The Pursuit of Transparency

Don’t make everything secret! Business transparency is like glass windows that allow your team to honestly know what is happening within the business, whether it may be a positive or negative impact on their work.

Even the best managers will struggle to keep their team productive and motivated if the workflow lacks transparency and accountability. Managers must communicate that there is an intention behind each staff’s effort to see the indirect or even direct impact on the success of the business objectives. Many managers make the mistake of not providing enough positive reinforcement for their team to improve. It is always easy to give immediate feedback but often the challenge is knowing the constructive and actionable steps that follow.

Implement periodic performance reviews using BI and Analytics tools to track the progress of projects and employees. Allow individuals to monitor their progress and provide actionable and quantitative insights on how to enhance their performance. Doing so ensures accountability in each person’s tasks in order to achieve the individual, project, and team objectives.  

It’s up to you as the manager to relay the company vision to your team and guide them to understand how they contribute to the vision as a whole. Always keep an open dialogue to discuss goals, to ensure that each member is heading in the same direction for everyone involved to succeed.

Autonomy in the Workplace

One of the most valuable and effective ways to motivate your staff is the autonomy of their work. But many managers don’t know what the right balance of freedom may look like in their team’s context. Here are some initiatives to consider and incorporate into your team.

Let your Staff have Control over their Schedule

Allow your staff to have the freedom and flexibility to manage their professional and personal life. Everyone has different schedules, constraints, and work-life balance. The time flexibility allows each person staff to work at their most productive hours without the limitation of the regular 9-5 work schedule. Besides critical meetings that they can’t miss, the added flexibility allows individuals to become more driven and determined to complete their responsibility instead of enforcing a schedule that doesn’t help them be productive, increasing job satisfaction and reducing work burn-out.

Let the Staff choose where they Work

The pandemic has changed the pace of life and work and has shifted how and where we work. Some people prefer to work remotely from home, others at coffee shops, and some still prefer to work physically at the office. A 2019 survey by Owl Labs shows that the top 4 reasons why respondents prefer working remotely are better work-life balance, increased productivity and focus, reduced stress, and avoiding the commute to work. Location flexibility allows your staff to be happier at work as 71% of full-time remote workers say they’re happy in their job.

Ensure your team members understand what they want to excel in their career and what they require from the company to accomplish the goals and objectives. Some employees may need a day off, while others may respond better to a raise or promotion. Understand what motivates your team to operate at their best and offer the right rewards for their effort and positive work ethic.