Motivating & Retaining Employees During Tough Times,
By Fiorella Callocchia, CHRP, BA<

Hard times hit and some companies responded by quickly cutting expenses, eliminating jobs, reducing headcount, to name a few strategies. The current state of the economic market is making it tough for some organizations, yet it is creating opportunities for others. Regardless of whether you are in growth mode or downsizing, the most important thing to remember is that “people” get the job done, “people” serve the customer and “people” run the technology...

Lesson: Never loose focus of your company's strategic driver of success...your people.

So how can your organization keep employees engaged during tough times?

Organizations that have recently undergone a layoff or workforce reduction, need to act quickly to ensure that those employees who remain, stay committed, energized and motivated to perform.

HR Professionals, Managers and Business Owners can re-build and infuse positive energy and vitality into the workplace by doing the following:

• Develop leadership and management capability. The quality of the relationship an employee has with the organization is usually determined by the quality of the relationship they have with their immediate manager. Ensure your managers have effective “people management” skills and demonstrate a commitment to treating employees fairly, equitably and consistently. Enhancing their coaching skills would go a long way towards employee satisfaction.

• Communicate how the business is doing. Employees want to know what is going on. Leaving them in the dark only fuels gossip. Share information about your current business state, future goals, customer strategies, financial performance and any new products or services being developed. It not only conveys trust in employees but sends the message, “you are part of the team.”

• Invest in your staff and build their skills. Encourage employees to continuously improve their knowledge, skills and capabilities. Help them achieve their career goals and objectives through professional development and training programs. Everyone benefits when employees feel confident and competent. It also increases their internal mobility and they are more likely to be current in their area of expertise.

• Review compensation & benefit practices. Ensure your company is competitive and that employees are rewarded fairly for their level of performance, skills/knowledge and value-added contribution to the bottom line. Continuously market what the benefits package offers and value to the staff.

• Market the features & benefits of working for your organization. Communicate in a variety of ways, all of the great things about working for your company so they are top of mind. Build on your strengths such as strong leadership, the work environment, reward & recognition programs, casual environment, interesting projects, reputation, culture.

• Create a positive and productive team culture. The stronger the ties between team members, the less likely employees are to resign. Encourage employees to attend company functions and organize activities that build strong relationships.

• "Take the temperature." Conduct an employee survey to see what is working and what is not working. Address the issues and communicate what management will do to fix the problems. Knowing why employees stay will help ensure your company keeps doing the “right” things.
  You may not be able to retain every key employee but these strategies will go a long way to sending the message that you care and value the employment relationship. If, for whatever reason, they do end up leaving, remember to stay in touch. You just never know when they might want to come back.

By Fiorella Callocchia, CHRP, BA

Fiorella is President of HR Impact - a management consulting firm specializing in creating customized, practical and innovative workplace solutions.

Check us out at www.hrimpact.net
Phone: 905.337.0293
fiorella@hrimpact.net

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