Driving employee motivation after the summer break
When employees are returning from annual leave, it is important to remind them about long-term achievements, which are the currency of the organisation’s growth.
Whether it’s a long holiday or just a week away from work, coming back to work after time away can be a challenge. Organisational capability is key to regaining productivity, so scheduling a briefing meeting with the team is essential to ensure they get up to speed quickly.
Working as part of a team can help to jump-start employees' mental energy and push them to be more productive. It also presents them with an opportunity to engage socially while working, allowing for a reduction in overall stress, which is critical for individual health and well-being.
Offering guidance and support
As a leader, finding a way to keep your team's motivation and productivity on the rise is one of the most important challenges you may face. It is the leader's responsibility to maintain positivity on an emotional level and support their team. Without proper guidance and support, employees may become overwhelmed after they return to work.
The first days back are crucial, as they set the tone for how employees will approach their day-to-day duties. Leaders should also be intuitive and sensitive to this transition. Employees can have difficulties transitioning after the holidays and leaders need to prioritise communicating with their team more at this time rather than ignoring them. This, in return, will help create a more positive and energised environment throughout the organisation.
Focusing on employee development
Development plans are some of the best ways to engage employees in their work. They allow leaders to set achievable goals and tasks, which can motivate teams and re-connect them with the purpose of their role. By helping employees to re-connect to their goals in alignment with their interests, strengths, and opportunities, they will be more motivated to contribute to the organisation’s success as they return to work.
Along with setting new goals to motivate employees upon their return from holiday, this is a great time to reevaluate the way teams enjoy working. Leaders should take some time to consider employee’s individual needs and circumstances in
order to help them maximise their performance. Since the way employees work has changed, there are individuals who may perform better and report job-related well-being when they experience higher levels of workplace autonomy. Specifically, increased flexibility in the office as to where work takes place, schedule, the pace of work, and the order in which tasks are completed may lead to greater levels of employee satisfaction.
At Acumen, we pride ourselves in offering training and development that gives managers practical tools to help solve real-life challenges. We offer an extensive menu of courses, workshops, and coaching programmes, ranging from communication skills to executive leadership development. In most cases, we design the interventions specifically for each client, but we also offer a wide range of off-the-shelf programmes for those who prefer this approach. For more information about our programmes please contact Simon at simon@askacumen.com.