In teamwork, as in family life crises occur from time to time. At the very beginning, employees had a candy-bouquet period with your company, and then passion and enthusiasm gave way to burnout, fatigue and conflicts. Is it possible to avoid the "fading of feelings" within the team? And if the crisis has already come, how to overcome it? Let's try to figure out in what situations there is a drop in motivation to work and how to "ignite" employees again.

Who is guilty?
Globally, the decrease in motivation can be caused by two reasons - it is either a rebellion from below, or influence from above. If you go into the details, each situation is, of course, unique, and the task of the leader is to figure out what exactly is happening in his company that launched the destructive process. But first you need to determine which of the two typical scenarios develops the situation in the company.

Riot from below
Often, negative moods in the team begin with one dissatisfied employee. There can be many reasons for his dissatisfaction - from personal problems that are projected onto the work situation, to a lack of interesting tasks and development prospects.

Ideally, a competent leader notices the first sprouts of discontent and a decrease in motivation almost immediately and finds a way to help the employee. But if this does not happen, one demotivated employee may begin to influence the entire team.

If an opposition-minded employee has leadership ambitions, he can gather a group of other disgruntled employees around him and become an anti-leader. The anti-leader enters into a competitive struggle with the formal leader for power and influence. From the point of view of collective motivation, this can be useful for an opposition group that has felt the “wind of change” and is mobilizing its forces to carry out a coup. However, for the majority of employees, such a struggle can end in failure - they will lose faith in both leaders and will not see the point in doing anything in a situation of constant uncertainty.
The inner rebel in the team does not always seek to seize power. Sometimes he just constantly expresses his dissatisfaction with the salary / tasks / prospects in a number of colleagues, forcing them to wonder if everything is in order with them. In psychology, such a process is called negative group dynamics - one dissatisfied person in a close-knit team will eventually kill the motivation of the entire group.

Influence from above
It happens that many or even all employees lose motivation at once. There is reason to think that the situation was triggered by some actions of the leadership:

• you changed company policy and employees don't like it
• the situation in the company is not developing in any way, there are no new interesting projects, you are mired in a “swamp”
• sales are falling, the company has a serious financial crisis, and the management does not react to this in any way (or employees do not see the reaction)
• there has been a change in leadership, and the new bosses are in no hurry to build relationships with the team

What needs to be done, what is useless, and what is definitely harmful?
To begin with, let's deal with the situation when negative waves in the team are caused by actions from above. This problem is usually easier to solve. More often employees begin to lose motivation due to the actions of management just because they are in the dark and uncertainty, do not know what will happen next with the company and with them.

In this case, a frank conversation with employees will help. Even if the company has problems and you are experiencing financial difficulties, try to explain to the team what you are doing to solve them and what is the forecast for the future. Has there been a change in company policy? Take the trouble to explain why this is done and what benefits lie behind this decision. Employees lack development? The initiative is punishable, collect the ideas of the team, make the initiators responsible.

The most insidious situation for an old close-knit team is the arrival of a new leadership from outside. Often, the new management itself does not understand what will happen next with the company, whether the strategy and the current team will be preserved. Quite often, following the arrival of a new leadership, a complete renewal of the team occurs. If this is your decision as a new leader, make it quick, don't torment the old team with uncertainty. If you do not plan to form new team, inform your employees that their position in the company is secure.
What to do, if a dissatisfied employee appeared in the team, which ruins the work of the team?

You can go one of two ways - use either positive or negative reinforcement.

Positive reinforcement works like this:

• load the employee with a large number of tasks, if possible, new and interesting for him
• praise for achievements
• encourage new successes with additional monetary rewards

« In development, for example, new technologies help. You can do the same as before, but use advanced development technologies - this motivates employees”, says Nikita Sushkov, head of the development team at Comindware.

Negative reinforcement is de-bonuses, fines and other sanctions associated with a decrease in employee performance.

In the short term, negative reinforcement can be more effective, "shake up" the team. But if such methods are used regularly, then a team that is in constant fear is unlikely to be effective in the long run.

There is also a combined method, which business coach Pavel Sivozhelezov calls the “hot pan” method in his book “Difficult Negotiations with Subordinates”.

Why did an employee who always did a good job suddenly lose motivation? Most likely, this is a consequence of the mistake of his superiors. Managers often take care of those employees who do not do their job properly, and as a rule, there is no time left to pay attention to responsible, good employees. But in a situation where an employee has already lost motivation, it is too late to start giving him your attention. It is in this situation that the method of “putting an employee on a hot frying pan” works: the manager conducts a conversation with him, in which he must be threatened with dismissal. With the first signs of his “activation” after such a conversation, you need to start encouraging him, praising him and not repeating the mistakes of “forgetfulness”.

