Does Your Organization Have the Summertime Blues?

The summer is when people take their vacation, lie on the beach and contemplate their life thinking about what makes them happy, the many stresses they put up with at work, and where they want to go next in their career. Often it’s during this time of the year that your employees are deciding if they’re going to start looking for another job.

There is an abundance of research and a common phrase that suggests employees don’t quit their jobs, they quit their boss, manager or company. Are your employees going to come back from vacation ready to look for a new job? If so, then think about what’s truly causing the blues at your company.

Consider the following questions carefully and answer them honestly, then determine ways your organization can improve the culture.

Do your employees lack commitment?

If your employees lack commitment, then start showing and telling them why you value them. When was the last time the leaders in your company showed their gratitude or recognized excellent work among their employees? Recognition needs to be consistent, clearly communicated (or shown), and completed on a regular basis. It’s not enough to recognize a star performer all the time. Be sure to acknowledge the efforts of everyone. Just by simply thanking someone for a job well done can be a big boost to his or her level of commitment to the company.

Are dysfunctional teams running amok?

Be honest, does your company really know how to develop high-functioning teams? If a team is performing well, it might be dumb luck or a team leader who’s had excellent leadership training. Most people don’t know how to lead a team and, likewise, most team members don’t know how to effectively collaborate together. These are skills that can be learned by everyone. Make a commitment to implement a policy in your company to develop high-functioning teams by training teams on better communication and collaboration skills through a better understanding of each team members’ workstyle. Whether they are newly formed teams, departmental teams, special project teams, or another type of team, every team will benefit from team development training.

Is the culture too competitive?

An organization is considered too competitive when leaders position – pit – employees against one another to get ahead and employees are encouraged to have an “every man for himself” attitude. Too much competition breeds secrecy, lies, fear, cutthroat behavior, negativity, fat egos, distrust and a complete lack of collaboration. How can anything get accomplished if employees wonder about the ulterior motives of others?

A competitive culture can also develop when the company structure is chaotic and hard to figure out. Does your organization have a clear path of development for employees? Are they supported and encouraged by their leaders to advance to the next level? Or is everyone left to figure it out for themselves and the last one standing wins? Communicate your company’s values and mission clearly and speak out against tolerating destructive behaviors that harm not only the employees, but the organization as a whole. Then, develop and train your employees to become your organization’s future leaders who are passionate about the company’s values, not feeding their own ego.

These are just a few of the questions smart companies should ask themselves about their current state of affairs. The first step to making any changes begins with acknowledging there is a problem. If your company is experiencing the summertime “blues”, then don’t wait to start now implementing new practices that can have positive impact now, or it might be too late.