Boredom spells death in many a relationship. This holds true for the employer-employee connection as well, and when employees are uninterested, their productivity drops. Their engagement and loyalty to a business sinks, and the operation as a whole suffers.
Act proactively to ensure this does not happen to your company.
Challenge Employees.
Employees thrive on challenges. Provide cross-training opportunities that let people learn more about positions in other departments; well-rounded employees collaborate better, too. Encourage your workers to pursue diverse forms of education (for example, they can learn more about WSU’s MBA here). Use tuition payments or tuition reimbursement programs to show your sincerity.
Give your employees independence. Trust them to get their work done; no micromanagement necessary. Of course, it is possible that some employees will not rise to the challenge. You can replace them with people who better fit the culture of your business.
Get Everyone Involved in Marketing.
Marketing has become something that should involve all aspects and all departments of a business, and it has grown past simply publishing a website and a text-based blog. For example, this infographic shows that short-form video on platforms such as Instagram and Vine can drive customer engagement.
No matter what a person’s specific job is, the person can, and should, get involved in marketing. A computer programmer could help make a short recruitment video or write a blog post filled with pictures about tips on becoming a computer programmer. Consumers love educational and relevant content. Use infographics, comics, memes, SlideShare presentations, and much more to engage employees in marketing your business.
Focus on Results.
One way to avoid boredom is to prioritize results based on clocking in and out at certain times. In fact, employees who telecommute and who meet via, say, video chat, can be just as productive, or more productive, than employees who are together in a physical location. The choice of whether to telecommute can promote a better work-life balance and gives employees a sense of being in control. Some companies even allow unlimited vacation time; people can enjoy time off as long as they communicate and their work is done satisfactorily.
Cut the Fluff.
Meetings. Tons of emails. Piles of administrative busywork. All are pieces of “fluff” that drain productivity and lead to boredom. Explore standing instead of sitting during meetings; standing cuts meeting length, leads to more efficiency, and is better overall for your health. Standing also gives employees more time to focus on the tasks that matter to them. Another option is to have walking meetings and/or meetings that take place outside. Promote the writing of succinct emails, and investigate cloud or software programs that use automation to cut down on responsibilities such as data entry.
There are many ways to ensure that employees do not become bored. Perhaps the most important — and not mentioned on the list above — is to give them meaningful and valuable work that they care about. Otherwise, strategies such as cutting the fluff, focusing on results, and challenging employees are liable to fall flat. A solid base of an employee-position-company compatibility fit must exist in the first place.
