How to Re-engage Your Workforce to Start 2021 Strong

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2020 has been a challenging year for so many people. Employees are expected to be tired and disengaged while waiting for the holiday break. Disengagement is a common problem that companies need to solve as it brings down productivity. 

As Forbes contributor Naz Beheshti tells us, “not only do engaged teams produce a 21% boost in profitability, but also a 41% reduction in absenteeism and a 59% reduction in turnover.” Let’s explore how you can re-engage your team so you can start the new year off strong. 

Listen More and Talk Less

Leaders need to open their ears and hearts to their employee’s concerns. They can start with having a town hall, in-person or virtually, and let them air out their worries for the upcoming year. Alternatively, send out a Google Forms questionnaire to allow employees to submit questions or concerns anonymously as they may be more comfortable doing so that way. 

It is also crucial to address the majority of the concerns. If management cannot address those concerns right away, be honest. Let your employees know their concerns have been heard and that you will work on getting those things fixed. Even if changes do not come right away, your employees will understand and appreciate that they are being heard.

Provide Opportunity for Growth 

Employees will be more engaged and invested in their work if they know they are working towards an opportunity or goal. They will be more invested if they can see future career opportunities within the company ahead of them. An employee that perceives the company is failing is not going to be as motivated to work. 

Be honest and let your employees know how the company is doing. Even if there is a slight dip in profit, let your employees know that you are hopeful that this coming year will be a good one and that you’ll need their help going forward. This knowledge will help get your employees invested in that success. 

Recognize Wins 

Recognize your employees for all they have done this year. This was a challenging year for everybody, and a lot of people made sacrifices. People who have never worked from home continued doing their jobs in potentially distracting situations, including kids, partners, or roommates working from home as well. At the same time, some employees may have been stuck at home alone for months on end. Praise your employee for doing well and helping the company get through this. 

Fortunately, 80% of polled employees say that their manager’s recognition is more important to them than awards or gifts. So while budgets may be tight in the coming months, it costs nothing but your time to recognize accomplishments. Consider a personalized handwritten note if you have that kind of relationship with your employees. Praise them in public if they appreciate that sort of attention.

Keep Things Light

Keep the work environment focused but light. Employees will be able to sense if a company isn’t doing well or if management is worried about the company’s future. Levity and fun help everyone stay connected and motivated even when times are tough.

Allow for remote teams to get together on a virtual “happy-hour” where they can relax and catch up with their team members. Allow for a “hot chocolate” break on Tuesday afternoons for your office staff. Anything that will lighten the mood and create a relaxed atmosphere will help. 

Be Transparent

Be transparent about how things are going. All staff must have the opportunity to hear news about the whole company, good or bad, and not just their department. Good news will get people’s spirits up, while bad news will remind staff that difficult subjects are not taboo. But, as a company, you’ll work through any difficulties and come out stronger together.

Additionally, you can show transparency by disclosing responsibilities and not keeping job functions a secret. A lot of time is wasted trying to find out who is responsible for what task and who to ask for help.

Create a simple list of responsibilities, like a directory of sorts, so everyone knows what they are responsible for and who’s responsible for other things. This way, each person will be aware of what everyone else is working on, who they need to approach for deliverables, and who to contact when they have a question.

Be Clear with your Expectations

When returning to work in the new year, make sure your employees are clear on what will be expected of them. Don’t just tell them what to do, but also explain to them why. Tell them why a particular task is vital for the overall success of the company. 

Make these expectations measurable. When setting goals with your employees, you want to make sure you have a way to measure if the employee meets those expectations, or better yet, if they are exceeded. 

Communicate what your expectations are to your employees regularly, but make sure to give them some autonomy to decide how to meet those expectations. 

Say “Thank You”

Saying thank you goes a long way. There is no need to wait for something groundbreaking to happen to praise someone’s performance. By thanking your employees for everything they do, it will go a long way to boost their motivation and feel appreciated by the company and, in turn, increase their productivity. 

This can be done with a personalized email to that employee (maybe copying the team as well?), a thank you post-it on their computer, or even starting an employee of the month tradition. This will help recognize team members and also get a little healthy competition going between employees.

Being disengaged doesn’t always mean that an employee has one foot out the door. They are not lost cause. Take the time to recognize what everyone has gone through this year, and follow the above steps to re-engage your workforce. That way, you are ready to crush your business goals for 2021.

What are other ways that you re-engage your workforce? Comment with those tips below.

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