13 Ways to Supercharge Employees Running on Low

As the driving force behind employees, a Successful SUPERvisor understands that in order to keep an engaged and alert team moving, they must implement creative management techniques, especially when the team is running on low.  Rather than using the old “Crack the Whip” mentality, more and more managers are turning towards energy activation techniques to recharge employees.  The idea is to revitalize employees throughout the day with energy boosting activities.  It takes some outside the box thinking but worth the effort when you discover how much energy you can supercharge your employees with during that 2:00 slump.  Below are a few techniques (others have applied to supercharge their teams) you could try:

1. Incorporate daily stretching  Connie Tyne, executive director of the Cooper Wellness Program explains that “45 minutes of sitting is all [the] body can take at one time without becoming fatigued".  Encouraging your employees to stretch for a few minutes every 45 minutes (or at least once a day) will keep them at Full Stretch.
2. Encourage walks     Research shows that as little as 20 minutes of exercise can boost energy for up to 12 hours!  Employees who take walks during their lunch break will increase the flow of blood carrying nutrients and oxygen to muscle tissues, resulting in more energy.  Katy Boeder, a Commercial Underwriter at Golden Eagle Insurance in San Diego shares that a “3 mile walk at lunch around SD harbor always perks [her] up for the afternoon”.  The President of Enerpro Incorporated in Goleta, Frank Bourbeau, not only uses his walk time to reenergize but to ponder solutions to his latest engineering projects.
3. Demonstrate deep breathing techniques  Often times employees will breath shallowly, allowing carbon dioxide to build up in their blood, making them drowsy.  If your sensing sleepy employees, consider taking a few minutes to walk them through 20 deep breaths (in through the nose, out through the mouth) to flush the carbon dioxide out and fill them with energizing oxygen.
4. Educate on energy pressure points  According to Chinese medicine, massaging your ears serves as a wake-up call for your other organs. Teach your employees to massage their whole ear when feeling drained in order to redirect energy up towards the head.  This creates an uplifting mood and does away with the energy that was dragging you down. 
5. Supply drinks  According to The Beverage Institute for Health & Wellness, “adequate hydration is important for proper functioning of [the] brain.   Mild dehydration– as little as a 1% to 2% loss in body weight due to fluid deficiency – can impair your ability to concentrate. And loss of more than 2% body weight due to dehydration can affect your brain’s processing”.  I once worked in a high paced environment that promoted energy drinks and frequently supplied their employees with Sugar Free Red Bulls and FRS Energy drinks.  Even water will help keep your employees focused and moving.    I’ve even gone as far as calling the Red Bull mini over to the office for free Red Bull samples.  Shoshannah Walker, General Agent for Colonial Life, keeps going with a triple late from Peet’s Coffee. 
6. Promote healthy snacks  Most employees begin to get hungry around 10am and according to Tara Gidus, RD, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, promoting a healthy snack break  " keeps your metabolism revved up and is a great way to boost your energy".  Try powering your team up with apples, they are said to give off as much energy as a cup of coffee.   
7. Offer mints  You can expect employees to become more alert when chewing on mints because the sucking or chewing of a mint circulates a refreshing smell up through the nose and throat, “pepping” them up.   Alan Hirsch, M.D., neurological director at the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago explains that “the mint scent stimulates a nerve in your brain” and that is what makes you feel more alert.             "We call it flavor, but it's really smell," says Hirsch.
8. Play music A study found that employees wearing headphones while working are 10% more productive than those not rocking out.  If you all can’t decide on one station, encourage employees to wear headphones during their work day.    
9. Set daily goals   Faculty of the Harvard Medical School explains that motivation is an important aspect of energy and that setting goals motivates people…reaching goals is satisfying to people and “the greater your sense of well being, the higher your energy level is likely to be”.  They suggest focusing on goals that will stimulate and energize you (in this case your employees) instead of something that will feel more like a chore.  
10. Teach Zen Habits (changing into a fresh pair of socks will leave you refreshed) Encourage employees to recognize their low energy and do something about it… like changing their socks when they hit that lazy slump during the day.  According to Zen Habits, this practice is supposed to get them going again and leaves them feeling fresh.   
11. Say “thank you” Thank your employees out loud for a job well done.   Everyone like to know that their boss appreciated them!
12. Do something out of the ordinary  This always leaves us with renewed energy, whether it be our personal or professional lives.
13. Make it fun  Incorporate interactive gaming such as foosball or the Wii in an effort to encourage employees to take breaks that get them moving and eliminate monotony.  Employees have reported that the friendly interaction not only allows them to build working relationships with one another but leaves them with a clear mind and stress relived body; reenergized.  One employee on the Intuit Labs Blog even stated that after a quick game of Guitar Hero, his fingers are able to move faster when he types while another claims that his problem solving ability increases.
    
