Peer to Peer: Stress team-building, goal-setting to ensure a motivated workforce

Do you have a mantra for 2015? I’m not talking about the chant by Matthew McConaughey in TheWolf of Wall Street. I’m talking about a few simple keywords you can write down on the wall as a reminder of what your company wants to accomplish in the new year. Ours are as follows: teamwork, enthusiasm, connection and community. Motivation starts with being on the same page as your “work family” and enjoying the place where you come in to work every day.

For us, as designers, a huge aspect of productivity relies on comfort and enjoyment of the workspace we’re in. Simple elements that often go overlooked, like office lighting, colour schemes and furniture, actually have a huge impact on how much staff enjoy coming to work and how much they get done during the day.

Even more, implementing project management technology in the new year can dramatically improve team organization. Here at Cutler, we use Asana. It allows us to easily communicate without the use of email and effortlessly track task status across all of our projects. If you’re a company that has not applied this kind of technology yet, you’re going to see a noticeable and positive change in your team’s dynamics and outcomes.

Finally, we remind ourselves daily that “done is better than perfect.” It’s often hard to get started and compartmentalize the workload into manageable chunks. I’m not saying we are not looking for a thoroughly finished product, but this saying helps the team to overcome the fear of starting and gets the ball rolling on projects. We’ve also found it helpful to check in with our staff individually, review the workload and help them prioritize based on the various factors of each project.

Don’t “ease into” the new year – hit the ground running. Set lofty, meaningful goals and include your team in the goal-setting process to ensure buy-in. At PlentyOfFish we use the OKR (objectives and key results) method, which has produced an increase in performance and overall team morale.

Offer flexibility. Not everyone is an early bird, especially in the technology industry, where developers often code late into the night. I believe in allowing your team the freedom and flexibility to work during the hours that they are most productive. The PlentyOfFish office operates under core hours, meaning all employees must be in the office between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., but if they’d prefer to come in at 10 a.m. and work until 6 p.m., they have this option. In a recent employee survey, we saw a noticeable improvement in overall satisfaction, morale and productivity.

Cut down on meeting time. Well-conducted and productive brainstorming sessions and meetings are essential for success; however, too often we find ourselves nodding off in a meeting with little accomplished. Make sure meetings have an agenda, key memorable points, and are attended only by those who need to be there. At PlentyOfFish we’ve implemented a “no morning meeting” policy. This gives everyone time to work at the beginning of the day and encourages employees to consider whether a meeting is necessary or whether a quick chat or email would be just as productive.

Avoid lengthy email discussions. Often, an email thread will get out of control with people weighing in, or just reading the thread with no benefit. If an issue isn’t resolved within three replies, I encourage my team to get up and speak to their colleagues in person. Our open-floor-plan office encourages this open communication.

Sometimes employees spend the holiday break, well, not getting a break. They may need a day or two to settle in. If they continue to underperform, I would certainly address it right away. There are ways to address unproductive behaviour that leave the employee motivated and feeling good. A happy employee is generally a productive employee. The best way to bring up anything is to approach the person in a light and informal way. Using humour is good.

You: How were your holidays?

Employee: Good, but I was so busy.

You: It’s hard to please everyone and you can end up just feeling exhausted and almost like you didn’t even get a break.

Employee: Yes, I just feel really tired.

You: I wonder what we can do to help you adjust and get back in the groove. It’s tough when you are tired.

Employee: I think maybe I need to get outside more or something.

You: Why don’t we make sure you get out for a walk every day.

Employee: Wow – that sounds great.

Most often, a conversation like this, in which you are clearly concerned about the employee’s welfare, will solve the problem. If it does not, there may be a larger and more systemic problem.

Every organization, even a small one, should invest in workplace wellness. This can be virtually free. Some ideas include providing wellness information to employees, having a potluck-style healthy lunch once per month or giving an interested employee an hour or so a week to come up with inexpensive ways to increase health and wellness. These small endeavours can create big results for your organization.