Recruiter gives tips on motivating employees during change

“Increased anxiety, burnout, absenteeism and tension among coworkers are just some of the effects employees are experiencing as a result of today’s turbulent marketplace,” says Ann E. Zaslow-Rethaber of International Search Consultants (ISC). “With more companies having to restructure, cut salaries and reduce staff to stay in the game, it is a challenge for many employers to keep their employees motivated to maintain overall quality, production and service.” Zaslow-Rethaber is owner of ISC, a leading executive search firm that specializes in recruiting for sales, sales management and marketing professionals on a nationwide as well as international basis. ISC helps companies fill key roles within a variety of specialty industries including health care, telecommunications and fuel and energy.
Zaslow-Rethaber provides suggestions below on how employers can keep their staff motivated and productive especially during unstable times:

• First find out what employees want –-to create a motivation program that will effectively resonate with your staff, collect data through attitude surveys, performance reviews and by informally asking employees what they want most from their jobs. Look for common trends and design a program around the top two or three.

• Build a positive climate –-employees work best when management is upfront and provides open and honest communication as much as possible—more communication helps to diminish uncertainty. Moreover, when employees work in a climate of trust and believe their managers genuinely care about them, this can help reduce negative thoughts and increase productivity.

• Look for de-motivators –look around your workplace and identify areas that can de-motivate your employees. Suggested areas include a lack of coaching/mentoring and employee recognition programs, poorly defined career paths and non-productive work environments (buildings, equipment).

• Don’t ignore work/life balance initiatives –research shows that healthier employees spend fewer days away from work, spend less time at the doctor’s office and tend to be more motivated and have higher energy levels than their less healthy coworkers. Programs that can help keep your employees physically and mentally strong include seminars on stress reduction or coping skills to handle change as well as those that provide incentives for healthy eating and exercising.

• Turn ideas into action –when you have received input from employees on what motivates them, identified areas that are de-motivating and looked at ways to strengthen your employee communications, put together an overall plan that can be reinforced at all levels of management. It’s best if you can alter company policies to ensure that the programs will continue beyond the initial implementation period.