done, and not enough time or resources to handle it all? This can make you feel as though you are drowning in a sea of tasks, with no escape in site.
Times like this are often unavoidable, but with a simple shift in focus you can transform these situations from morale destroying obstacles into team building challenges!
Instead of focusing on how much work needs to be done, or how behind you’re getting, focus on the work that has been completed, and how far you’ve come.
For a wonderful case study of perception shift put into action as a means of improving engagement and productivity, check out this article by Chief of Happiness, Alexander Kjerulf.
Next week’s article will share three more tips for keeping things fresh for your employees’.
Happy hiring!
Tags: employee retention, engagement, hr
