Your employees are burned out. They are tired, distracted, short-tempered and just over it. First, the pandemic, then work-from-home and now they are expected to return to work as if nothing happened in the last 15 months (feels like five years).
Honestly, it’s a recipe for disaster. Work as we know it has changed, and there is no going back, so stop trying.
In a survey conducted by the Harvard Business Review in 2017 of more than 14,500 workers across industries, approximately 85% of them said they were not working at 100% of their potential.
This was five years ago, and then shit got real…you know, a pandemic.
If you want the best out of your employees, you have to listen, adapt your approach and put it into action. The people working for you deserve more than lip service (what a weird phrase).
Give a sh*t
Empathy, look it up.
If you want loyal, committed and hardworking people working for your company, you need to create an environment where honesty, flexibility and purpose are the norm.
A few tips:
- Let them ask questions and be clear with expectations.
- Don’t micromanage. Focus on the work results, not the process it took for them to get there.
- FFS cut back on the meetings. Set aside time for them to get work done, empower them to step away from email and chat to really focus and crush things.
- Be observant, notice when an employee is “off.” Offer encouragement and just listen.
- Inspire your employees by sharing your company’s purpose for being and show how they fit into the big picture.
When you show you truly care for and respect them, they will want to work hard for you.
Basically, don’t be a d*ck.
The example you set will always be more powerful than words.
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