How to Motivate Your Team When People Keep Quitting

by?Rebecca Zucker??and??Dina Denham Smith

Maintaining good morale and engagement is part and parcel of strong leadership. When you have turnover on your team, it is especially imperative that you take measures to keep your team positive and motivated.?Research?has shown that, due to social contagion, when a coworker quits, it can spread to affect other employees' quitting behavior. That is, when one person leaves your team, it increases the likelihood that others will do the same.

維持好的士氣與專注度是強(qiáng)大領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力的一部分。受社交傳播影響，員工辭職的行為可能會(huì)擴(kuò)散，并影響其他員工的辭職行為。也就是說，當(dāng)有員工離開團(tuán)隊(duì)時(shí)，其他成員離開的可能性就會(huì)增加。面對團(tuán)隊(duì)出現(xiàn)的人員流失，管理者采取措施，保證團(tuán)隊(duì)的積極性和動(dòng)力是異常必要的。

Given this, here are six strategies to keep your team motivated when someone quits:

以下六個(gè)策略可以幫助管理者在員工辭職時(shí)“穩(wěn)定軍心”：

Create terra firma.

打造確定性

The human brain was not built for the amount of?uncertainty?we are facing at work and in our lives, write social psychologist Heidi Grant and?the Chief Learning Officer for EY Americas Tal Goldhamer.?With ever-changing shifts in the business landscape, customer and employee expectations, work arrangements, and an unclear end to the pandemic, it can feel like the ground is continually shifting underneath our feet. This uncertainty produces a threat state in the brain, which can result in decreased motivation, cooperation, self-control, and overall well-being. Turnover on your team only adds to this threat state.

社會(huì)心理學(xué)家、EY Americas Tal Goldhamer首席學(xué)習(xí)官海蒂·格蘭特（Heidi Grant）寫道，人類的大腦其實(shí)并不足以應(yīng)對工作和生活中的大量變化。商業(yè)局勢、客戶和員工期許、工作安排的不斷變化，以及疫情結(jié)束之日遙遙無期，讓生活中充滿了不確定性。這種不確定性讓大腦如驚弓之鳥，可能會(huì)導(dǎo)致員工動(dòng)力、合作能力、自我控制，以及整體狀態(tài)的下降，而團(tuán)隊(duì)的流失只會(huì)加劇這種狀態(tài)。

To counter this, create certainty for your team wherever you can. If you have no plans to leave the company, make that clear.?You might say, “Just so you know, I don't have any plans to leave. I will be here for you.”

應(yīng)對這種局面，要盡可能地為團(tuán)隊(duì)成員創(chuàng)造確定性。如果你沒有離開公司的計(jì)劃，就明確說出來，“大家都知道，我并不打算離開公司。我會(huì)一直陪著大家?！?/p>

Or,?if your team is looking for clarity on the company's strategic direction and you have questions about it as well, instead of saying something like “I'm sure we'll find out soon,” provide?process certainty?by informing your team of your plan to seek the answer and a specific date by when you'll get back to them.?This will help create more solid ground and a sense of stability for your team members.

如果團(tuán)隊(duì)需要明確的公司策略，而你也不確定，那么你應(yīng)該告知團(tuán)隊(duì)自己尋找答案的計(jì)劃，以及何時(shí)能找到答案，并以此提供明確流程，這將有助于為您的團(tuán)隊(duì)成員創(chuàng)造更堅(jiān)實(shí)的基礎(chǔ)和穩(wěn)定感。

Solicit feedback to assess individual and collective capacity.

征求反饋意見，評估個(gè)人和集體能力

Check in with your team members regularly to understand what work they currently have on their plates. This will give you a sense of both how you might rebalance some of the work amongst team members and what the team's collective capacity is at any given time. If your team is close to (or over) capacity and something needs to give, invite the team to help problem solve and re-prioritize. People are motivated when they have a say in creating team goals and in what they can and can't take on?— and, they may have some great ideas that you might not think of on your own.

定期與團(tuán)隊(duì)成員溝通，了解他們正在做的工作，可以方便你了解如何重新平衡團(tuán)隊(duì)成員間的工作，以及隨時(shí)評估團(tuán)隊(duì)的整體能力。如果團(tuán)隊(duì)在接近或超負(fù)荷工作，且需要幫助，那么管理者可以邀請其他團(tuán)隊(duì)協(xié)助，并調(diào)整優(yōu)先事項(xiàng)。當(dāng)員工能夠參與創(chuàng)建團(tuán)隊(duì)目標(biāo)，以及決定所從事工作的內(nèi)容時(shí)，他們會(huì)變得干勁十足，而且他們可能會(huì)提出令人驚喜的好主意。

Your team members'?ongoing feedback may also provide opportunities to help them to free up capacity by better understanding what they might delegate to others, or stop doing all together, so they can free up time for higher-value work. Their feedback will also increase your visibility into their workload, which may require you to?adjust your expectations?about what can realistically be accomplished. It will also help you build a stronger case to your boss for additional resources for your team, given the team's goals.

