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Keeping Employees Energized and Productive This Winter

One key to a successful law firm is having an energized, productive staff.  The winter months, however, can wreak havoc on energy levels and moods.  The weather is colder, the days are darker, flu season is in full effect, and many people suffer from seasonal affective disorder or feel the need to hibernate during this time of the year.  In order to counter the effects of the season, you should bring positive energy to your law office to help colleagues and employees maintain focus and productivity.

Here are a few ways to add a little bit of energy to your law firm during the winter months:

• Focus on the positive rather than negative.  Many psychological studies have shown that happy employees are critical for any company’s success, while excessive negativity can lead to decreased productivity and employee burnout.  Make your law office brighter during the winter by encouraging staff members with positive feedback, and try to avoid leading through intimidation or scolding.
• Encourage employees to maintain a healthy diet and regular exercise.  During the winter, many people feel less inclined to leave their desks during the day for their lunch break when the weather outside is frightful, but a quick burst of cold air and a stroll down the street to grab a healthy salad and soup for lunch will help your employees stay alert and refueled to finish the work day.
• Shake up the office routine.  Bored employees will be less productive and more likely to burnout during the winter months, but you can cure boredom by adding a little variety to your law office.  If you have two law clerks or paralegals, try cross training and rotating schedules.
• Pull out old resumes and re-evaluate the job descriptions of your team.  Is your phone receptionist a budding journalist or a public relations major in college?  Maybe he would be interested in writing for your law firm blog.  By giving employees more responsibility, you can show them that you respect their unique talents and you can motivate them to grow professionally.  Foster enthusiasm among employees by giving them the opportunity to define their job by incorporating their personal skills and interests.

What other ways can you think of to keep your employees energized, motivated and happy during the winter and year-round?

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written by Mom, January 15, 2010

One way to keep them energized is to fire them! You laid off 50 great employees yesterday and now they will be looking for jobs and a way to pay rent and pay for food in this hard economic time. Could you not have told them in advance of your dilemma and offered them to reduce their pay/hours? This is a very low blow for a company who gives such advice. Shame shame shame on you!

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written by Harvey, January 17, 2010

I don't understand this reasoning, Mom. They said it was an issue of managing growth - they had positions they didn't need. Reducing a bunch of people's pay wouldn't solve that problem, it'd make it worse for everybody. I applaud TA for making what must have been an impossibly hard decision because it's what they thought was right for the company and it's customers. Sounds like it's a pretty tight community of people and I'm sure it wasn't a decision that was taken lightly.

If a publicly traded company said they had positions they didn't need because they grew too quickly and announced that they were going to reduce everyone's pay instead of fix the core issue, their stock price would plummet.

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