The beginning of a working career in a company is a new stage in any person. He is extremely interested in his activities, inspired by his work and looks at everything with great enthusiasm, sees opportunities around.
However, such a period passes. Then the employee’s interest fades a little, and the environment begins to seem like an ordinary routine. Only the right actions of the leader of the business and those around him are able to revive the light that burned in the eyes of the employee from the very beginning!
Employee Stages
- High level of interest: emotionally connected with the workplace and passionate about his role and responsibilities.
- Moderately interested: productive, but not fully involved in the culture and atmosphere of the workplace.
- Weakly interested: not enough energy and passion, reduced motivation.
- Completely suspended: disappointed, expresses dissatisfaction, interferes with other employees.
Studies have shown that almost 2/3 of Americans are hardly interested in the performance of their duties. The consequence of this is a decrease in productivity, morale during work. However, this does not mean at all that such people are hopeless and useless for the company! They can and should be "rehabilitated."
But company management and managers should identify employees who have lost motivation in advance in order to take measures to prevent the employee from becoming completely disinterested.
What should be done to renew interest in employees, to revive the desire to be a valuable employee, doing an excellent job?
Step One: Deterioration of Interest
First, apathy and indifference are key indicators of employee detachment. But there are more obvious signs that the employee does not feel at ease at the workplace and, possibly, in search of a new position.
1) Low productivity: the employee is late in delivering poor-quality work, providing many excuses for his shortcomings.
2) Lack of interest: keep an eye on employees who no longer participate in group discussions, rarely bring in new ideas and shy away from participating in personal meetings.
3) There is no interest in training or development: an employee loses interest in work, perceiving duties as a routine, does not show desire for something more, performs his daily tasks, but no more.
4) Constant disappointment: people with high motivation are often upset because of unrealized ideas, because of a lesser degree of interest of colleagues in the desire to better perform work tasks. Employees who are full of initiative and ambition are also prone to suddenly “burn out”.
5) Increasing the number of days off: if employees take one day off for several weeks in a row, they may well be looking for a new job or attending interviews.
Step Two: Decide if you should try to keep an employee
No matter how cruel it may sound, not all employees deserve to be "saved." Some disinterested employees simply went too far or were unable to carry out the work for which they were hired. Get feedback from the team and ask yourself the following questions:
- Do they have useful skills? If they cannot perform the required duties, a reduction may be required. Consider whether employee opportunities allow you to move forward with the company.
- Do they recognize a decline in motivation and effectiveness? Explain that you are concerned about their work or behavior, and ask what is affected. If employees recognize that they are struggling with the situation, then you can find a solution and help them.
- Is there a solution? Offer answers to their problem of involvement in the work process, ask if these changes will help, and evaluate their reaction. An enthusiastic answer indicates the likelihood of a positive result. “I don't know” or “I don't think so” is another cause for concern.
- How did I influence their level of interest? Managers have the greatest impact on employees. Do you know your employees enough? Do you offer them new opportunities? Do you discuss their future goals and create plans to help them reach their potential?
The answers to these questions should determine how you deal with the leadership of the team and whether you can influence the decrease in the working capacity of employees.
Step Three: Analysis of the Problem and its Solution
If you intend to keep the employee, then you need a plan to "bring him back to life." Start by understanding why motivation faded. Find out why this position was chosen, what did the person plan to achieve for the company and himself? Perhaps the problem is in finding a lack of certain personal qualities that do not allow us to move forward.
Also worth paying attention to recent changes. Perhaps, recently something negatively affected the employee. This may also be hiding your own problem, which you did not pay attention to earlier. Take a closer look!
Perhaps it’s worth thinking about developing a personal development plan for employees, setting clear goals, and awakening a sense of responsibility. Try to hold personal meetings more often, where you can discuss the situation in the team.
But the main thing is to always be attentive to the working atmosphere in the company, so that the reduced efficiency of employees does not become a surprise. Find those who are inspired by the performance of duties, and be sure to encourage the personal growth of employees!