借助團(tuán)隊(duì)成員的持續(xù)反饋，你可以更好地了解他們希望將哪些工作轉(zhuǎn)交出去，或希望停止做哪些事情，轉(zhuǎn)而抽出時(shí)間做更有價(jià)值的工作，釋放特定領(lǐng)域的潛力。反饋還會(huì)讓你更好地了解工作量，當(dāng)然，之后你可能需要因此調(diào)整對團(tuán)隊(duì)實(shí)際可完成工作量的預(yù)期。它還有助于你以團(tuán)隊(duì)目標(biāo)為基礎(chǔ)，更好地說服老板，為團(tuán)隊(duì)爭取額外資源。

Enable autonomy.

提升自主選擇權(quán)

Once you and your team have aligned on collective goals, allow your team members to decide how, when, and where they complete their work. In a recent?study?of 5,000 knowledge workers, 59% indicated that flexibility is more important to them than salary or other benefits. Along with certainty, autonomy is?one of the five key drivers of threat and reward?in the brain. When people feel in control and that they have a choice, they are more motivated and experience higher well-being. Conversely, a lack of autonomy can elicit a strong negative reaction that can diminish the ability to focus and collaborate.

和團(tuán)隊(duì)確認(rèn)共同目標(biāo)后，管理者需要允許團(tuán)隊(duì)自行決定如何、何時(shí)以及在何處完成工作。最近對5000名知識(shí)工作者的調(diào)查顯示，59%的員工認(rèn)為，靈活性比工資或其他福利更加重要。與確定性一樣，自主權(quán)也可以給大腦帶來威脅和獎(jiǎng)勵(lì)感。員工覺得自己有控制和選擇權(quán)時(shí)會(huì)更有動(dòng)力，狀態(tài)也更好。

In addition to enabling flexible work arrangements, consider which?decisions?you can leave to your team members’ discretion. While some decisions may benefit from your guidance, others likely do not. For example, could you allow team members to choose some of the projects they work on, or with whom they work? Where you can provide your team members autonomy or choice, do so.

除了給予靈活的工作安排外，管理者還要考慮允許團(tuán)隊(duì)決策的范圍。例如，你是否能夠允許員工選擇從事的項(xiàng)目或合作伙伴？并非所有決策都會(huì)受益于管理者的指導(dǎo)。不妨將員工可以自主決定的事情都交給他們。

Give your team permission to push back.

允許團(tuán)隊(duì)說“不”

Let your team members know it's OK to say “no” and question deadlines. Invite them to challenge your assumptions and tell you how much work something that “seems simple” will actually take to accomplish.

要讓團(tuán)隊(duì)知道，他們可以拒絕或質(zhì)疑交工日期。邀請他們挑戰(zhàn)你的看法，告訴你那些“看起來簡單”的事情實(shí)際上有多耗時(shí)耗力。

You will need to give explicit permission for them to do so and repeat this message over time. It can be easy for team leaders to lose sight of the power dynamic that can make it intimidating for some people to speak up, let alone push back. When people?do?speak up or push back, be sure to listen, acknowledge what you've heard, and engage in a two-way conversation (or negotiation) about what can and can't be done, deadlines, and how you can help remove the relevant obstacles for your team.

管理者要明確表明員工可以這樣做，并不斷重復(fù)這一信息。領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者很容易忽視的是員工在面對領(lǐng)導(dǎo)權(quán)時(shí)很難表達(dá)意見，更不用說提出拒絕。當(dāng)員工表達(dá)觀點(diǎn)或表示拒絕時(shí)，一定要傾聽。坦然面對聽到的意見，并圍繞能做和不能做的事、截止日期，以及如何幫助團(tuán)隊(duì)消除障礙，與員工進(jìn)行對話或協(xié)商。

Failing to grant this permission and?create this psychological safety for your team?will only cause them to keep quiet, allowing morale to decline and burnout to increase, which will ultimately lead to more team members leaving. In granting this permission, you can also openly?recognize your common humanity?with your team members?— that we all have limitations and burnout serves no one?— making it easier for others to let you know if they are feeling too stretched or overwhelmed.

管理者如果沒有賦予團(tuán)隊(duì)這個(gè)權(quán)力，并營造心理安全感，就會(huì)造成團(tuán)隊(duì)沉默和士氣下滑，并助長倦怠情緒，最終可能導(dǎo)致更多成員離開。允許員工說“不”后，管理者還可以公開承認(rèn)自己和大家一樣，都有自身局限性，也會(huì)受到倦怠情緒的不良影響。這樣，當(dāng)團(tuán)隊(duì)成員感到過度緊張或壓力過大時(shí)，可以更順利地與你溝通。

Shield your team.

保護(hù)自己的團(tuán)隊(duì)

While good leaders typically protect their teams from unrealistic or low priority requests, it’s more essential than ever when there are fewer people to bear the same workload. Engaging in ruthless prioritization, including quick triage of unnecessary or low-value work and pushing back against low-priority demands on behalf of your team, is paramount.

