October 9, 2008

Lauryn Franzoni

Job dissatisfaction is a major challenge even when times are good. And right now times are far from good. Are the bad times affecting your workforce? Are they affecting you?

How Economic Recession Feeds Psychological Depression

If you’re from Western Canada where the economy is booming, you can skip this story. But across most of the rest of the globe, the economic situation is ugly. And it’s not just the stock markets and the banks. People’s spirits are also taking a beating.

The impact of the psychological damage is showing up in the workplace. Anxiety and fear over job security is often followed by low productivity, high absenteeism, apathy, turnover and reduced revenue, says consultant Linda Dominguez. “Performance declines with fear and individuals feel that no matter how well they do, they can’t control whether they’ll keep their job.”

“When you’re feeling lousy, you’re preoccupied with feeling lousy and the energy is missing,” observes Judith Bardwick, PhD, author of a book with a revealing title: One Foot Out the Door: How to Combat the Psychological Recession That’s Alienating Employees and Hurting American Business. “From a national point-of-view, the feeling is that the American dream is over.”

Taking Steps to Reduce Anxiety

While there’s only so much you can do to alleviate workers’ financial hardships and concerns over job security, there are steps you can take to make workers feel better about their situation. During tough economic times, workers feel vulnerable and look to their managers for direction and stability. As a safety manager, it’s important to understand that workers are taking their cues from you and use this as an opportunity to gain their trust.

Communicate Openly: “One thing a manager can offer is a promise of open communication on a ‘need-to-know’ basis,” says Arlene Hirsch, a career and psychological counselor in Chicago. “For example, if there’s something happening that directly affects workers’ future with the company, you can tell them as soon as possible.”

Recognize Individual Positives: Another step a manager can take to alleviate anxiety is to let individuals know the value they bring to the organization. Although it’s not a promise of job security, hearing your boss articulate your qualities is very reassuring and can help enhance productivity.

Recognize Organizational Positives: Celebrating organizational successes is especially crucial during hard times. If a department exceeds objectives, treat everyone to lunch and feature their story on the company intranet. This will serve as an example to others, promote positive organizational storytelling and motivate the overall worker base. In behavioral terms, it models the behavior of others.

Enhance Support: You should also provide additional support to help workers develop into even more valuable assets within the organization. By continuing to train, mentor and support the people who work for and with you, you let them know that they continue to be valued members of your team. Many, if not most workers need that sense of empowerment to be successful.

Build Teams: You can develop mutual respect and trust by having your workers work together on real problem-solving assignments, suggests Dominguez. “Being part of a team that shares a common goal and fate makes workers feel more optimistic and secure.” Of course, teams also tend to be more effective than individuals in solving real problems.

Conclusion

The most important thing a safety manager or any other leader can do in hard times is stay cool and, at least outwardly, confident. I’ve seen executives and managers who were able to maintain highly productive teams through tough times simply by keeping their own cool and composure. I’ve also seen executives and managers who couldn’t handle the pressure and, consequently, saw their teams fall apart. Remember that hard times are part of business and of life. How individuals respond to the test is what separates success from failure.