Beware of the “Working Dead”

In most zombie movies, there is no antidote, no cure for the nasty zombie virus—it's simply all downhill from the start! Unfortunately, far too often, there is a zombie movie playing out in your workplace. You watch as your employees slowly turn into the “working dead” facing the same-old-same-old frustrations day after day. Soon your productivity has slowed down, along with any spirit of innovation. Finally, it's all over. The sparkle and excitement drain from your employees' eyes as they mindlessly do their jobs. Obviously, no one wants a zombie, both in the horror sense and the work sense. Here are a few things that will help keep your employees immune to the virus. 

First of all, remember that a positive workplace is key to great employee morale. Positivity isn’t a slew of awesome perks, though that is nice. Positivity is the energy derived from the respect people have for one another. It’s also having trust in people and allowing them to speak freely about their issues. Often, bad employee morale is caused by a feeling of being defeated. It’s the hypocrisy that can rear its ugly head in the corporate world. A goodmotto is always to treat everyone as you would want to be treated. That’s a pretty good start for a more positive and productive workplace.                 

It’s also wonderful when leadership engages with employees. Yes, you’re busy, and yes you pay them, so in your mind, that should be enough. Well, you’d be surprised at how many people sincerely care about your business beyond just that paycheck. The ones that do feel respected and engaged with the company enjoy when leadership gives a simple hello while passing in the hallway andspend a little personal time getting to know people and engaging with your employees. This will allow them to feel much more connected to your business and be motivated to take care of it correctly.   

Then, of course, there is recognition. This is always a tough one because many business owners and bosses alike feel as though a paycheck is enough recognition. In a perfect world, it certainly would be. Today’s workforce requires a little butt patting (Not literally! Don’t do that!). What this means is that a simple thank you can be an immense boost to someone’s ego. If a few simple words increase productivity, then why the heck not? No one is asking for crazy bonuses, free lunch, or a gym membership. (Although, I’m sure you wouldn’t get turned down for that). Employees just need to know they are working in the right direction and are producing quality. Ultimately, they want to make you happy and help your business succeed.

You may be wondering why a technology company is waxing on about employee engagement? We’ve found that we can utilize technology to help accomplish a lot of these morale boosters, and we think you can do the same. 

Have clear key performance indicators, including customer satisfaction, on monitors throughout your office. This serves a dual purpose. First, what is measured is managed, and what is seen is top of mind. Perhaps more importantly, though, having this information on display provides an excellent opportunity for the entire company to see what is going on and provide accolades as they see success.Send out win-wires. When someone does something amazing, shoot out a little email congratulating them on their success. You don’t need to do this for every little thing that is already in a job description, but if they go above and beyond the call of duty, by all means, acknowledge it.Open lines of communication. Of course, you have the capability for phone, email and face-to-face communication. Also, consider employee video communication for remote workers, a chat software for instant messaging and up-to-the-minute project management and file sharing software to keep everyone connected. Leadership videos and team meetings. As a leader, don’t hide yourself in an ivory tower. If you’re unavailable for at least a monthly in-person meeting with the whole staff, consider filming a video update to indicate that you do care and acknowledge the importance of everyone downstream. 

The main takeaway here is to put some genuine care into your employees. Foster an environment where people can speak up about the good, the bad and the ugly without negative repercussions. Mostly though, treat others as you would want to be treated and that will create the baseline for your success.