Motivating your international workforce
It’s no secret that employee motivation and morale isn’t just good for your employees, it’s good for your business too. People who are engaged in their work and feel valued have a positive impact on your company’s success. But it can be hard to motivate your workforce even in the best of times. So, when a crisis like coronavirus strikes, how do you keep your international workforce engaged and productive?
Motivating your international workforce
Listen to their concerns
Let your people know you are there to listen. And make sure you mean it. Help them find resources or get answers to their questions. This extends beyond simply keeping your door open. Instead, be overt in explaining how the company is providing support. And don’t forget that everyone is different: take the time to check in on a one-to-one basis. By being there for your people in the hard times, you’ll build trust that will outlast the current coronavirus crisis and indeed, any crisis.
Communicate expectations
Explain your expectations in a way that can be understood by someone who was not raised in your same culture. You would be surprised how often employers and managers fail to explain what they want and why they want it. But it’s important when you’re focusing on motivation across different cultures.
Explaining what we want from others is not easy. Often, the most familiar procedures, policies, and expectations are the most difficult to articulate. One example is the need for team members to voice their problems and complaints so that you’re aware of issues that you should address.
Many people from other cultures have a great deal of respect for their managers and are less likely to complain. Your employees will never know what is expected of them until you take the time to explain that you need to know about problems in order to do your job well and make changes that could help others and improve productivity.
Give them room to grow
Have you ever thought about the fact that your staff might not be motivated because they do not think there is any reason to? If you are not a company that is known for promoting their employees as a reward then you might find that staff don’t try hard enough. Think about how you can offer progression and this might just help you to motivate your staff. Those who want to grow will and this will help your business develop.
Provide timely updates
With the fast-evolving nature of crises, old news is as bad as no news. Giving your team real-time updates will help keep them apprised of any changes and demonstrate that you place a priority on ensuring they’re empowered with the information they need.
Inlea’s final verdict
Motivating your staff is not always easy and it can often depend on the kind of workforce that you have. There are some things that you can do if you make some small changes along the way. Try to take on board all of the advice that we have given you here in this article and see if it makes a difference. Hopefully, you can motivate your staff and see progress in your business in the future.