    

Take Action:    Supercharge Employees

Keep On: Interval Train

Encourage employees to start at the finish line
Setting the Pace.  Establish a speed and standard for production

talking:  Communicate at all times; your job is to remind your team what they are working t

looking back at what you’ve done; evaluate your progress.

being Proactive rather than reactive

communicate the vision, state direction, involve and challenge the team to go for it!   

acting out and aligning your values with your company values and those of your employees.   Walk the talk.

delivering the VIP Treatment

being the Expert Extraordinaire

giving and continue to establish a good reputation

copycatting the Successful SUPERvisors of your past

telling yourself that you’re a Super SUPERvisor!

believing.  Remember, you’ve made the conscious decision to lead 

Interval training with Employees for Top Speed results

This month’s theme, Setting the Pace, should have started you on an employee production craze.  By now, you should have already figured out the team’s Average Rate* and the team’s Top Speed*; by now, you should have already Set the Pace*.  If you haven’t done so already make sure you start by setting some time aside before the week is over for some interval training specifically formulated to help you Set the Pace.  Interval training is important because it allows the team to see the difference between average performers and top producers.  It supercharges your department by boosting energy levels in order to meet new goals and expectations.  Here’s what you can do to begin interval training with your team in order to Set the Pace:

1. Go Slow – measure the team’s Average Rate production in a 2 hour time span before lunch.  *Pick a time when the team is operating at general speed in ordinary circumstances.  Try not to disrupt production or make a big deal of it.
2. Run Fast–measure the team’s Top Speed production in a 1 hour time span before lunch.  Challenge them to give it their all and to surpass their Average Rate performance.
   LUNCH 
3. Go Slow –again, measure the team’s Average Rate production in a 2 hour time span after lunch.  *Pick a time when the team is operating at general speed in ordinary circumstances.  Try not to disrupt production or make it a big deal of it.
4. Run Fast–again, measure Top Speed production in a 1 hour time span after lunch. Challenge the team to beat their first Top Speed performance.  
5. Set the Pace –Share the overall results with you team.  Let them see the difference between an average performer and a top producer and pick a production pace between the Average Rate and the Top Speed Rate that everyone can agree on and Set the Pace.  Be clear on the expectation and on the rewards that lie ahead for your team.

*Average Rate    This number expresses the general performance pace according to how much is produced within a certain timeframe. 

To find your Average Rate, measure the progress your team makes on a daily basis.  Take a close look at what is produced in 2 hours and write down what you believe is the team’s Average Rate.

*Top Speed         This number reflects the performance pace employees are able to work comfortably and safely at when momentum is gained and employees push themselves to perform faster than you usual to produce. 

*Set Pace                              This number is a benchmark that sits lower than the Top Speed (so that employees are comfortable and relaxed enough to perform and produce without jeopardizing quality and expected standards) but higher than the Average Rate so that employees remain challenged and focused on production. 

Example: a sales representative whose  top speed may entail making 20 phone calls a day (around 2 an hour, 4 every two hours)  even though his/her average rate is only about 16 calls a day may have a set pace of  18 calls a day, a number set in-between the average rate and the top speed.  

Take Action:    Interval Train

Keep On: 

Encourage employees to start at the finish line
Setting the Pace.  Establish a speed and standard for production

talking:  Communicate at all times; your job is to remind your team what they are working t

looking back at what you’ve done; evaluate your progress.

being Proactive rather than reactive

communicate the vision, state direction, involve and challenge the team to go for it!   

acting out and aligning your values with your company values and those of your employees.   Walk the talk.

delivering the VIP Treatment

being the Expert Extraordinaire

giving and continue to establish a good reputation

copycatting the Successful SUPERvisors of your past

telling yourself that you’re a Super SUPERvisor!

believing.  Remember, you’ve made the conscious decision to lead 

8 things you can do to help your employees start at the finish line:

One of the key steps to setting the pace in your department involves training your employees to start at the finish line.  This requires a small but significant amount of time on your part.  The actions are simple, the results are great!

1. Promote:  parade your department’s ultimate goal and pace (speed & standard) every chance you get

2. Dare:  Ask and challenge your employees to consciously make the decision to make “it” happen

3. Endorse:  Support your employees by becoming their number 1 fan!  Tell everyone about them and let them hear how proud you are of them.

