Having a miserable day at work every once in a while seems almost inevitable, but a discouraging study by Gallup found that about 70% of workers are unsatisfied or disengaged with their work on a daily basis.
There are many ways you can go about bringing that spark of creativity and inspiration back to your office, even if you’re not a part of upper management. In fact, as a Project Manager, you can easily make everyone’s day a little happier by, say, bringing in a spontaneous snack for the office, or doing something more lasting…
- Work Towards Common Goals
One of the best ways to promote workplace engagement is to create a sense of community among workers, and give them common goals to work towards. It can be easy for people to slip-in to the “can’t wait until Friday” outlook and live everyday at work counting down the hours until they get to go home. But, if everyone has meaningful tasks to work on, that can definitely change!
It’s been proven time and time again—if you can measure and see your progress, people will stay positive and work even harder as they get closure to the end goal. Set goals for each team at your office, and track them regularly to keep everyone excited.
- Employ Your Team Members Best Skills
When assigning projects, always look for the person that’s best fit for the job. Utilizing your employees best skill sets will not only lead to a better end result, it will also make them happier and lower their stress. When an employee knows they can do something—and do it well—suddenly, work becomes that much more enjoyable.
- Hold Meetings & Listen
Expecting too much from your team all the time is a sure fire way to cause stress, bitterness, and exhaustion. If your workers are repeatedly being overwhelmed, make sure they know that you’re listening.
Holding weekly team meetings will give your team a chance to speak up about on-going problems and discuss remedies on the spot with everyone so you can get instant feedback from the entire team.
When your employees say something isn’t working, make sure to listen to them and take it to heart. If someone is staying behind on work or another is complaining that there is simply too much to do, you can discuss their ideas to find a solution, or help them prioritize.
- Ask for Feedback
Asking for honest feedback is something so many project managers never quite do well enough. While the majority will master asking for feedback on co-workers, most will never consider getting feedback on their own performance.
If you’re in position of a manager, get at least three people that you know will be honest with you. Ask them to review your leadership style and tell them you want feedback on what you could be doing differently to better inspire productivity in the workplace.
- Bring in New Staff
If your current employees are over-worked or underproductive, adding a new member or two is a great way to re-energize your team. When hiring, in addition to looking at skills and strengths, you should also look for someone who is high-energy and excited to be working with you.
A good worker is one who’s skills will benefit the projects they will be completing, but you should also ask yourself whether they will be a good fit for the workers already on your team. Aligning strengths and values with your current employees will help them in building relationships and inspiring one another.
- Thank Your Team
You’d be surprised how often a simple “thank you” to your hard workers is enough to turn their attitude around for the day. Recognizing your best members will make them feel appreciated and inspired to do more.
When you reach a milestone, throwing an office party is a great way to thank your employees for the great work they’ve done so far.