There’s no getting around it; this has been a horrendous year for business. All over the world, workers have been forced into reduced hours, working from home, or even losing their jobs altogether. For many companies, they’ve been battling low morale, and this is only getting worse as the pandemic looks likely to stay. As we head towards 2021, it won’t be long before we’ve been under restrictions for one full year. If you’re sensing tiredness and a lack of motivation in the team, we have some ideas to reinvigorate staff members for the new year.
Shared Experience – Show Compassion and Understanding
When the economy normally takes a hit, there becomes a divide in the business because workers feel separated from managers and others high up in the company. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everybody; even some multi-national corporations have been forced to close offices or cut back on staff.
With this in mind, the first thing you can do is share experiences together. Understand the concerns and the perspectives of employees, and make sure they understand how you’ve been affected too. With an open and honest meeting, both parties can relate to one another and better understand how the pandemic has affected them.
In 2021, the most inspired teams will be the ones that feel as though they’re understood. Take the time to speak with your team, understand their biggest concerns, and show that everyone will pull together through the continued crisis.
Team Building
We know, some people will immediately shy away from this option. However, you don’t need to conform to the usual team building activities that most employees hate. Instead, team up with reliable companies like https://wonderlead.com/. Depending on what you need, they offer ice-breakers, mind-cracking activities, indoor exercises, outdoor exercises, and plenty more besides.
Team building is a superb option whether you’re bringing everybody back together again or welcoming new team members after a difficult 2020. Team building will fuse employees together, get them working as a team, and improve communication and collaboration even under normal circumstances.
Encourage Open Communication
During this ever-changing world, all employees must read from the same page. Otherwise, every department will pull in a different direction, and the business will go nowhere. One way of ensuring that everybody is on the same page is to encourage open lines of communication. Now more than ever, employees should feel comfortable talking with management and asking for help.
Especially if some people are still working from home, get them communicating and contributing to meetings through tools like Slack and Zoom. When people work from home, they can start to feel isolated, so don’t leave them out.
During 2021, we also recommend making time for personal conversations. If you hold a one-hour meeting every morning, save the last ten minutes for a private chat. Among all the disruption in the world, this time to talk with colleagues and friends can really help to make the team more cohesive.
Set Clear Goals
Lastly, we can re-inspire staff in 2021 by setting clear goals and having something to work towards. Of course, this means both as a business and for individual employees. With everyone contributing to a larger goal, there’s a sense of togetherness (and achievement when the goal is reached!).
This is a strange time for everybody, but here are some ways to lead the post-COVID rebound!