好的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者通常會(huì)保護(hù)自己的團(tuán)隊(duì)，拒絕不切實(shí)際或不重要的要求，特別是在工作量不變，團(tuán)隊(duì)人員更少的情況下。在判斷優(yōu)先級時(shí)要果斷，包括迅速對非必要或低價(jià)值工作進(jìn)行分類，并代表團(tuán)隊(duì)拒絕不重要的要求，這點(diǎn)非常重要。

Also, give your team clear decision-making criteria as to what requests should be accommodated and empower them to say no to non-essential requests when needed. Be proactive in supporting your team members in fending off demands that your team can't realistically meet. It can be hard for members of your team to say “no,” especially to more senior or external stakeholders, and your involvement will show your team members that you have their back. Take the lead, if necessary, in delivering a?well-reasoned “no” or a “not now”?to the stakeholder making the request.

此外，管理者需要為團(tuán)隊(duì)提供明確的決策標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，包括應(yīng)該接受哪些要求，并在必要情況下授權(quán)他們拒絕非必要要求。在支持員工拒絕無法完成的需求時(shí)，要有前瞻性。讓團(tuán)隊(duì)成員說“不”并非易事，特別當(dāng)對方資歷更深，或是外部利益相關(guān)方的時(shí)候。而你的介入是在告訴員工，你會(huì)在背后支持他們。如有必要，在以充分的理由“回絕”對方或說“現(xiàn)在不行”時(shí)，站在前面。

Create connection.

建立良好的人際關(guān)系

Tackling big challenges together and knowing others have your back can build morale. Aim to foster a “we’re in it together” ethos where team members pitch in to help each other?— which you can both role model and reward in others. Ultimately, this can create an?esprit de corps?or camaraderie that creates lasting friendships amongst team members that extend beyond the workplace. According to?Gallup, work friendships increase both productivity and engagement.

與員工共同應(yīng)對巨大挑戰(zhàn)，并讓員工知道自己會(huì)做他們的后盾，可以有效提升士氣。同時(shí)要培養(yǎng)“同甘共苦”的意識(shí)，團(tuán)隊(duì)成員要盡力相互幫助。每個(gè)人都可以作為別人的榜樣，也可以獎(jiǎng)勵(lì)他人。這樣可以催生團(tuán)隊(duì)精神和同事間的情誼，讓團(tuán)隊(duì)成員間形成超越職場的長久友誼。蓋洛普稱，工作友誼會(huì)提升生產(chǎn)力和專注度。

In addition, be sure to?take the time to connect as a team?on a more personal level, whether it's doing a personal check in at the beginning of staff meetings, celebrating a team member's birthday, hosting a team happy hour, or planning a fun team-building activity. Creating spaces where team members can connect on a personal level is one lever to prevent feelings of isolation that can contribute to burnout. Jennifer Moss shares in her book,?The Burnout Epidemic, that “personal connection isn't just good for engagement and happiness at work; it's what makes us human.”

此外，管理者要花時(shí)間讓團(tuán)隊(duì)成員間建立個(gè)人關(guān)系，可以在員工會(huì)議一開始與個(gè)人交談，慶祝員工生日、小聚，或策劃有趣的團(tuán)建活動(dòng)。營造員工間可以進(jìn)行個(gè)人交流的空間的做法，可以預(yù)防孤立感，從而抵消倦怠情緒。詹妮弗·莫斯（Jennifer Moss）在《倦怠傳染病》（The Burnout Epidemic）一書中指出，“個(gè)人關(guān)系不僅有利于工作的專注度和幸福感，也造就了我們本身?！?/p>

When teammates leave, it's an opportunity to recalibrate and solidify your foundation as a team to help maintain, or even improve, team members' individual and collective morale and performance. Taking the above actions can help mitigate further attrition and keep everyone motivated and engaged.

有團(tuán)隊(duì)成員離開時(shí)，我們應(yīng)該利用這個(gè)機(jī)會(huì)重新調(diào)整并鞏固團(tuán)隊(duì)基礎(chǔ)，以幫助維持、甚至改善員工個(gè)人或集體的士氣和表現(xiàn)。上述措施有助于規(guī)避進(jìn)一步摩擦，并讓所有人保持動(dòng)力和專注度。

瑞貝卡·朱克是領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力發(fā)展公司Next Step Partners的高管教練和創(chuàng)始合伙人。她的客戶包括亞馬遜、高樂氏（Clorox）、美富律師事務(wù)所(Morrison Foerster)、詹姆斯·歐文基金會(huì)(James Irvine Foundation)、斯科爾基金會(huì)(Skoll Foundation)以及像DocuSign和多寶箱（Dropbox）等高增長技術(shù)公司。

迪娜·史密斯是高管教練，也是領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力發(fā)展公司Cognitas的老板。她的客戶包括Adobe、吉利德（Gilead）、普華永道（PwC）、網(wǎng)飛（Netflix）以及多寶箱和Stripe等高增長科技公司。