4. Maintain:  Intermittently check that both department equipment and employees are actually able to perform

5. Equip:  Ask & listen to what your employee need in order to “run with it”

6. Nourish:  Feed your employees with motivation, let them see, feel and taste success.  Don’t forget, treat them like they’ve already crossed the finished line.

7. Cheer: recognize individual and team efforts by applauding and using good job phrases. 

8. Prize:  Always remind employees what is in it for them!

Take Action:    Encourage employees to start at the finish line

Keep On: 

Setting the Pace.  Establish a speed and standard for production

talking:  Communicate at all times; your job is to remind your team what they are working t

looking back at what you’ve done; evaluate your progress.

being Proactive rather than reactive

communicate the vision, state direction, involve and challenge the team to go for it!   

acting out and aligning your values with your company values and those of your employees.   Walk the talk.

delivering the VIP Treatment

being the Expert Extraordinaire

giving and continue to establish a good reputation

copycatting the SuccessfulSUPERvisors of your past

telling yourself that you’re a Super SUPERvisor!

believing.  Remember, you’ve made the conscious decision to lead

How to set the pace for employee production

When you set the pace at work you are establishing a speed and a standard for your employees to produce at, while working towards a common goal.  Establishing the speed and standard is important because it will engage your employees in what they are doing, how they are doing and how fast they are doing; ultimately allowing them to be conscience of their own progress as well as that of their teammates.  Once you have an activated employee who is producing according to speed and standard requirements, you’ll have an employee who is engaged in reaching goals, finding solutions to common obstacles and thinking up ways that will allow him/her to perform more efficiently.  For example: 

A former client of mine in the party rental industry supervised a department whose main objective was to wash chairs.  Every weekend the chairs were rented out and every week my client had the same ultimate goal: to get all the chairs clean before the next event.  His dilemma was that he never knew if all the chairs would get washed in time for the weekend because he had never set a production pace.  His best worker was washing about 150 chairs in an eight hour work day and his weakest worker was doing half of that, resulting in unwanted overtime and disgruntle employees who felt they were working harder than others…Upon establishing the speed of 100 chairs a day in an 8 hour workday and setting the clean chair standard, employees understood that in order to reach their ultimate goal of having all the chairs nice and clean before the weekend, they would have to each finish a daily goal of 100.  This activated the employees to keep to the set pace and make note or point out obstacles that interrupted the pace of production, rather than working without being conscience of how much could be produced in a day and how much time was spent fixing errors or working through obstacles, they were now paying attention; activated and motivated.  Setting the pace eliminated unwanted overtime, resulting in saving the company money, made employees feel satisfied that everyone was pulling their own weight, eliminating turnover and activated expectations, motivation and production.  

Setting the pace in your department whether you oversee a team in an office, retail or industrial setting can make a drastic difference in production, here’s what you can do to set the pace:

Start at the Finish Line Reiterate your department’s ultimate goal and set clear expectations on speed, standards and success.  Show your team the Finish Line and what it will feel like to cross it.

Run at Top Speed Figure out what your team’s best speed is, without jeopardizing quality and standards.  For example, a call center’s top speed may entail answering 500 calls a day even though its average pace is only about 425 calls a day.    

Slow it Down Set the pace a little lower than your best speed so that your employees are comfortable and relaxed enough to perform and produce without jeopardizing quality and expected standards.  Don’t forget to factor in safety and break times to prevent injuries on the clock.  For example, the call center mentioned above might decided to set the pace at 475 calls a day, a number in-between their average and their best speed yet.  

Pace yourself Make sure that your team is running at a speed that matches both the pace you’ve set and the plan you’re following in order to meet the department’s ultimate goal.  Make sure your department can keep a steady rhythm at the set pace and that there is always room for breathing (breaks & lunch).  

Stop Watch It Measuring your team’s progress is crucial!  Show them how much they produce and how much they improve.  Ask them to point out their weaknesses and production obstacles and encourage them to come up with creative solutions.  Make it fun and keep it positive and most importantly, always say “Good Job”!


Take Action:    Set the Pace.  Establish a speed and standard for production

Keep On: 

communicating.  Consistently remind your team what they are working towards and why.

looking back at what you’ve done; evaluate your progress.

being Proactive rather than reactive

communicate the vision, state direction, involve and challenge the team to go for it!   

acting out and aligning your values with your company values and those of your employees.   Walk the talk.

delivering the VIP Treatment

being the Expert Extraordinaire

giving and continue to establish a good reputation

copycatting the SuccessfulSUPERvisors of your past

telling yourself that you’re a Super SUPERvisor!

believing.  Remember, you’ve made the conscious decision to lead