Navigating the Current Landscape: Admin and Office Support Recruitment in Today’s Climate
27th November 2023
It’s no secret that work/life balance hasn’t flourished in the way that our parent’s generation predicted it would. The rise of tech has, in some ways, increased our work instead of reduced it. So with expectations on workers being higher than ever, how can you keep your staff motivated?
No more meetings that take the shape of 2-hour-long Friday afternoon-ers for your team – if you want to increase motivation, you might accidentally achieve the opposite. Hold short meetings that are more regular, maybe a couple of times a week instead. No one will fall asleep, and you won’t feel the need to provide biscuits.
Meetings help everyone to feel like part of the team, which could help them to feel valued and, in turn, motivated to work harder and achieve their job goals. Keeping the lines of communication open could make all the difference.
Many businesses talk a good game when it comes to self-care, mental health and wellness matters, but few actually put their money where their mouth is.
Mental health accounts for a significant chunk of, not only staff absences, but poor morale and low productivity. It’s important that your team members feel able to talk to you about how they’re feeling, both at work, and at home which could have a knock-on effect on how they behave when on the job.
In those little and often meetings we mentioned, touch on the topic of wellbeing and tell your team that your door is always open. This lets them know that you really do care. Putting it on the table is half the battle – if your team were going to open up to you, now it’ll be that much easier. This will help them connect with you, as their leader, and may increase their desire to perform well in their role.
Once a week, take ten minutes, grab a coffee for you and one for your team members, and pop outside for some fresh air and a chat. This is the perfect opportunity for them to relax and fill you in on how their work week has been going – and the casual nature of the meeting might make them feel better about asking things or reporting on issues that they might struggle to bring up with in front of their colleagues.
Additionally, you can use this little session to feed back to them on their performance, especially in areas that they are doing well. Positive and affirming feedback can turn a person’s day around, and employees who never receive feedback, or only receive criticism, can easily start to drag their heels and begin to dread coming into work.
Stop that problem before it starts by seriously implementing that open door policy in this very way.
It’s a bit late in the day to be bringing this up – after all, most businesses that were ever going to shift to flexible working did so during the pandemic. But there are just as many businesses hanging on for dear life to the old ways, out of a fear of the unknown.
Flexible working can make all the difference in a struggling team member’s life. For those who would be better off getting a slightly earlier train and shifting their hours back by an hour for an overall happier day, anyone who would like to leave a bit earlier than usual to sort out problems at home, or the thousands of other reasons that the classic 9-5 just may not be working very well and causing staff to put out feelings for new, better opportunities, flexible working can be the answer.
Flexible working does not mean less hours – it means hours shifted around to suit the individual. Employees who may need to start a little late, for example, will make up the difference in the evening on another day. They may even want to pay a little interest on that flexibility and put in a bit of extra time as a thank you.
If you’ve never tried it before because you’re worried about losing control of your team, that says more about your trust in your team than anything.
Last but not least – give everyone a say
As a business manager, decisions are ultimately in your control, but it never hurts to hear what everyone you employ has to say. After all, decisions that affect the business are likely to affect your team, either for better or for worse.
Allow your staff the sense of input into the business, its direction and its future. The more involved your team feel, the more they will want to feel involved, and the more likely they are to work harder for your company.
Secret 6th tip – Invest In An Air Conditioning Unit
Because no one can feel motivated when they’re all sweaty and uncomfortable in a stale, muggy office. It’s just not possible.
So there you have it – 5 tips on keeping staff motivated, even in this latest heatwave! If you’d like to find out more about what we have to say about giving your staff that “get up and go”, please feel free to get in touch. A member of our friendly team will be happy to help.
27th November 2023
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