It would be fair to say it's not been a hugely upbeat start to the year. Between the snow, the dark mornings and the prevailing economic gloom it's frankly a wonder any of us are making it out of bed of a morning. At times like these, it's important to keep an eye on what's important. Your staff are the engine of your organisation. Taking time to make sure they're ok will help you get the most out of them and ensure they are focused, fulfilled and thinking as a team. Here at TT we've been scouring the web and business press for some simple measures to help keep your team motivated and during what seem to be spectacularly trying times…
Keep your team in the loop
Allocate time to ensure everyone understands the business plans and priorities that lie ahead. These may be changing more than you'd anticipated at the moment; the important thing is to keep your team in the loop, when they do. Factor this in to your weekly team get-togethers to offer a sense of organisational direction for all.
Make time for 1-2-1s
Make time for regular 1-2-1 meetings with each of your team. This is time to revisit goals and refresh focus. It also gives you both the opportunity to discuss workload issues and any other areas they may need your support or reassurance in.
Reward and recognition
If your team are doing well, make sure you recognise this and let others know. This could be as simple as a handwritten note to say thanks. It could be a cross-team e-mail, something which will encourage others to try hard too. In the absence of a hard cash bonus, you may offer a half day holiday, surely something that could incentivise the most demotivated of staff…
Team building events
Mercifully gone are the days when this necessarily meant a bungee jump or abseiling. (Though if that's what floats your boat, we're sure you can still find it.) Team-building events span a world of choice, so why not involve your team from the start, by canvassing their opinion and making sure you book something that will really make them tick.
There's loads out there to choose from - we found these for starters, which may inspire some interesting ideas:
http://www.teambuildevents.co.uk/?g07v5&gclid=CPjHxszJx5gCFRaA3godjizM1A
http://www.outside-adventure.co.uk
http://www.phoenixleisure.co.uk/
http://www.teambuilding.co.uk/team-building-event-list.html
Show 'em a good time
Taking your team out every now and then can make a world of difference to morale. And given we're only just through Christmas, this doesn't need to be a full private hire of the London Eye with an exclusive personal appearance from Cher. It can be a late lunch down your local or an early finish on a Friday: whatever it is, why not delegate the event organisation to a team member? If there's something burning you'd like to discuss, pre-allocate some time to say what you have to say, then leave the rest to socialising. Essential for team bonding and reminding people just how much you value them.
Please share!
As always, we'd love to hear from you – please post your comments below or contact our team on 0845 075 1044.
