Oftentimes, there are days when people just don’t want to work. Everybody has mood swings, issues, personal problems, team rifts, etc, and that is acceptable. But does accept it mean it can continue? No! Whenever such phases arrive, they have to be sorted out and shoved back so that the momentum of the team which is parallel to the company’s growth shouldn’t cease.
Well, such phases don’t mean that you’ll fire an employee. (Obviously, not.) It’s just you have to clear the state of their mind and create room for motivation. It can’t be easy but it can’t be that difficult to achieve it either. But all you have to do is try.
There are a few ways to achieve this:
1. Have a one-on-one conversation.
A conversation can be presumed as a helpful action in any situation. Be it an individual or an entire team, a direct conversation can be proved as a better solution than just keeping all the things bottled up. Once things that are creating a rift are out in the open, a solution can be found that is deemed fit. This way, an individual’s problem or the cause of the team’s failing efforts can be known and solved. This also creates a bond of mutual trust amongst the team members which can achieve great results.
2. Have team-building activities.
Team building has proven to be a great effort. This doesn’t mean one thing but there are various types of activities that could be implemented. These activities have proved to achieve astonishing results in minimum time. Such activities also help with icebreaking, knowing each other, bonding, improving relations, and various other things among the team members. Including various teams in this can also cause teams to grow individually and progress together. This later depicts results in work, too.
3. Have active participation of members.
This is one of the subtle ways to open up the members to each other. Since all remain under the same roof but have different personalities, everyone needs to grow. Some are outgoing, extroverts, quick, and diligent while some are quiet, introverts, slow and sly. No matter what or who, all should be able to learn things. Including every member in one or another activity that suits their personality, likes or hobbies, etc, could be a good effort. There are so many festivals that come all around the year. Celebrating those little festivals to increase liveliness in the workplace is a great way to create a positive atmosphere to work and receive great results.
4. Create some fun little things to lighten up the place.
A workplace shouldn’t be boring or else people always feel lazy and tend to be less energized to work and be productive. Every workplace can’t be expected to be as glamorous as Paris Fashion Week but can be expected to be decent and cheerful. There could be a small implementation of things to enlighten the atmosphere. Such as creating a board with quotes, quirky writings, motivational thoughts, hanging of photos, etc. This could be kept on rotation to freshen up the place periodically. This refreshes the employee’s state of mind and creates a tinge of excitement to work and spot the changes, occasionally.
5. Install some group games in the workplace.
This is as fun as it reads. Games are one of the best stress-busters of all time. No one could argue that one is still exhausted after playing a game. It works like magic. So, some such games could be installed here and there for people to get relief from mental stress. Mainly, it is important to install group games as it will also help others to be involved in this and it will act as team building, too. Games like a Foosball table, Jenga, puzzles, table tennis, etc. could deem fit.
6. Scold, Motivate and Praise.
Everybody knows the trick to make a person work better. Yes, it is praise. A person always glows when receiving a compliment just like how they feel terrible when receiving a scolding. Scolding can be the first step to pushing them to do better. Soothe them down to motivate them to work better and inform them of your reasons and dissatisfactions. When they correct their doings, praise them. Motivate them often but don’t scold or praise them often. They should try harder not to be scolded and to receive a compliment. It surely makes them put an extra effort to receive that star on their hand.
7. Acknowledge their hard work and encourage them to progress.
When things go right and seem like they are continuing as planned, acknowledge their efforts. Acknowledging can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Some people cry, some laugh, and some feel satisfied but it is expected to have positive effects on a person. Once acknowledged, the sense of relief that they feel makes them calm, composed and ready to face another challenge. This opportunity could be taken to implement another challenge, setting the bar higher every time. This would make the employee work harder to reach the goal and feel that calmness. Also, take time to encourage them to make more progress.
8. Have an understanding and empathy towards their situations.
Every day isn’t the same. Every member is going through a different daily life struggle. As a person who is supposed to look after them all, empathize with their situations. A person is getting married, someone is having a baby, some is experiencing a loss, and whatnot. In such situations, support the employee and it won’t be a waste. Try to make changes for them and they will be touched by your actions. When the situation surpasses, they will try to give their best just to repay you for your kind actions. This works in benefit for all and an unforced sense of trust and respect arises mutually amongst all.
Well, these are some ways that you can acquire great performance from the employees. There could be more if you tackle your employee’s needs and find a befitting technique to achieve so. There’s always room for more ideas and creativity.
