Performance improvement expert Anese Cavanaugh released a series of articles on her web site that tackles the issue of unenthusiastic, unmotivated workers that cost U.S. companies billions of dollars a year.
Recent findings show that active workers, or those who are loyal, passionate, and positive about coming to work, make up only 21 percent of the work force. If companies enacted measured ways to increase motivation and happiness in their employees, productivity could increase by as much as 43 percent.
On her website, Cavanaugh lists four tips employers can utilize to invigorate lackluster employees. They are as follows:
1) Design ‘Personal Sustainability Time’ into the day.
Some rules to support this tip are: schedule regular breaks for your team, schedule workouts, bring healthier choices for food into meetings, provide a ‘decompression’ or ‘renewal room’, or do whatever feels like a good next move towards work/life balance. Just taking regular ten-minute breaks every 90-120 minutes can do wonders.
2) Link people’s jobs to the bottom line.
Challenge your people to link their roles to the major goals, outcomes and initiatives in the company. Help them see the importance of their work in relationship to what the team and organization is accomplishing. In this busy world, it is quite easy to disconnect from the, “Why I’m doing this work and what’s important about it?” Reconnect with that, and you’ll be reconnected with some passion and purpose.
3) Are your people matched up with the right roles that excite, invigorate and give them a place to shine?
Are your people passionate about their work? Are they in roles that best use their strengths and energy? Do you showcase their gifts and talents? If not, it’s a fabulous opportunity to see where things can be rematched and leveraged. If I’m not loving my work and passionate (or aware) about my purpose then I’m not playing to my strengths. I’m probably not going to be giving it 100% and I’m definitely not going to be as engaged as I could be.
4) Finally, assess how engaged your people feel with you.
Do they feel seen, acknowledged, respected and honored? Or not? Connection to human beings is not only a key element of feeling engaged, it’s also key to the human spirit – we want to be connected to others. If even in a quiet way for work/life balance, connection is important.
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Tags: advice for managers, bored at work, career advice, disengaged workers