Are your employees really at work?
To some this may seem like a silly question. Of course, my employees are working. They are here! However, many of you know exactly what I’m talking about: employees who show up to work most days, but aren’t actually at work. They have mentally withdrawn from your organization, and chances are you don’t even know it.
How many of these types of people do you have residing in your organization?
The homeless: These are the people who come and go from work quietly. It may be lunchtime before you realize these employees haven’t shown up or called in sick. That’s because these people have become invisible and you’ve been so busy you haven’t noticed.
Minimalist: The term “minimalist” refers to anything that is spare or stripped to its essential elements. In the world of art, minimalism is in a class of its own. People often come to appreciate this unique type of work. However, this is often not the case in the world of work.
Minimalists are too common. These are the people in organizations who are doing the bare minimum to get ahead. There isn’t much to say about these employees, except that they tend to take up a lot of space. Hopefully, at some point, someone in her organization recognizes that the “less is more” theory at work doesn’t add up and does something about it.
Workhorses: These are the people who have been running around like the Energizer bunny. They move at full speed and rarely stop to reload. However, eventually even the bunny runs out of power. Work horses will slow down and at some point stop working. Some recover, while others seek greener pastures to repair the damage they have done to their systems.
If you’re thinking that there’s not much you can do about any of these situations, then maybe it’s time you reconsidered your job. For the rest of you, here are some tips on how to re-engage and reinvigorate your employees so that they are present at work.
Look in the mirror: what kind of example are you setting? Are you the manager who never leaves work until the sun goes down? Do you expect the same from those who work for you?
Start by getting a life. Find an activity that requires you to leave the office at a decent hour. Join a gym, take an art class, volunteer. Just do something! Chances are, you’ll become more efficient and even able to get more done by compacting your day. Then set new limits for your staff. Reward them for results, not time.
Rejuvenate: Take time out of your workday to get away from your desk. Encourage your staff to do the same. For some people, that may mean meditating. For others, a long walk around the block will suffice.
Shuffle the Deck: It seems like today we need to do more with fewer resources. However, at what point is enough, enough? It’s hard to do your best work when you know you’ll never make it to the finish line. Worse still, you can pile more work on your desk if you manage to do it.
Take a step back and observe the way the work is distributed among your team. Is it time to consider hiring temporary help to get things under control? Are some employees being asked to do a lot more work than others? Reallocate the workload so that team members can get back into balance.
Take the time to look at your workplace and gauge the true commitment of the people you call employees. While showing up for work is commendable, it is not enough to sustain an organization. Then get ready to work on creating an organization where workers are present in mind, body and soul.
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