We’re finally in the homestretch of winter, and while spring is in sight, the February blahs have set in. It’s a good time to be keenly aware that seasonal depression or Seasonal Affective Disorder is very real. Have you noticed a drop in the vitality of your staff? Now is a fantastic time to deploy an employee engagement strategy.
Do you know who does the best job at work? People who want to be there! Small business owners in particular understand the strain of remaining competitive. To become lucrative and remain relevant in the industry you have to take on a lot of work and develop a quick, reliable final product. It’s all about balance. Look for these signs that your staff may not be fully focused on the job:
- Boredom: We’ve all got tasks on our To Do list that are mindless, but if it looks as though your employee is bored all the time they may looking for another job that will make better use of their stellar skill set. Low productivity may be a sign of boredom.
- Disorganization: There are a lot of reasons an employee may be disorganized, but one of those reasons could be that they just don’t care to take the time to sort their priorities.
- Isolation: Keep an eye out for employees that don’t celebrate in a company win, or who spend lunch alone at their desk, or RSVP’s No to every staff social invitation.
The first place to begin your employee engagement strategy is to give each employee the opportunity to use their strengths on the job, and provide room to grow. Performance reviews should include the a chance 
for your employee to discuss the projects they would like to work on as well as ones they don’t feel comfortable with – and why. In providing them with the opportunity to work on those projects, and/or get training to do so you may find renewed vigor in their productivity.
Tech is convenient, but don’t lose your humanity. Check in with employees in person at least once in a while face-to-face, even if it’s just to say good morning. If there’s noticeable tension in the office why not suggest a group trip over to the coffee shop for a short social break to get some sunshine and refresh the mind? You don’t have to wait until the Christmas party to talk about last week’s Game of Thrones episode. Build a community!
Provide clear expectations and resources to hit goals. If your staff know where to turn when they struggle they may feel more likely to get on that instead of sitting at their desk staring at a blank screen. Avoid micromanaging by providing a list of resources available, be those mental health support resources in your city, or reliable research sources, or even a hierarchy of contacts within the company.
Did we say avoid micromanaging already? Because we mean it! Give your employees your trust and ideally you’ll discover a jump in productivity. If it’s possible and desirable for an employee to work remotely, let them. You’ll know based on their productivity whether it’s working, but providing them with your trust can be a huge boost to morale.
You can’t force someone to love their job, but you can enable open communication to enable a positive experience and that ever-important balance.
Jelly Triangle can help your business find balance in the big bad world of online and traditional marketing. Book your complimentary conversation by calling us at 519-624-8888.
