I’ve heard from many leaders that team member engagement feels like an uphill climb right now. Paradox is grateful to be having a solid business year (every organization is experiencing change right now and that’s where we thrive), but many businesses – especially in certain industries – are recalibrating after funding shifts, tariff uncertainty, and widespread disruption.
We know that market disruption also creates opportunities. Companies who figure out how to keep people curious and committed in the midst of tight budgets and market disruption have the potential to make huge leaps in innovation that can impact the long-term business trajectory.
So how do you keep people interested and energized by the tough work of change when the business environment is uncertain and typical vehicles for rewarding contribution and growth may have slowed?
Revisit Human Motivation & the Employee Experience
First, recognize that people and what drives and motivates us hasn’t changed. At Paradox, our employee experience model is based on research about what humans need to thrive and how work can support these very human needs and motivations: Purpose, Community, Opportunity, and Ownership.
Second, recognize that people’s experience at your organization may have shifted recently – whether it’s due to shifting business priorities, reductions in force, cancelled projects, or reduced promotion opportunities. If that’s the case, then you need to find a new way to boost the four quadrants within the employee experience model without breaking the bank, which likely requires both creativity and thoughtful communication.
Some Ideas to Get You Started
Purpose: Has market disruption caused your long-term direction to be less clear or seem less important? If that’s the case, it’s critical to paint a clear vision of the why behind the day-to-day work.
- Ask your team to share why they feel like the company and what it stands for matters right now.
- Reaffirm your company values and recognize team members who are continuing to demonstrate these values even in the midst of change.
- Consider adding an impromptu team volunteer day that connects to your company’s purpose.
- Enable team members to offer pro bono or reduced fee product or service to community organizations or customers in need.
- Be proactive about sharing customer or client stories with your team that demonstrate the impact of your product or service on real people.
Community: Have reductions in force or business stress diminished people’s connection to each other?
- Celebrate and raise the profiles of team members through employee spotlights and team stories. Remind people about the amazing work their colleagues are doing.
- Prioritize and invest in team connection and belonging.
- Leverage your ERGs or employee affinity groups. Encourage the formation of new interest groups within your company guidelines.
- Coach managers to send a personalized message or offer a small gift to show team members that they care and notice their contribution.
- Provide a gift card for team members to take a colleague out to lunch.
Opportunity: Have pay or career growth opportunities slowed? How can you help people prepare for future growth now while clearly communicating your investment in their long-term success?
- Encourage people to attend skill building conferences or trainings.
- Consider hosting a conference with expert speakers or peer-led sessions at your site to help manage costs and give team members speaking and presentation opportunities.
- Give people the chance to work on creative projects or explore new ideas with part of their time. Encourage cross functional project collaboration.
- Coach managers to explore people’s longer term career goals and help them build the experiences that will set them up for future success.
- Provide honest commitments where you can that will give people a sense of stability and security.
- Invest in wellness benefits that provide peace of mind.
Ownership: Do people feel like changes are happening to them instead of with them? Sometimes as leaders we think we need to shield or protect people when we’re in the midst of a storm. Instead, invite people to help build the raft.
- Consider creating innovation teams to tackle or figure out some new challenges.
- Identify internal processes or systems that may have a window for implementation right now and build a cross-functional team to get it done.
- Be honest about the current challenges and not having all the answers; champion innovation by creating an environment where it’s ok to try and fail and try again.
- Clarify the strategy so people don’t feel like they’re spinning their wheels but give them the opportunity to own the results.
- Encourage people to visit meetups, industry, or community events. Getting outside the day to day almost always sparks new ideas and innovation.
Final Thoughts
The true test of an organization’s culture is often during the tough times, not the easy times. These are also the times that can fire up great cultures and great businesses. If your people are struggling right now, recognize that our need for purpose, community, opportunity, and ownership don’t go away just because business is down. Careful attention to delivering on these needs in creative ways can give your organization that extra boost to weather the storm and continue to innovate into a stronger and healthier organization and team.
Do you need help igniting your team’s curiosity and commitment right now? We specialize in aligning talent strategy with business strategy to create high-performing, great places for all to work. Contact us to learn how we can help.
Emma Browning is the Founder & Managing Director at Paradox Consulting Partners, a management consulting company and Certified B Corporation that aligns talent strategy with business strategy to create high-performing, great places for all to work. She has 20 years of experience designing the processes, structures, and systems that build productive, innovative, and equitable organizations. She has her BA from Wake Forest University and MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. Follow her at linkedin.com/in/emmabrowning.
