Page 148 - How America's Best Places to Work Inspire Extra Effort in Extraordinary Times

The Real Job of Managers C135

ees were concerned about losing their jobs or that morale
was down. More than half the managers surveyed said they
were dissatisfied or only somewhat satisfied with their own
jobs. Fear of losing one’s job pervades the workplace in tur-
bulent times, and as negative economic news accumulates,
it can be difficult to motivate staff. But this is when you most
need them to step up. At times like these, much of the day-
to-day responsibility for re-engaging employees rests on
the shoulders of middle managers, whose words and ac-
tions have a magnified impact. That’s why in tough times
the best managers stand out even more.
With that in mind, we offer the following practices that
managers, supervisors, and team leaders can take. Many of
these tips apply to senior leaders as well. The focus here is
mainly on the manager’s role in maintaining trust, empa-
thy, and two-way communication. We present tips on career
growth, employee recognition, and promotion of health and
wellness in later chapters.

: Work to build or rebuild trust. This is your most important
mission. Be open and forthcoming with information, re-
membering that bad news is better than no news. Face-to-
face communication is recommended for trust building.
Don’t hide behind e-mail communication. Act with integ-
rity. Show courage in front of your team by asking for
help or admitting you were wrong if you were.
: Be credible and honest. Don’t say it’s “business as usual.” It
isn’t, so you might as well acknowledge that fact. Before
giving out information, make sure it is accurate. If you
don’t know the answer to a question, say you’ll find out
and get back to your team as quickly as possible. If you
can’t tell as much as you know, simply say, “I’m not able
to answer that right now.” Never lie. If you’re caught in a
lie, no matter how small, you’ll sabotage all your previous
efforts to reach out, no matter how sincere they were.