3 Ways to Beat the Post-Pandemic Workplace Lull

Unmotivated and unresponsive employee at work desk

Leaders are feeling the urgent need to get their teams back up to speed, having survived an unprecedented season of threats and uncertainties and driven out of their normal working environment and routine by the effects of the pandemic. While businesses are recovering and people have expressed an eagerness to return to normal functions, they are experiencing considerate unresponsiveness from their teams. They report that progress is uncharacteristically slow, priorities appear muddled and there is a palpable shift in energy.

Unmotivated and unrresponsive employee sitting at work

What’s going on, and what can leaders do to help break through this lull?

Energy fatigue is natural and, to be expected from such a disruption. Like the physical recovery process from Covid-19, symptoms of this post-pandemic inertia are likely to continue after the infection has cleared and can spread across teams within the workspace.

Strategies such as establishing goals and setting deadlines and other “carrot” incentives that we used in the past, are unlikely to produce the desired results. Solutions for these challenges will require our leaders to look within and be willing to shift our attitudes around work and the role of the workplace.

Lead With Empathy

It will be easier to manage your team’s energy when you understand the psychological changes your employees have undergone over the past few years. Realize that work is just one part of your employees’ lives, and whatever they are experiencing, usually impacts how they show up for work and how they do their work. An empathetic approach to any intervention strategy is critical to helping employees move past any disillusionment they experience and become re-energized. Consider having conversations around what ways the pandemic impacted them and what is different about their outlook for their future. In other words, interact with them as one human being to another.

Motivated, high-energy employees engaging and collaborating at work.

Encourage Collaboration

Collaborating on projects is a great way to help employees out of their silos and ‘back to the team’. Spend time engaging with them personally and with projects to help stimulate creativity, increase productivity and re-establish a sense of community.

Celebrate The Wins – No Matter How Small

People love to celebrate and any improvement on the path to recovery calls for celebration. When things go well, it is important to recognize and celebrate it. Going forward, look for the wins in actions that team members take, not just in results, because it will create momentum and positive energy can become infectious and have significant effect on the psyche and productivity of the team.

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I’m Nadine Seaga and I’m a Mindset & Leadership Coach, Founder & Chief Energy Officer (CEO) of People Development Consultants. I can help you to harness your full potential and the full potential of those you lead! Check out my free masterclass at http://www.pdconsults.com/freemasterclass Get started on this life-changing work.