How to Keep Your Team Motivated Despite Job Cuts and Budget Slashing

It is natural for employees to feel distracted and lose their drive when companies are announcing job cuts and hiring freezes, slashing budgets, putting projects on hold, and trying to get employees back into the office, according to a Harvard Business Review article.

Three experts on management and motivation recommend ways to keep your team engaged even though they’re concerned about the company’s future and their jobs.

• When raises and promotions are no longer on the table, find other ways to motivate and inspire your team. Give them more control over where and when they do their work, opportunities to grow their skills, and chances to build and strengthen relationships.
• Ask your team members how you can support them over the next year. For some, the answer will be increased flexibility, with hybrid work being the solution. For others, it will be growth opportunities. Explore arranging job shadowing experiences with senior colleagues, finding low-cost leadership development programs, or identifying cross-company projects that can foster career development.
• Keep team meetings short and quick and devote more attention to one-on-one check-ins. Offer space and time to talk openly about team members’ concerns. Make more time for them on a weekly, and even daily, basis to help them feel more connected.

The pressures of doing more with less can lead to overwork and burnout. Take a broad, empathetic approach. A key lever to managing burnout is cultivating the psychological safety of the team. People are willing to work hard when they feel taken care of and can make mistakes without being judged or punished.