Misery Is NOT The New Productivity

Maybe I threw the "recession is over" party too soon. It doesn't seem to be over for a lot of people. In fact, the biggest concern my clients have is how to keep their people motivated while asking them to do more with less for some vague and unforeseeable amount of time. The same people who have been doing more with less for the past three years. The same people who are burned out and very worried about the future. Here are my ideas:

1. Make sure you are spreading the work around. Don't over burden the workhorses and let the complainers slide. Don't always get Martha to stay late because Sally complains too much or Jim always leaves at 5:00 pm. That is weak leadership and is not fair to Martha.

2. Don't be penny wise and pound foolish. Training is one of the first things to go when times are tough. I've recently done several programs that were the only time attendees had come together in over a year. They had fun, they sharpened their skills, and their morale increased. The cost was very small for all that return. On-site programs (no travel expense for your team) can be very affordable. This is a win-win.

3. Tell them how much you appreciate them. I don't mean as a group—although that's not bad. I mean one-on-one. Be sincere, be specific. Don't do it if someone hasn't been that great, only do it for the ones you wish you could clone. I don't care if you think they know—tell them anyway.

4. Slay the vampires. You know who I'm talking about—the negative Nellie's, the complainers, your problem children. Set your people free! Get rid of them! It's hard enough to keep your spirits up without these horrors around. Man up—protect your people!

5. Stop lying. I know you haven't been doing this on purpose. It's that darn American optimism! But we don't know what the future holds, so don't tell them just to hang in there another quarter if it might be another four years. And quit lying to yourself. You may have to readjust your business plan, you may have to let more people go, or you may have to hire others with different skill sets. Come clean and ask for your people's input—you might be surprised how much they will help if they know the real deal.

6. Have some fun! Many companies cut everything—the annual company dinner, raises, travel, etc. Fun is now seen as somehow evil and wasteful. Misery is the new productivity. Well, this cannot stand! You might be thinking, "I hate fun, I don't want to have to plan fun, we don't have time for fun." I say you don't have time NOT to have fun. If you hate fun, delegate this to one of your fun lovers. Let's work through an example—you have a call center. It's typically NOT a fun job—dealing with complaints, billing issues, sales. Maybe one Friday you surprise them with an ice cream break. Management serves up hot fudge sundaes. Fun works—see Zappos, Traders Joe's, Southwestern Airlines for great corporate examples. It doesn't have to be expensive and obviously what you choose to do has to fit with your organizational culture. And if you're waiting for things to get better to have fun, you might be waiting too long. Recession might be the new normal.

7. Can you be more flexible? Rather than just telling your employees "we can't afford that," challenge them. Tell them you'd love to help them get whatever it is, but it's not in the budget. Give them some ideas—"Ask some of our vendors if they would consider sponsorship. See if that supplier will negotiate. Is a trade possible?" Your people might surprise you. But if you just say, "No we're not doing that." The door is closed. Empower them to try and get what they want—they'll grow and they just might get a glimpse of how hard your job is! And you know what? If they really, really want it, they'll make it happen. Everybody wins!

8. Can you be even more flexible? If there's no money, can you give them control over their time? The younger generations (people under 45) really value work/life balance. Could you give everyone a flex hour once a month? They have to get it approved, but you just give then an hour to do with what they will. Be creative, be flexible—you can always try it and see what the results are. This is all about being open minded and trying some new ideas. Are you more locked into your old ways than you realize?

9. Redefine your mission. Everyone wants to feel their work has meaning—have you reminded your people lately what they do for others or what impact they have on the world? Get with it, leader! They need to hear this from you and they need to hear it regularly. Ex.—call center work is easier if I know I'm helping people care for their families or communicate with their loved ones or lead better lives.

10. Focus on results, let go of things that may no longer matter. Look at the essence of your people's work. Each one should know how success is measured for their job. It is number of units sold? Is it the number of calls handled or HOW they are handled? Is it enough to just show up on time and stand behind the counter or is there a goal? Do not for one minute assume they know your mysterious undefined goals. I work with many retailers whose clerks have no sales goals. Showing up on time and breathing for eight hours seems to be all that's required. Do you want to employ Susie, who is punctual and couldn't sell food to a starving man, or Sally, who is five minutes late but moves merchandise like it's on fire? Do you punish your producer until she no longer produces?

Just give these ideas some thought—what we used to do might not work anymore. And if some of these ideas make you uncomfortable—good! Those are probably the ones you need to try. Recession is hell.

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