Why Now?
April 5th, 2010 by Keith Burton
A glimmer of recovery in the economy and the arrival of spring have brought a blossoming of new overtures to employees as leaders worry about morale and possible defections.
Why now?
Leaders tell us they’ve been hunkered down for a while, worried about their profits and operating integrity, without time for mingling with their associates. So now they resume the long march among staff, asking how they’re feeling, what they’re thinking and how conditions can be made better.
And what they’re hearing is “Restore pay increases,” “Tell us how the business is doing,” and “What should we expect in the future?”
As sure as death and taxes, we can expect that our leaders will vacillate between worrying about the business and fretting over morale in every cycle. That should never surprise us.
What surprises and delights us are the companies that listen to and talk with their people in good times and bad, without hesitation.
Imagine that — evening out morale swings so that when the economy has palpitations, employees can quickly mobilize and spring into high gear because they’re informed, motivated and properly directed.