Motivating Employees

How do you motivate employees -- justifiably cynical, skeptical employees -- who have been merged, acquired, downsized and right-sized?

1. Give employees the information they need to do a good job.

Talk about the overall goals and mission of the business and the work that needs to be done by particular teams.

Discuss specific activities each team member should concentrate on.

2. Provide regular feedback.

Employees need to know how they're performing.

Be specific, and use real-life examples whenever possible.

Don't wait for an annual review that might come too late. Engage in regular performance and goal discussions with each employee.

3. Involve employees in decisions that affect their jobs.

Ask what information a person feels he or she needs to do his or her job at the highest potential.

Ensure non-managerial employee representation in planning and special initiatives.

Create a safe haven for constructive truth-telling and information-sharing. Allow people to express concerns.

4. Establish easy-to-use channels of communication.

Give individuals the opportunity to voice their questions and concerns.

Create hotlines, suggestion boxes, surveys, small-group forums and question-and-answer sessions.

5. Learn from employees what it is that motivates them.

Ask individuals what specifically motivates them.

Customize rewards for a job well-done.

Demonstrate your respect for employees by responding to signals they put out about how they want to be treated.

6. Hold morale-building meetings that celebrate employee success.

Publicly and sincerely recognize employees for good work.

Let employees know on a timely basis that they are doing a good job.

Be specific in your praise, and provide examples.

7. Be honest about the company's commitment regarding long-term employment.

If it's a commitment honored by your organization, indicate to employees that though they are responsible for their own job security, the company will do all it can to facilitate long-term employment so long as the match is beneficial.

If your organization doesn't honor "no layoffs" approaches, don't promise security. A key reason for record-level cynicism and decreased loyalty is backlash to broken promises--actual or perceived--regarding long-term employment.

8. Tell the truth and skip the jargon.

Don't make promises you can't keep.

Don't try to put a pretty spin on difficult news; people see right through it.

Don't fill time with vapid or meaningless words like "we're going to delight our customers with world class service." What does that mean?

Use language to connect with people and encourage great performance, not just to fill air-space.

9. Foster a sense of community.

Creating teams is one way to create camaraderie, but companies should also raise awareness of how employees can recognize each other's work.

Communicate team or community norms and expectations. Common ground holds a community together; make sure your common ground is healthy.