Keeping The Staff Motivated In The Depths Of Winter
Winter is not always friendly to staff productivity. The proximity of the holidays, and overall cold weather can prevent people from coming to work filled with energy, ready to attack the day and solve problems from the ground up. Keeping the staff motivated in the depths of winter requires some form of overall attendance from the business leader, and if this is you, then you have work to do.
We’re here to offer you some good advice to help you make the most of this, and become better at your management effort:
Offer Christmas Incentives
Everyone wants more Christmas funding. Even the most affluent among us can become near destitute during the celebrations. Purchasing items for all of the family, and attending vacations or simply having fun at the local Christmas market can impact our wallet to an incredible degree. So why not use this to incentivize better performance? Depending on how your business categorizes its goals, you might be able to bring in some hard targets to be achieved before the new year.
For example, selling 20 units of your most expensive product will be rewarded with a free vacation over the winter period, or a cash prize. This should motivate most of the staff to work hard, especially if the prize is as coveted as the ones listed here. Make sure it’s done in the spirit of friendly competition however, as you want the workforce to come together in the winter, and not act at odds with one another.
Manage The Environment
It’s important to make sure your staff are comfortable in your working environment. It is cold after all, and it might be really cold depending on where you are. Manage your working environment. This could be ventilating the room in bursts so that cold air isn’t blasting onto any set employee. It could be through cooling systems and temperature-important items using evaporative coolers instead of subjecting the staff to the ventilation system.
It could be allowing your staff to wear jumpers over their formal gear, or generally relaxing the uniform standards in pursuit of warmth. It could be through offering better coffee for all staff. It could be through simply turning the heating up. You needn’t limit yourself to indoor considerations either. Salting the parking lot can help your staff avoid slipping on ice as they enter your facility. Of course you care about your staff and would do anything to prevent an injury on a personal level, but skilled staff being injured also limits the productivity your entire workforce can live.
Keep It Informal
This is the season to celebrate and be grateful for things you have. Remind the team of the progress you have made this year, and how thankful you are they are by your side. Reward them if you can. Show them the progress through milestones you have achieved this year, and praise each individual for their part of it. Send their families Christmas cards. Allow for a day or two where the team is allowed to experience something together, such as a relaxed team building day, or schedule your Christmas party now with an eye to making it a celebratory event.
Keep it informal. There’s no reason to keep the intensity of the year-round duty so high when everyone can only think about breaking up from work. This will help them focus on their work and appreciate the fact that you’re tightening the leash a little. You might even learn more about your staff this way. Just be sure to do it out of a sense of appreciation, because trying to forcibly win the affections of your staff will be sniffed out immediately.
Lead By Example
If the staff see you continuing to bring a professional candor to your work, they will naturally replicate that. Show up on time, communicate with staff, allow for them to come forward with any complaints. If you’re offering promotions, make it very clear that you’re happy to hire in-house but you must be shown reliability and ability. This will help show you who cares about their continued life in the firm you’re in. Leading by example is a low-cost, easy way to make your staff more productive through osmosis, and that can be as useful as any other fantastic method.
With these tips, even the darkest, most sullen and difficult winter will still yield you some productivity. Be sure the staff enjoy their breaks and reward and good well done. They will be back next year for a wonderful and productive 2018.
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