« I had a system administrator, with him there was a banal situation - when everything is working properly, the system administrator remains in the shadows, no one pays attention to his merits. I took his work for granted, the employee gradually began to work worse and worse. I had to threaten with dismissal due to the fact that his "light" was gone. After that, the employee cheered up, and I try not to make such mistakes again.”, - says Mikhail Mikhailov, managerial consultant, partner of L.E.A.N Consulting.

Some managers do not stop at threats and see it through to the end, firing a negligent employee. Perhaps sometimes this makes sense if the motivation is completely lost and you manage to part with the employee in a good way. When a rebellion in the team has just begun to mature, a demonstrative "execution" can bring the remaining employees to their senses.

But psychologists and business coaches do not recommend abusing such methods. This is especially true if the person you want to fire has become an anti-leader. His departure may entail the dismissal of the entire opposition group from solidarity, the emergence of a new anti-leader, chaos in the entire team. It is much better to try to negotiate with the anti-leader. If this does not work, you need to “restart” the situation: divert the attention of the anti-leader to other tasks, show the team that he is wrong, or at least move the rebel to another part of the office.
There are also more non-standard situations when something more than just unwillingness to work lies behind the decrease in employee motivation. " It happened in my practice that discouraged employees did not show any signs and, on the sly, copied the code, merged customer databases and corporate secrets. And then they left the company under the guise of a tired and exhausted specialist, whom no one appreciates, “to cut own business"! Therefore, along with monitoring the degree of employee motivation, you should never neglect the tools for monitoring your own developments in order to diagnose a leak in time., - says Andrey Kryukov, CEO of YouLook.

The experience of many companies, their managers and employees shows that it is unambiguous DOES NOT work and may even be harmful to increase motivation:

• salary increase. This may convince an employee to stay with the company, increase his motivation for a very short time, but in general, job satisfaction and enthusiasm level will not be affected.
• fines - another reason to be offended and leave the company
• loading with a large number of dull and non-developing tasks

• interesting tasks that require more responsibility and personal involvement
• openness and honesty of the management regarding what is happening in the company and plans for the future (at least for the next six months or a year)
• conference travel
• understandable bonus system. We are not talking about the bonus part of the salary, which is introduced to reduce company taxes. The bonus should be directly related to the results of the employee, and he must clearly understand how his actions and results affect the amount of bonuses. Ideally, the size of the bonus has no ceiling - this makes it possible for an equally unlimited growth in motivation, involvement and efficiency.

Managing a team is not as easy as it seems at first glance, it requires certain skills that not everyone has. Even if you have these skills, at some point you will have to deal with disgruntled employees. If you have well developed social and analytical skills, then you can improve the situation by giving this employee more care and attention. Otherwise, you will potentially lose good employee, just because of his dissatisfaction. It is important to create comfortable conditions for all employees so that they do not have to waste their time and energy on resolving conflicts and grievances.

Here are the top 6 principles for managing disgruntled employees to keep the team going.

1. Fully study the situation.

Before making hasty decisions, you need to carefully understand the situation and understand why the employee is dissatisfied. There can be a great many reasons: you don’t communicate with them like that, you don’t like current tasks, you don’t get along with any of the employees, and extra-work problems. Each case requires its own approach to solving the problem. If the problems are within the company, collect as much information as possible before taking action. However, if this is due to non-working factors, you should not close your eyes, you should try to show the employee that he is important to the company, and not just a cog in the system. It makes sense to offer the employee help.

2. Do not over tighten.

The longer you wait to resolve a problem after you discover it, the more you exacerbate it, adding fuel to the fire. This may be a difficult conversation, but it should be, it is better not to drag it out with him. In addition, it is worth contacting the rest of the employees. If there are any rumors, it is necessary to eradicate them. This will help everyone to clarify the situation and save everyone a lot of time.

3. "Do not take dirty linen out of the hut."

At a time when you already want to address all the staff, you need to meet with the initiator in private. This will not only protect you from similar complaints from other employees, but will also allow the person to speak out fully, thereby making it easier to solve their problem. During a confidential conversation, he can reveal the true reason for his displeasure and a decision can be made between the two of you. General publicity can only hinder its adoption. It is very important to document your common decision so that you can refer to it in case of need.

4. Stay cool.

Working with overly emotional people is extremely difficult, the pressure of the boss can still be forgiven, but when dealing with a disgruntled employee, one should not give vent to emotions. If the employee is unable to restrain himself, give him time to calm down. In the case when an employee crosses all boundaries, it is worth hinting to him that this is not professional. If this does not help, then it is best to just leave him alone for a while, after which the conversation can be continued.

