Employees react to all changes and especially during difficult economic times.    How do you guide your employees during tough times to respond and not just react to the situations?

Employee’s reactions are not focused energy, whereas responding allows everyone to feel more in control of the situation.  So how do you switch an employee from reacting to responding…communication.

Respond requires thought whereas react comes from emotions.

 ”Employee engagement through times of uncertainty” by Mark Fitzmaurice on Bdaily.com (business news network).

As a manager, turbulent times can be unsettling. Employees want to be upbeat, positive, and encouraged about the future, but news about the economy, conversations with some customers, and input from others in the organisation can often leave them feeling uncomfortable and unsure.

So how do you balance these conflicting ideas, maintain a positive environment, and keep employees engaged in a positive future?

Strong communication skills are important for a manager.   How often do you communicate to your team members?   Do you work across departments to insure everyone is focused on the success of the company.    It’s tempting to take a break and not be so involved, yet communication is the only way you can reframe employee’s focus from react to respond.

Communication Plan

Why not create a communication plan at the beginning of each month.    What you could include:  1:1 meetings with individuals, a weekly department meeting, emails on upcoming deliverables and any other important information that allows the employee to be informed and feel that you are right there with them.

Managing employees is always a two way communication track:  encourage your employees by your own behaviors to participate and communicate.

Be well,

Pat

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