Between coaching clients and discussion groups, I’ve heard a lot of people ask lately, “Any suggestions on how to keep crew members motivated through the end of the season?”
Sorry. That was probably decided a long time ago.
Like most relationships, your relationship with your employees as it stands now is most likely the result of how they feel about the totality of your interactions, not just what you decide to do tomorrow.
Have you ever noticed how with a significant other, it’s almost impossible to make things better in a hurry? Ever tried giving somebody flowers when they were unhappy with you? On the other hand, when things were already a little unsteady, have you ever had things go south in a big way over something that seemed small?
That’s October on the market farm. If your crew is fundamentally motivated – if they feel good about the place they work, the people they work for, and the way the work is going – things are probably going to be okay. If things start to sag with the short days, you can kick it up with the equivalent of a bouquet of flowers: a small bonus, pizza ordered in for lunch, lattes brought to the field.
On the other hand, a crew that has arrived in October feeling less than positive about things is not going to be swayed by anything you can do at this time of year.
That being said, everybody, regardless of attitude or motivation, performs better as the days get shorter and colder with attention to a few things:
Sorry. That was probably decided a long time ago.
Like most relationships, your relationship with your employees as it stands now is most likely the result of how they feel about the totality of your interactions, not just what you decide to do tomorrow.
Have you ever noticed how with a significant other, it’s almost impossible to make things better in a hurry? Ever tried giving somebody flowers when they were unhappy with you? On the other hand, when things were already a little unsteady, have you ever had things go south in a big way over something that seemed small?
That’s October on the market farm. If your crew is fundamentally motivated – if they feel good about the place they work, the people they work for, and the way the work is going – things are probably going to be okay. If things start to sag with the short days, you can kick it up with the equivalent of a bouquet of flowers: a small bonus, pizza ordered in for lunch, lattes brought to the field.
On the other hand, a crew that has arrived in October feeling less than positive about things is not going to be swayed by anything you can do at this time of year.
That being said, everybody, regardless of attitude or motivation, performs better as the days get shorter and colder with attention to a few things:
- Make sure people have what they need to stay warm and dry.
- Make allowance for the fact that the shorter days cause a natural tendency to slow down, especially for workers who aren’t used to working with the rhythm of the season. Let people off work before it gets too dark to see, and start them when the sun is up.
- Warm drinks can go a long way towards keeping people going.
- Cut people a little slack. For seasonal crews especially, October and November can induce symptoms similar to the “senioritis” we all went through in high school.