Are your employees sick?

Does the energy level of your employees seem down? Does it take longer to get tasks done? Does everyone seem to be moving in “slow motion”? Maybe they are sick. No, I’m not referring to them having a cold, flu or the winter blues. While it may appear they have one of these, they just need an injection of motivation to get them going again.

We all experience it personally where we feel we are stuck in a routine, doing the motions, or we may feel that we don’t have our head in the game.  Well…we aren’t the only ones who go through this – your employees do as well. The question becomes – what to do about it?

Step out of the routine. Shake things up a little bit, get people away from their regular routines even if it’s just for 15 minutes. Do something out of the ordinary, unexpected and just plain fun.

Here are some ideas:

• Have breakfast delivered and sit together family style (no work allowed).
• Show an episode of “The Office” for everyone to get a good laugh.
• Create an obstacle course around the office and have a race.
• Bring in an entertainer (clown, magician, musician, etc).
• Have a “bring in your pet day”, animals always bring smiles (hopefully no one is allergic)

Motivate. Spark the engines of productivity through motivation. Each person has their own motivation however they can be grouped into four main categories

• Competition (like winning) – have a contest
• Social (public praise) – create a certificate of achievement and give in an all employee meeting
• Process (doing tasks in a certain order) – ask them to create a process for a disorganized or inconsistent procedure
• Fairness (what’s good for one, is good for all) – host a lunch & learn

These are only one idea per motivator but should be enough to get the creative juices flowing. Keep in mind, you can always ask!

How do you “cure” your employees?