How to motivate your people during a recession

In today’s economy, businesses are under pressure to promote themselves like never before. As Craig McGill, managing director at PR agency Contently Managed says: “You need to remind people that you are there so that they can pick up your service.” Although McGill gives this caveat: “Businesses also need to remember, and reflect in their communications, that people don’t have as much cash as before, so they should adjust accordingly.” 

When it comes to communicating internally, a problem is improving morale; especially if there have been staff cutbacks. It is difficult to keep staff keen in tough times, yet it is vital to do so. Sally Ward, managing director UK at PR firm Porter Novelli, says that not only do you want to keep hold of your best people, you need them to perform better than ever before. She adds: “They may well be asked to step up in ways they haven’t before, or fill gaps in workload above and below them. So they’ll be challenged to work harder, smarter and better. To be motivated to do that, they need to be in a close-knit team that’s working for common goals and ends.” Ward concludes that because tough times can bind people so well, this is motivating in itself.

But you can’t just expect the Dunkirk spirit to get your company through. You need to be communicating well with everyone in the business, and finding ways to encourage them. Lee Smith, director at internal communications firm Gatehouse, says the first step is finding out everything you can about your staff: “Insight is everything, you should conduct employee research to find out what makes your people tick, what motivates and frustrates them.” Smith says the next step is to make sure all the communication channels are open (print, electronic, face-to-face) and that you always respond swiftly to any feedback. That is just the beginning, the tips below should help your staff to perform their best, no matter how depressing the economic environment.

Top ten tips to encourage staff

1. Have an open-door policy and mean it. Encourage people to speak their minds and react to what they say.

2. Go beyond consultation, actively seek ideas and suggestions and reward the best.

3. People need to see the results of their feedback, so implement solutions based on their ideas.

4. Make senior leaders more visible and accessible. Employees need to see that people at the top know what they’re doing.

5. Empower line managers. Make sure they also have the skills and time to communicate with teams.

6. Communicate the organisation’s aims and goals, and show how today’s actions will help to achieve them.

7. Regularly update everyone about the company’s performance.

8. Celebrate successes every day, at individual, team, and organisational level.

9. Beware mixed messages. Bonuses, golf days and first-class flights for directors won’t go down well with employees under threat of redundancy.

10. Don’t try and hide anything. Never lie, spin or conceal the truth.

Thanks to Gemma McCartney, associate director at PR firm Porter Novelli and Gatehouse’s Lee Smith for these suggestions.

Written by Daney Parker