A Simple Thank You To Let Your Employees Know You Appreciate Their Efforts
Living in Calgary, we have seen firsthand how the mass layoffs across the province have impacted people’s lives, as well as the way that businesses are now being managed.
Personal budgets have to be tightened, purchases spent strictly on needs, not wants. Businesses have drastically cut back on all unnecessary spending such as Christmas parties, marketing budgets and raises. Everyone is tightening their belts and watching what they spend.
The media has run several articles about the pressure put on all the people who have been laid off, which is certainly an important issue. But what about all the people who still have their jobs? In a large corporation where the work still needs to get done; how are the employees who got to keep their jobs coping with the extra work load?
For example, in one company, a group that formerly had 10 employees has been cut down to a staff of 3. The workload hasn’t changed, but the number of people available to do the work certainly has. Everyone has to step it up and put in more hours to get the work done, and is often doing work that they may not necessarily be trained or qualified to do.
The stress levels are at an all-time high and morale is at an all-time low for these people. It’s a double edged sword – these employees have their jobs, but they are not enjoying it. They will likely not get rewarded for all their extra efforts because there isn’t any extra money to compensate them. They don’t dare leave because there are no jobs to leave for. They have their jobs, but don’t feel like they have as much control as they once did.
How Managers Can Reduce Stress Levels at Work
It’s in a manager’s best interest to keep stress levels in the workplace to a minimum. There are a number of organizational changes that managers and employers can make to reduce workplace stress. These include:
Improve Communication
Communicating effectively at work can help improve teamwork, decision making, and problem solving. One of the best ways to improve communication is by learning to listen attentively to an employee. That means not just understanding the words or the information being communicated, but also understanding the emotions the speaker is trying to communicate. Ensure that the employee feels that they are being heard.
- Share information with employees to reduce uncertainty about their jobs and futures.
- Clearly define employees’ roles and responsibilities.
- Make communication friendly and efficient.
Consult Your Employees
- Give workers opportunities to participate in decisions that affect their jobs.
- Consult employees about scheduling and work rules.
- Be sure the workload is suitable to employees’ abilities and resources; avoid unrealistic deadlines.
- Show that individual workers are valued.
- Offer rewards and incentives.
- Praise good work performance, both verbally and officially, through schemes such as Employee of the Month.
- Provide opportunities for career development.
- Promote an “entrepreneurial” work climate that gives employees more control over their work.
Cultivate a Friendly Social Climate
- Provide opportunities for social interaction among employees.
- Establish a zero-tolerance policy for harassment.
- Make management actions consistent with organizational values.
- Organize team building programs.
Finally, Say Thank You
As an employer, it might be nice to show your staff how grateful you are that they are sticking it out through this tough time, no matter how hard it may be. Offering a small token of your gratitude and hand delivering it along with a personal thank you can go a very long way to increasing the morale of a group.
Let us know if we can help you make a difference in your organization, by working with you to create an incentives program for your team.
Where do you go when you need special, unique and creative promotional items? The team at Level 2 Sportswear is waiting for you. We will work with you to source the perfect promotional product, trade show giveaway, corporate gift, or to develop a safety and service award program that your employees are sure to love.
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