Keep Your Team Happy In Tough Times

Are company cutbacks stretching you and your team beyond your limits? Here’s how to ensure everyone stays loyal, motivated and productive.

- Sasha Gonzales

“When I told my team of eight that they had to take on additional work without extra pay, they protested – and understandably so,” says Elaine*, who manages a small department in a mid-sized marketing company.

“Personally, I didn’t think it was fair that my bosses expected us to take on this major research project without extra pay or help. But we had no choice – the company didn’t have the budget for salary increments or extra staff.”

In the weeks after, two team members resigned from sheer physical and emotional exhaustion. “The extra work stretched our team and resources even further,” she shares. “Our morale really took a hit. We completed the project but we really suffered through it. The bosses told us that this was the new normal and that we should accept it.”

More Work, No Extra Pay

As the economy slows and companies find all kinds of ways to slash expenses, more and more of us are finding ourselves stretched beyond our limits. Our teams and budgets are getting smaller, but there are still new and bigger projects to take on, more customers to attract, and harder sales targets to meet.

As a middle manager, it’s Elaine’s job to get the extra work done, but when team members are told that they have to do more for the same pay or less, keeping them productive, motivated and happy becomes a challenge.