As the economy struggles more and more employers are  looking to downsize their workforce in order to cut back on costs. They figure that getting rid of employees is the best way to save money and are thinking about the present – where business is dwindling.

But what happens when business picks back up again? Will you have the workforce you need and – most important – will you be able to find the same high-quality help you let go just months earlier?

As a leader and manager you’ll be partially responsible for determining if layoffs are necessary and, if so, who has to go. I don’t know about you, but that’s not a situation I’d enjoy being in.

Instead you need to take some time to think about whether or not layoffs are really the answer to your problem. Start by projecting your future level of business. Are things progressively getting worse? Do you see a chance or opportunity for improvement on the horizon?

There are quite a number of options, aside from downsizing, that can help organisations to cut costs. They include:

• Reducing the hours of every individual within the organsiation or team.
• Reduce income. This sounds harsh but right now more people are happy to have a job and are less worried about seeing a decrease in pay. That’s not to say they’ll welcome it but the response may not be as bad as you think.
• Can you put employees on a temporary leave of absence that would allow them to keep their insurance benefits while they are “temporarily” laid off?
• Is it possible to offer voluntary layoffs to employees who may have already considered leaving or who are unhappy but were afraid to quit for financial or personal reasons?

You’ll be suprised at the number of options you really have when it comes to cutting costs without getting rid of your key employees. You might even want to ask your employees to brainstorm with you one day. Perhaps if they feel as though they were able to participate in the process they won’t react as negatively to the actions your organisation takes. It’s your job, especially as one in a leadership role, to make sure you’re making the right decision.

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

Change is a constantly evolving issue. We face change every single day and, as managers, have the responsibility of guiding our teams through change unscathed.

In order to do so it is important to recognize that different types of change exist. The three main types are:

• Developmental change,
• Transitional change, and
• Transformational change

Developmental change occurs when you recognize a need to make improvements to an existing situation. You aren’t recreating the entire workflow but are instead refining it to make it better.

Transitional changes happen when you recognize the need to implement a completely new course of action. You have a set plan for making this change happen and are able to control the implementation process over a designated period of time.

Transformational change is one of the most interesting, though. Transformational change isn’t necessarily something that you control as much as you recognize and survive. A new process or “norm” creates itself as a result of the failure of another and usually takes its own shape. You can, of course, refine it as it develops but it is not usually planned.

Being able to recognize the three types of change should help you to develop your own change management skills. If you can identify the type of change occuring in your workplace you’ll be better able to control the reactions your team members have to those changes!

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

Alright – I have one more thing to say about employee burnout and then we’ll put the subject away for a little while. You know the signs of burnout, what causes burnout, and how to remedy the situation.

That’s all well and good but the real question is whether or not you are capable of preventing employee burnout.

One of the best ways to prevent employee burnout is to recognize the signs and stop the employee from heading down that path before he actually reaches the state of burnout. But what does this really entail?

For starters, make sure you have clarified your employee’s job description. In some cases an employee may actually be doing too much because he feels he or she is supposed to be doing tasks that could easily be passed on to someone else. In other cases the job description that has been set forth may have been too lofty and you may need to make some changes internally in order to redistribute the workload.

In some cases burnout is caused by boredom and a lack of work. If this is the case, add additional duties to your employee’s job description. Make sure they’re challenging while remaining within that employee’s skillset. You may just be surprised to find you’ve been underutilizing someone with a special skillset you had yet to discover.

While most managers don’t want to give up good employees, it’s important to take a step back and consider whether or not it may be more beneficial to the employee in question to accept a job transfer. Perhaps a different team, department, or job function would allow him to continue working while giving him the change he needs to stop feeling burnt out. Don’t be offended if an employee does NOT want to transfer, though. This simply means he likes his job (and you) enough to find another alternative.

“If at first you don’t succeed, try try again.” You may have to offer up several solutions before finding one that helps prevent the employee in question from burning out. In some cases you may end up asking your employee to take some time off so that he can relax and regroup. It’s better to have this happen before he’s completely burnt out than to wait until he’s no longer functional or has made himself ill.

Don’t forget that the stress associated with burnout can be very serious. If none of these options work, or if you suspect there is another underlying cause, it may be best for you or your employees to seek the advice of a health care provider. Proper stress management is the key to avoiding burnout altogether.

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

Click below for a:
Free email course “Improve your Management Skills”

So you’ve identified an employee who seems to be on the path to burnout.

What are you doing to do about it?

The simplest answer is to make sure he or she gets a break. Most organisations feel as though making sure their employees are taking their vacation or paid time off every year is enough, but is it really?

Put yourself in the shoes of your employee. Say you have a reduced workforce because of layoffs and an inabiltity to hire more help. Your desk is covered in work because you have to pick up some of the slack. Everyone is just as busy as you are, so when you leave for vacation very little of your work gets reassigned in your absence.

Upon your return to work you are faced with your regular workload PLUS the work that sat while you were away.

That doesn’t sound very relaxing, does it?

I’ve known people who have refused to take vacation simply because they know how terrible their desks will look upon their return.

Finding a remedy for employee burnout means doing a bit more than simply forcing an employee to take a vacation. It means helping him to find ways to more efficiently streamline his workflow or finding ways to redistribute work amongst your entire team. It means making sure everyone gets along, ensuring that everyone is skilled enough to do the work they’ve been assigned, and making sure everyone feels appreciated.

As a manager, can you identify ways in which you can alter your team’s workflow in order to prevent burnout?

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Manager Training

Click below for a:
Free email course “Improve your Management Skills”

Yesterday we went over some of the signs of employee burnout so today I’d like to continue by talking about some of the actual causes.

Employee burnout can happen to anyone regardless of age, gender, ethnicity and occupation. Studies do show that people who work with the public (such as customer service professionals) are more likely than others to experience burnout. People who constantly feel as though they work too hard for too little money are more likely to experience burnout as well.

The causes of burnout vary from person to person but I found it interesting that while it is sometimes caused by the workplace, some people may lead themselves down that path on their own. Here are some of the main causes:

• Some people have unrealistic goals. They may set them for themselves or their managers and coworkers may set them.
• People who feel as if they have no control over their situations often burn out. They often have no say when it comes to setting their work hours or placing limits on the amount of work they can complete in a day.
• Jobs that conflict with an individual’s personal morals or ethics may cause burnout.
• Individuals who are bored by their work are easily burnt out.
• Workers who aren’t given proper resources or who are not given clear instructions when handed a project often become burnt out.
• Working with a team of people who are grumpy, rude, bullying, or controlling will cause burnout.

There are dozens of reasons an employee might become burnt out. Some are related to work alone while others are a combination of work and personal issues. As a manager it is your job to recognise the causes and make changes before it’s too late.

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

Click below for a:
Free email course “Improve your Management Skills”