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Across the U.S., employers and employees alike are struggling. Businesses are fortunate if they experienced growth in 2009-many remained the same or declined, leaving employers faced with tough choices like laying off employees or cutting hours, decreasing benefits, reducing pay, and freezing salaries.
By far, the most appealing of the four is a salary freeze. The problem is, no hard-working employee wants to hear the words, "times are tough. no raises this year." The question is how do you keep employees happy and productive during tough times? Key employees may have the opportunity to move to another company. How do you retain, challenge and motivate these key people to stay with you during the hard times?
Pay and benefits are not the number one motivational factor for employees. While important, most rank the need for praise and appreciation as the highest, closely followed by the need to belong to a close-knit team. Team members also need to have responsibility and feel like their voices matter in an organization.
Use the following tips to keep employees happy, employee turnover down and productivity up, despite no raises this year:
Look toward the future-Ask your employees what skills or training you can give them to better perform their jobs and help them set short-term personal goals that are business-oriented. Work with your employees to outline the steps necessary to accomplish these goals and provide encouragement and guidance throughout the process. This gives employees a sense of pride and responsibility for the future success of the company and will motivate them to help the company get through these tough economic times.
 Have efficient systems in place for accomplishing tasks. If team members don't fully understand how to get things done, morale will go down. Work on systems like team training, follow-up calls with clients, collections, stocking and ordering, and letters to clients. Focus on improving communication and customer service. Train your employees on the behind-the-scenes duties that are critical to a well-run business.
Hold regular staff meetings-Staff meetings improve communication, goal setting and accountability. Through team meetings, you can keep your staff informed, motivated and involved. This forum gives staff members the opportunity to discuss any problems or concerns, allowing leadership to solve small issues before they turn into bigger ones.
When employees feel their contributions are valued, they have a higher tendency to stay with an organization even if times are tough.
Be a good leader-Employees want a leader who is fair, consistent and applies the same office policies to everyone. Make decisions and stick to them. Avoid wavering, but know that if you and your team try something and it doesn't work, it's okay to change it.
When you make a decision and stick with it, not everyone will agree, but they'll respect you for making a decision and moving forward with it.
Promote a positive work environment-As a leader, if you consistently have a positive attitude in the office, employees will mirror that attitude. If you sense gossip or issues among team members, take steps to resolve these things before they become an issue. Acknowledging and rewarding team members for accomplishing goals also can contribute to a positive environment. When employees feel appreciated, they are happy and motivated to continue doing a great job.
Be sure each employee has a copy of the office policy manual and stick to the guidelines. If team members learn and understand the office guidelines upfront, they are less likely to break the rules, resulting in less conflict between leadership and the team member.
Do things with your team outside office hours-Scheduling regular outings with team members outside of the office improves morale and encourages friendship between employees. In addition, it will increase respect between your team members. When team members get along, they work together better and are more productive.
Involve your team in the decision-making process-Gather input and ask questions, but as the leader, make the final decisions even if you have an office manager or practice administrator on the team. Including your team in this process helps show that you value their opinions, giving them a sense of pride.
Most importantly, as a leader, stay positive at all times-Affect the changes that are needed and be the leader that your staff needs. Speak in positive terms about the company, its leadership and the colleagues who are not in the room. Say "thank you" more often. When something does go wrong, work through the issue and encourage everyone to move on. Acknowledge people who are accomplishing their goals and encourage those who are not. Show interest and get excited about your employees, your business and the future.
In this economy, encouraging employees to work harder, quicker and more efficiently can be difficult without being able to offer raises. An overworked employee easily can become resentful and negative and walk away, which will affect the rest of your staff. Following these guidelines will help you keep your staff happy, motivated and productive, ultimately helping your business come out of the recession on top.
Rhonda R. Savage, DDS, is an internationally acclaimed speaker and chief executive officer for a well-known practice management and consulting business. She is a noted motivational speaker on leadership, women's issues and communication. For more information: www.DentalManagementU.com, Rhonda@MilesandAssociates.net.
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