3. Communicate the ‘why’
When faced with the prospect of doing more work with fewer resources, leaders need to work on how they communicate with employees. Clear communication in terms of what they have to do and the reasons why the organization has decided to cut back its resources are important, says Karin Sanders, Professor at UNSW Business School.
For example, she says: “If you can communicate why it is needed, and how you are going to cut staff and reduce spending and resources, employees will understand the decisions better (probably they still do not like it, but at least they see that their managers try to solve the problems in a fair and honest way).”
In addition, she says it is essential that leaders take the time to answer questions of the employees and provide links, webpages, and ways to assist their employees. “If leaders do not communicate their decisions and strategies in a consistent and fair way, employees will be upset, angry, anxious, and this will all have a negative influence on productivity and morale,” she says.
Evidence shows that when leaders include employees in their decision-making and explain the problems, employees will be willing to help. However, they will not work harder if leaders show they do not care about their employees or are unwilling to listen to employees or ask questions, explains Prof. Sanders. Therefore, leaders should give employees the feeling that they are essential and create an inclusive, collaborative culture.
In terms of fostering better communication, leaders should employ the following five strategies:
- Be open and honest about the situation and be open about the part the organization is responsible for
- Explain the different options that you have to solve the problem
- Ask for input from the employees after you have explained the demanding and challenging situation
- Do not change your story every other day
- Make clear (and be really interested) that you care about your employees
In terms of managing the stress and mental wellbeing of employees while at work, when system solutions (point two above) do not work, leaders can “take care of employees” by assuring them that they’re being looked after despite the problematic situation and reassuring them that they’re aware of anxiety and mental health issues. For example, leaders can ask experts to help their employees and provide tips on avoiding burnout, concludes Prof. Sanders.