Stress is an everyday occurrence. According to the American Institute of Stress, 33% of people suffer from the consequences of extreme pressure, 77% have had their physical health affected by it, and 73% battle mental health issues due to unmanaged stress.
However, while the sources of physical and emotional strain can be financial or personal, in most cases, they’re workplace-related.
For teams operating in high-pressure environments, this can be particularly problematic. For starters, elevated cortisol levels lead to adverse health consequences. They also directly impact workplace productivity, motivation, and creativity. And, sure, there are some methods you can employ to assist your team during difficult times. Nonetheless, it’s essential that you focus on stress prevention rather than just managing the effects of stress.
So, if you’re wondering how to help your team stay motivated and productive during challenging times, here are the best strategies to elevate their resilience and allow them to thrive — even when things get overwhelming.
Develop a Supportive Leadership Style
One of the most effective — yet most commonly overlooked — tactics to keep your team motivated and productive throughout the year is developing the right leadership style.
According to the latest State of the Global Workforce report from Gallup, manager engagement is directly correlated to employee engagement.Â
Source: gallup.com
In fact, manager engagement accounts for up to 70% of variance in team engagement, showing just how essential it is for successful organizations to nurture strong leaders.
You can use various methods to ensure that your leadership style supports a resilient and motivated team dynamic.
For instance, effective communication is one of the most essential elements of a healthy and productive work environment. If you want to help your team stay motivated — even in the face of a challenge — work with them to develop adequate (and healthy) communication practices.
This can be relatively easy. By using the right tools, you can prevent miscommunication and ensure the uninterrupted flow of information within your organization. For example, something as simple as a phone tree app can allow you to deliver crucial info to all team members in a timely (and difficult to miss or misinterpret) manner.
In addition to keeping up-to-date on your team’s successes, challenges, and day-to-day activities, do your best to cultivate a setting of meaningful feedback and accountability.
That way, you’ll build trust within your company. Plus, you’ll provide employees with the instructions and guidance to tackle tasks efficiently. Doing this will also ensure that they:Â
- feel supported
- are willing to ask for help
- aren’t afraid to embrace a growth mindset instead of being scared of making a mistake (and being punished for it)
Foster a Positive Work Environment
Though team-wide engagement and productivity may stem from your leadership style, they don’t only depend on your actions (or those of your managerial staff).
Instead, research suggests a direct correlation between team dynamics and productivity. According to a 2022 research study, an organization’s culture affects productivity, but that’s not all. Company values (and how effectively they are communicated) also influence employee behavior and performance.
Source: scirp.org
With this in mind, it is essential to foster a positive and engaged work environment for your employees — especially when looking to increase resilience to stress and productivity dips.
To build a resilient team that can remain motivated and productive during challenging times, focus on company culture. Establish and communicate core organizational values. Nurture a trust-based environment. Do your best to make employees feel supported and appreciated. And encourage connection to the best of your ability.
The great thing is that building a connected and inspired team is something you can achieve regardless of whether they’re working from a centralized location or remotely. There’s a multitude of online team-building strategies you can implement to keep everyone connected and on the same page. And, if you’re willing to take things to the next level, you can even explore budget-friendly methods to get everyone in the same place for some face-to-face communication that will inevitably breed inspiration and engagement.
Check Your Expectations and Goals
One of the most common managerial mistakes is thinking that employees can handle all their assigned work. But while your team may be managing to keep their heads above water, they could be struggling behind closed doors.
PWC’s latest annual Global Workforce Hopes and Fears survey discovered that 45% of people’s workloads significantly increased over the past 12 months. Even more worryingly, only 57% of people feel they’re being fairly compensated for their labor.
Source: pwc.com
At the best of times, these factors can cause employees to cave under pressure. In fact, some experts even predict that a Great Resignation 2.0 is coming our way. Survey data indicates that 28% of workers plan on quitting by the end of 2024 due to people feeling overworked and underpaid.
Source: resumebuilder.com
However, if you’re looking to maintain workplace productivity and motivation — even when faced with challenging circumstances — it’s essential that you nip these issues in the bud.
It’s crucial to ensure you have clear insights into your employees’ workloads (and whether they can complete all tasks in a way that doesn’t sacrifice quality). You also need to work on developing realistic expectations regarding what your team can objectively achieve with the resources at their disposal.
