Are you having difficulty pulling your team out of a slump?

Make Your Best Impression Blog   ·   June 25, 2009

Are you having difficulty pulling your team out of a slump? Gray days, slow business and a whole host of other factors can contribute to a loss of enthusiasm and employee engagement in the workplace, and let’s face it, it’s tough to keep the momentum going! Here are some fun ideas to give your employees the boost they need to lift their spirits and increase employee productivity.

 Celebrate the day. Don’t wait for an excuse to inject a little life into your workplace. Bring in a cake or some doughnuts for your employees and tell them you want to thank them for all that they do. You can be sure that if you do this on a regular basis, they will begin to willing do more. When I was a manager, I used to bring cake into my office every Friday. In spite of receiving criticism, I persisted, and it paid off. Any time I needed a favor, my employees were always willing to step up.

 Socialize. Take the time to get up from your desk and ask your employees how they are and what’s new—and listen to the answer. These are common rhetorical questions, but see what happens when you to listen for a response. Nobody will care about you until you show you care about them. When your employees feel you genuinely care about them, they will give back tenfold, and you will see employee productivity increase.

Give a compliment. Think of something nice you can say about each and every employee, and then go tell them. Always be sincere and please keep it related to work. Use your head and do not comment on things that will get you charged with harassment! Telling someone you admire their persistence or their attention to detail is a form of recognition and shows appreciation (something we all want). This will automatically increase the level of employee engagement.

Ask for an opinion. Need to make an important business decision? Ask your employees what they think. They may see something you don’t. Being boss doesn’t mean you have to know everything. It means you have to have employees around you who know things you do not. Their ideas should contribute to the success of the business. Asking for and accepting their opinions will allow them to feel valuable. They will naturally become more engaged because they will feel tied to the results they create.

Support a cause. Work as a team to do something that is good for the world outside of work. Get your group together to raise money for a charity. Everyone should choose a cause together and decide what they will accomplish as a team in support of the cause. Whether you decide to have a golf tournament, a walkathon or work in a soup kitchen, let the charity be something that brings all of you together. Have staff members contribute in some way to build excitement around what you are achieving for your chosen charity. Have fun with it!

 Start a club. Team building is enhanced when work groups do things together that have nothing to do with work. Some office club ideas could be a book club, a wine club, drama club, sports/ fitness club, etc. Use your imagination. Having fun together outside of work gives employees the opportunity to see their co-workers in a different light. Developing friendships with co-workers is important. Afterall, employees who feel isolated will not be engaged.

Source:  Human Resources IQ -  Renée Cormier