5. It takes time.

You always want to solve the problem as quickly as possible, but in some cases it is almost impossible. A quick solution to an employee's problem undoubtedly stimulates him to work, but not all problems are solved at once. We must not forget that satisfying an employee if his dissatisfaction lasted for many days / weeks / months is impossible right away, it will take some time. 6. Keep records Document all your decisions, meetings, conversations. So that there would be no situations when an employee misunderstood something, interpreted it in his favor and came to swear again. Keeping documentation will strengthen the team and prevent new disagreements. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to solve all issues, because not every job is suitable for everyone. However, if you are recruiting and developing staff, it is your responsibility to decide whether the person is ready to grow in the company or whether it is time to say goodbye to him. If you are unable to solve the problem of an irritated employee, it is worth moving on.

A superpower that every manager and HR professional would definitely want is the ability to predict employee termination. Together with experts, we have collected all the signs that the employee is dissatisfied with the work: perhaps this will help prevent at least one dismissal.

1. He has decreased performance

He does the minimum amount of work that is required of him. No initiative and long-term projects, no attempts to improve the process or do something on time: he no longer associates himself with the company and is not interested in its development.

2. He abstracted away from colleagues and the team

If the employee’s thoughts are already far away, then he spends less time on those who are nearby. For example, he stops communicating and interacting with colleagues: he ignores corporate parties and holidays, non-working meetings, and does not participate in general discussions.

Of course, isolation is not always a sign of problems: perhaps an employee has a rich personal life that interests him more than an office one.

3. He has personal problems

Serious personal upheavals make you rethink your attitude to life, others and work as well. Sometimes this leads to dismissal. An employee has the right not to talk about his personal failures, but the participation of the manager and a temporary reduction in workload can help to cope with problems and stay in the company.

4. He started spending less time at work.

Perhaps he is not lazy, but simply hates her. Therefore, at exactly 18:00 he packs his things and goes home. Or even earlier, if the company allows it.

Another case is a vacation that an employee has completely spent in a short period of time: perhaps he hopes to change jobs and wants to have a good rest before that.

5. Changes in the company

The dismissal of colleagues from the team often provokes others. Changes in work are hard to experience: for example, the cancellation of large projects in which the employee participated, the lack of promotion that he expected, the dismissal or appointment of new leaders and top managers.

6. He began to communicate worse with clients and partners.

The moment when the future of the company and relationships with these customers ceases to worry the employee, he begins to behave more freely and naturally, pursuing his personal goals without regard to the business.

7. His behavior has changed

Mood swings, shifts in work schedules, tasks he can't handle, open dissatisfaction with the company are all signs that the employee is dissatisfied with the job. You can learn about changes in behavior from his colleagues: they often turn out to be more attentive than the leader.

8. Started dressing more formally

Just because he goes to interviews. Also, this can be indicated by unexpected activity in social networks, constant phone calls, absences for 2-3 hours a day. work time, searching and copying materials that can present his work at the interview.

What changes do you notice in employees who want to change employers?

Olesya Lomaeva, General Director of Talpa LLC, Moscow

At delayed wages for employees more understanding on the part of the staff will be met by the heads of enterprises where the system of non-material motivation operates.

If you have to delay the salary of employees, the leader is primarily to blame. Responsibility for non-payment of salary always lies with the General Director.

• Responsibility for non-payment of wages and crimes against a person

The first thing to do is to understand the causes of the situation and accept necessary measures(for example, revise the budget, reduce accounts receivable, adjust costs). At the same time, we must not forget about the work with the staff. It often happens: there is no money, and the administration does not notify when to expect it, so people try to find out from each other. In such conditions, the desire to work disappears. However, if you explain the reasons for the delay in wages to employees and communicate the expected time for repayment of the debt, the delay in wages will be perceived more calmly. When it is clear what to hope for, a person either agrees to wait and continues to fulfill his duties, or begins to look for another job.

In my opinion, the management of a company that has a system of non-material motivation is more likely to meet understanding in the event of a delay in wages to employees. Therefore, if financial condition enterprises can not be called stable, it is better to take some measures ahead of time. The General Manager must:

Instill confidence. Employees of even prosperous companies sometimes begin to experience anxiety. Try to avoid such moods in the team. Talk to people, inform them about the current state of affairs.

Imagine personal problems of employees. Perhaps one of your employees has had their relatives laid off and his salary has become the only source of income for the family. Or, for example, he rents a house, or pays off a loan. If the distance between you and employees is large enough, information can be obtained from line managers.

Build responsibility. Whether the enterprise will have the means to pay wages depends on each employee. It is important to inspire employees with this understanding of the issue. And the best thing is to fix the responsibility in KPI system: then everyone will understand what exactly he should do so that the company can pay him on time. If employees take responsibility, then if a salary is delayed, any of them will wonder if this is also their fault.

Delayed wages for employees: how to mitigate staff dissatisfaction

If delays in wages could not be avoided, there are means to mitigate the negative consequences.

