Company ABC and Company XYZ are in the same industry, offer similar products, and are both experiencing a cash crunch due to the economy. But whereas employees at Company ABC are feeling either overworked and stressed out or completely disengaged, employees at Company XYZ are motivated and optimistic about the future.

How can two such similar companies have employees with such different attitudes?

As one of Houston’s top staffing agencies, we know that the simple answer lies in leadership. Employees at Company XYZ are feeling optimistic because company leaders know how to motivate them and navigate them through a high stress environment.

So how can you keep your employees on board and moving forward during tough times? Below are 4 tips that can help:

1. Get Connected

Great managers are great because they know how to connect with their employees. They know the importance of getting to know their employees on a more personal level, and therefore, they have a good understanding of each employee’s strengths and weaknesses and of what makes them tick. As a result, if it does come down to layoffs, they know how to best reposition people in order to fill in the talent gaps, while still maximizing strengths.

2. Set Clear Expectations

This might sound like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised at how few employees know, in very certain terms, what’s expected of them on the job. Setting clear expectations becomes even more important if your company has experienced layoffs and remaining staff are unclear as to where to pick up the slack.

3. Communicate a Vision

Managers should let their employees know what their vision is for the future of the company – and how each employee fits into that vision. Why? Because without a strong vision, employees don’t really know what they’re working toward or why their roles matter. It’s also important to communicate new opportunities on the horizon and how the company plans to take advantage of them.

4. Recognize Employees

It can be easy to focus on mistakes and correcting weaknesses, and forget about recognition altogether. But when times are tough – and people are being bombarded with bad news everywhere – recognition becomes even more important. So what’s the easiest and least expensive way to boost recognition efforts? Praise often and generously when employees do great work or go the extra mile.

Click here for more ideas on employee recognition efforts.

And if you have a talent gap you need to fill at work, Murray Resources can help. In fact, for more than 23 years, we’ve helped high-performance organizations – including numerous Fortune 1000 companies – build strong teams. If you’d like assistance from one of Houston’s premier staffing agencies, please contact us today.