Ways to Develop a Happy and Productive Workforce

Building morale and motivation and reducing negativity has always been a focus in healthy organizations. With the economic turbulence, there is a bigger challenge as fear, threat, and anxiety undermine the workforce even when drastic layoffs, mergers, freezes, no bonuses, etc. have not occurred. Also, some of the tried and true motivators like team bonuses are not available and organizations are cutting back on training during a time when employees need to see an investment in order to remain engaged, happy and productive and remain loyal.

What suggestions do you have for this?

I recall a visit that I paid a few years ago to a theme park resort. Apart from the fine calibration of every sensory experience, what struck me most was the unswerving loyalty of the employees. Not a single person I encountered seemed willing, even in the smallest way, to deviate from the employer's plan. Like the shuttle driver who dutifully made every stop along his empty route as we waited in apoplectic awe, every one of our requests for a minor concession was met with an extraordinarily firm and infinitely courteous, no.

Fascinated by this pattern of behavior, I started talking to employees of the theme park about why they were so faithful to their employer's instructions. They told me that their managers regularly held team meetings at which they solicited feedback about company operations. They reported that these suggestions were actually taken seriously and that they could see evidence of their implementation throughout the facility. The employees, as a result, felt invested in the organization, and operated on the whole as prideful owners and caretakers rather than as fungible Iabor.

I do realize that, in addition to engaging in good management practices, the theme park in question was probably screening employees for the type of personality that would tend to be compliant with rules. Most employers, in fact, would welcome a bit of the nonconformity that would have gotten you fired at my artificially cheerful vacation spot. Nevertheless, the fundamental lesson holds true: demonstrate to your employees that you value them, and they will reward you with loyalty and productivity.

Feeling valued comes from a sense that the organization appreciates one's unique skills, talents, and contributions; a clear understanding of the ways in which one's job advances the larger mission; and the dignity that derives from knowing that one's opinions are taken into consideration. It certainly helps if you can demonstrate appreciation for your employees through appropriate bonuses and compensation. You can accomplish much very cheaply, however, by simply investing in relationships.

Spend time with each of your employees developing a plan for their professional development. Make a wish list of behaviors and resources that will support the plan, and focus on the low- or no-cost items first. Encourage your employees, for example, to enhance their skills through networking, mentoring, and informal learning. As the economic outlook for your organization improves, you will be able to start incorporating some of the pricier items on your employee's list, including formal coursework, conferences, new equipment and software, or even additional staff. In the meantime, it will be clear to everyone who works for you that you are making a sizeable investment in their growth, even if it does not hit the bottom line.

Also reward your employees with clear, detailed, contemporaneous praise. Positive feedback loses effectiveness if you wait too long to give it. And saying, "Good job" is meaningless unless you can effectively describe what it is, exactly, that an employee has done to deserve recognition, and how their contribution has helped to advance your business goals.

This principle is no more eloquently expressed than by Peter Drucker in his story of the three stonecutters. Each stonecutter was asked what he was doing. The first replied, "I am making a living." The next replied, "I am doing the best job of stonecutting in the entire country." The third replied, "I am building a cathedral." The better you inform your employees about the operations of your business and how they individually and uniquely contribute to the achievement of your objectives, the sooner you will achieve a unified vision of the "cathedral" that you are all building.

Finally, remember the theme park employees whose managers took the time to listen to their views and incorporate their ideas. You, too, will promote imperturbable loyalty as long as you treat your employees as if their perspective matters.

In economic times bad and good, employees are motivated by feeling valued. Money can buy you lavish perks, bonuses, pay increases, and other tools that demonstrate your commitment to employee satisfaction. But the most powerful and lasting way to a happy and productive workforce is a daily investment in genuine supportive relationships.

Lily Garcia has offered employment law and human resources advice to companies of all sizes for more than 10 years. To submit a question, e-mail HRadvice@washingtonpost.com. We reserve the right to edit submitted questions for length and clarity and cannot guarantee that all questions will be answered.