Employees Submitting a Formal Two Weeks Notice

What’s scarier than the thought of your star team members handing in their formal two weeks notice? How about not even being aware of it? It’s a possibility, particularly since a recent study pointed out that the majority of employees are bored and not engaged, while the analysis concluded that employees everywhere are “working more hours, taking less time off and experiencing higher levels of stress.”

Exiting an organization because the employee is not performing well is one thing, but it’s a whole other story if the problem can be easily solved. Plus, the cost of re-hiring good employees can sometimes be more than if you just took the steps to retain them in the first place. You just have to adjust the way you manage your team, empower them to be better, and create a culture of engagement. Here’s how:

• Set the right focus.  Believe it or not, your team may feel disengaged or bored because they are blindly working on the wrong objectives or working towards them incorrectly. After all, they can’t possibly be innately aware of the mission, values, and focus of the group on their first day. They have to be given the tools to perform well. With that in mind, make it a point to give your employees the right information before they begin working on goal so they aren’t going down the wrong path — it can only help them perform to not only their full potential.

• Improve communication.  It’s all about communication…so why do some managers forgo it and assume that team members know which direction to go towards? Even if time isn’t in your favor, proper communication is still a must, especially if a goal is very specific or requires some TLC. Some easy ways to improve communication are to set up internal activity feeds, arrange team updates and reports, and instate goal notifications. That way, you’ll always be aware of your team members’ progress and can communicate with them as they need it — and their co-workers can too.

• Coach your team members.  Mentoring and coaching your team members is extremely important. It’s how they can figure out what they are doing right or wrong as they are working on their objectives. More importantly, it’s how you can keep their attention. When you regularly give your employees advice on everything from their goals to their career aspirations, you effectively show that you care about their professional futures. And, when you care, the feeling will likely be reciprocated.

• Automate performance reviews.  In addition to weekly coaching sessions, automated performance reviews can be a great alternative to generic assessments. These automated reviews allow managers to give workers the right guidance on their goal progress in real-time, as opposed to once or twice a year. In addition, implement social recognition into your automated performance reviews so you can empower your workers to do good work. With social recognition, workers can be continuously rewarded for their efforts. In essence, their performance will be acknowledged. Plus, since the recognition is public, is can also empower other employees to work hard as well. This can build engagement, as well as dedication, towards their work and the organization as a whole.

How Bored Employees Impact Your Recognition Culture

Bored and disengaged employees hurt the rest of the team dynamic and also dramatically effect team performance.  Setting up a formal recognition program along with these other tips can drive a culture recognition culture and lower employee turnover at  your organization saving you thousands or millions of dollars.

What do you think? What are some other ways to empower bored employees?