Notify workers in advance of salary delays

It is best to announce the delay in salaries to employees on the eve of the day of non-payment. It is also worth reporting the reasons for the current situation, the measures taken and the estimated timing of debt repayment. Employees who are directly involved in solving the problem need to be given specific instructions. At the same time, a conversation with them should not proceed along the lines of “it’s your own fault – you yourself should clear it up.” The message “the company could not pay, but now it depends on you ...” will be much more effective.

Give each employee the opportunity to contact you

For example, you can send e-mail such a letter: “Dear colleagues! Salary payments are delayed by several days. The exact date of payment will be announced tomorrow. If someone has special circumstances or urgent needs, please report it before the end of the working day, indicating the required amount. We will decide on an individual basis."

In special cases, pay part of the salary out of your own pocket

Valuable employees who find themselves in a difficult financial situation due to a delay can either be paid a salary in the first place, or even give the required amount from their personal money. The income of managers, as a rule, is higher than the salaries of ordinary workers, which means that necessary funds you will find. As a result, you will acquire a motivated and, moreover, an employee loyal to you - and such an employee will bring more benefits to the company than a saboteur who is looking all day for where to borrow money.

• How to invest money profitably: an overview of the most profitable ways

Sorry for the delay

When the problem is resolved and you pay not only your salary, but also compensation for the delay, you must definitely apologize to the team. And also thank you for your understanding and express the hope that each employee has learned a lesson from a difficult situation and will make every effort in the future so that it does not happen again. And then, celebrate. You can arrange a tea party, or you can go bowling with the whole team.

All of these tools I have tested on my own experience. We had a situation in the company when we did not fulfill the sales plan and there was no money in the account to pay salaries. I gathered the team, simply and clearly told where the money comes from for settlements with employees, why now these funds are not available and what needs to be done to make them appear. Over the next two days, we sold so much that we were able to pay wages in full. The best seller was the hero of the week. I apologized to the team for the delay. And the employees apologized in response that they could not provide enough money in the account in time. This unpleasant situation allowed us to strengthen the team spirit and increase the responsibility of everyone for the stable operation of the company (although, of course, you should always give your best, and not only when there is not enough money for a salary).

The problem of delayed wages for employees (like any problem that is not easily solved) is easier to prevent than to eliminate. This means that the General Director should maintain control over the situation, strictly demand the fulfillment of the tasks set and hold those responsible to account. But at the same time, he must always remain a man and remember that he works with people.

Reference

"Talpa"
Field of activity: complete set building objects equipment for heating and water supply systems.
Location: Moscow.
Number of staff: 10.
Objects where work was carried out: Vnukovo Airport, Sheremetyevo-3 terminal, Kurchatov Center for Synchronous Radiation and Nanotechnology, Nikolina Gora cottage village, Severnaya Tower business centers, Omega Plaza, July shopping and entertainment center (Ufa).
Experience General Director in position: since 2007 (since the foundation of the company).
Participation of the General Director in the business: co-owner.

Work situations are different. Few managers wake up in the morning, excited that the new working day will be overshadowed by an unpleasant conversation with an employee who needs to point out mistakes and shortcomings. Moreover, many try to avoid such conversations, especially on early stages his career. However, the absence feedback, including a negative one, has a bad effect on the work of a department or even a company.

Despite the complexity and potential awkwardness of these conversations, sometimes they are necessary. The next time you have to discuss a difficult topic with a co-worker, use these tips.

The conversation should be prepared, but not rehearsed

If you have to enter into such a conversation, you need to focus on the problem and immediately get to the heart of the matter. Avoiding this, combined with extraneous statements and excuses, can confuse the employee or lead to a false sense of security. You need to plan what you need to say. Plan your words to be direct and understandable, however it is a good idea to avoid writing a script that needs to be followed exactly. It should be a live conversation, and rehearsed phrases can interrupt the natural flow or even make it more robotic and less emotional.

Think about how your interlocutor will feel

Take time to reflect on how you would feel if you were in the position of the person you are talking to. How would it be better to formulate and discuss the problem, to express words of criticism, without becoming overly harsh? This level of empathy will help you communicate and allow you to discuss the issue more effectively.

Don't take on the situation

In such cases, it is very easy to convince yourself that you are upset or feel bad about this conversation. In a conversation, you can not use such manifestations of protection, such as the phrase "imagine how hard this is for me." Your main task is to maintain composure and restrain the reaction of the employee. While he may say hurtful things or get upset, you need to control your emotions to keep the situation from escalating.

End the conversation as positively as possible

Certain situations may not make it possible to end the conversation on a positive note, but you should do your best to find something comforting for the employee. Maintaining a negative vibe can create distrust or anxiety, while being positive can help stabilize the conversation and make everyone feel more optimistic.