By having a clear grasp of your team’s workload, you can prevent burnout. Moreover, it can help you develop practical tactics for overcoming common obstacles — like asynchronous communication — and provide your employees with the support they require. That might include access to more efficient tools, outsourcing low-value tasks, or providing any necessary upskilling opportunities.
Emphasize the Importance of Work-Life Balance and Well-Being
A good work-life balance and general well-being are both crucial for allowing people to be productive and engaged at work. A 2022 study confirmed that work-life interference directly increased burnout. This resulted in raised turnover intentions as well as lowered overall career satisfaction.
So, if you’re looking for ways to help your team stay motivated and productive during stressful times, you’ll want to help them achieve a positive balance between their work and personal lives. You’ll need to place a strong emphasis on maintaining their physical and mental health.
Of course, this is easier said than done.
There are some things you can easily do to prevent your employees from taking on more than they can chew — like identifying and stopping presenteeism, implementing a minimum time-off policy, and enforcing boundaries about professional communication during off-hours.
Nevertheless, forcing your workforce to practice self-care and get sufficient rest can be more challenging.
With this in mind, you must do what’s in your power. In addition to encouraging your team to take care of themselves, consider whether you can supply them with any necessary resources to improve their overall well-being.
The great thing is that there are no limits to what can help your employees feel more supported.
For example, a recent survey revealed that 92% of U.S. workers think mental health coverage is important for building a positive workplace culture. And 22% of employees consider fitness and gym benefits to be important when looking for a new job.
So, if you’re looking to maximize your team’s overall health (and increase their resilience to stress and burnout), explore ways to support their physical and mental health. For example, you can:Â
- offer company-wide fitness and wellness programs
- provide valuable educational resources on maintaining their fitness
- give them a budget they can spend on their overall well-being like choosing a new mattress or light blocking sleeping mask
Don’t Forget the Why
Did you know that the why behind a person’s job can be as (if not more) motivating than any compensation they receive?
Research suggests that people with the highest levels of job satisfaction feel like what they’re doing makes a positive difference in the world.
So, if you want your team to remain productive and engaged during challenging times, find ways to inject meaning into your team’s work.
You can do this by emphasizing your organization’s mission and values. For example, people who feel like their values align with those of their organization are more likely to remain in their positions. Plus, 52% would even be willing to take a pay cut to work for a business whose mission they feel passionate about.
Source: qualtrics.com
Or, if basing your company culture around organizational values isn’t something you can easily achieve, why not allow employees to pursue passion projects or personal growth goals as a part of their job? This is a marvelous way to boost your team’s intrinsic motivation. Plus, it can help them reach a higher sense of accomplishment by aligning their job performance with something they already feel inspired to excel at.
Provide Growth Opportunities
Finally, if you want your team to stay motivated during stressful periods, don’t forget to remove any unnecessary sources of frustration.
For instance, research suggests that the lack of development opportunities is one of the main causes of workplace dissatisfaction among young professionals. Yet, knowing how important job satisfaction is for maintaining high productivity levels, you’ll need to remove these pain points to the best of your ability.
Source: statista.com
One of the great things about this hunger for knowledge and growth opportunities is that they’re easy to supply in today’s work. With a wide variety of educational resources, you can encourage your team to improve their skills in a way that will automatically boost their workplace performance (and retention rates).
Furthermore, demonstrating that there are advancement opportunities within your organization (which is what 63% of people want from their current jobs in the first place) can be another excellent method to motivate your workforce and make them see it pays off to deliver exceptional results.
Source: mitsloan.mit.edu
In Closing
Helping your team stay motivated and productive during challenging times is not rocket science. It’s entirely possible, as long as you develop the right leadership style, nurture a positive work environment, and provide your employees with the resources and encouragement they need to go above and beyond.
Nonetheless, to prevent burnout, keep in mind that productivity shouldn’t necessarily be constant. In fact, mild peaks and dips are a perfectly normal occurrence and shouldn’t cause alarm. Of course, the slow days shouldn’t get in the way of healthy and sustainable growth. Instead, they’ll simply represent periods of rest and recovery, which will allow your team to reach peak performance when it matters the most.
