TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE TOOLS:
· Maximum communication. When it comes to communication, less is definitely not more. Even if your management team doesn’t share with you, that doesn’t mean you must be close-mouthed with your staff.
Do a Google search, subscribe to a business journal, take the necessary steps to learn as much as you can about your organisation and industry, then share the wealth with your staff.
Who knows? Your research may lead you to come up with the very product or service to keep your company afloat in lean times.
· Shared responsibility. The more responsibility you dole out, the more motivated your workers will be to meet or exceed your expectations.
Don’t overload your staff, but do give them the opportunity to take charge of a project or meeting or to fix a nagging problem without your input.
A positive byproduct: People given responsibility for fixing problems are less likely to spend their time blaming others for creating them.
· Training and development. Be realistic. Few people on your staff are looking to retire with the company.
Some are biding their time and the best are building their CVs.When they feel they’ve nothing left to gain, they’ll move on—slow economy or not.
That’s why you should prioritize training programmes that help them build their skills while keeping them engaged with your organisation.
And if you’re concerned about the budget, do a little research.
Many organisations offer low-cost one-day workshops— and the cost of internal cross-training is negligible, particularly when measured against the benefits.
· Self-evaluation. Encourage workers to take stock of themselves not only in terms of what the company is doing for them but also in terms of what they’re doing for the company. People are more likely to be motivated when they feel they’re actually making a difference.
SOURCENOTE: Adapted from MOTIVATING STAFF WITHOUT MONEY . . .,
by Paul Falcone, in HR MAGAZINE
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