Kelsey Johnke
Aaron Brennan
Johanna Anstensen
Riley Fredricks
Jobandeep Dhillon
How Managers can Maintain Employee Motivation during the pandemic in the Restaurant Industry
It’s not hard to see that this year has been one of the most challenging times that people have had to face. Imagine this, you are a manager tasked with shifting your business to conform within the new governmental guidelines while still providing employees with concise communication, financial understanding and boosting overall motivation. This may seem like an overwhelming assignment, but it doesn’t have to be. We will be examining how managers have worked to motivate their employees during this time of extreme uncertainty, the challenges that they are faced with when trying to boost motivation, and some solutions to assist in easing the uncertainty and creating a comfortable environment in what is now our new norm.
Motivating employees to continue working has always been a major challenge for all managers even before the pandemic hit. Communication is one of the most common ways for managers to keep their employees driven. There needs to be clear conversations between each manager and employee explaining each other’s goals and expectations with each job given. It is really important that employees experience positive social interactions in a workplace (Kraimer & Erdogan, 2020). But, it might not always be a simple task for managers specifically in the restaurant work force. In the past, managers have faced issues trying to connect with each individual employee. Although every employee is different in their own way, by managers communicating with each employee they may start to experience similar attitudes, beliefs and thoughts (Kraimer & Erdogan, 2020). Managers have to try and figure out ways to inspire and excite their employees in hopes that they can all create common goals with each other, no matter what is going on around them.
Another major challenge managers face is dealing with each employee’s economic situation. Managers need to be able to communicate with each employee what their job entails but also how much what they do is worth doing. Employees may start to believe they might not want to work hard enough because they don’t think they’re getting paid enough. By managers ignoring these possible factors this could possibly create a disconnect between managers and employees. Managers have to be able to encourage and support their employees even when the employees could possibly be struggling financially. This actively demonstrates that this might make it challenging for a manager to try and motivate someone who is constantly working with pay that might not match their work effort (OverHeadWatch Team, 2018). These past challenges that managers have faced continue to be challenges that are still confronted even today. In today’s climate, the pandemic continues to make it harder for managers to motivate employees.
During this period within the restaurant industry managers can struggle to manage the stress of their employees. With many aspects of the pandemic affecting employees’ and managers’ lives alike every day, it’s hard to not be reminded of the risks associated with working. As a result, this can make it a common topic of discussion that is difficult to stay away from which can lead to negative effects on employees’ motivation. According to research done by (Sinclair et al., 2020), “Exposure to death reminders at work creates a tremendous amount of stress: It is linked to a host of maladaptive outcomes, such as burnout, post-traumatic stress disorder, and absenteeism” (pg 10). These reminders that are ever so present in day-to-day work negatively affect employee motivation. It’s difficult to avoid these circumstances as there are many different negative reminders that employees can get on an everyday basis as the pandemic is playing out. Keeping that in mind, employees get much of their motivation from their managers’ treatment and behavior towards them and others in the workplace (Han et al., 2017). Managers need to be aware of the impact that the pandemic has on employee motivation and must work towards alleviating some of the stress from their employees.
Another major challenge for managers in the restaurant industry during the pandemic is to help their employees feel secure about their job. Job security is a major concern for restaurant employees, especially in this time of uncertainty. Adverse effects can be attenuated to the extent that organizations are upfront and honest in communicating with their employees about the future of their jobs during the pandemic (Sinclair et al., 2020). Managers need to keep in mind what they discuss with their employees about the prospective futures of their job as it can result in a negative effect on motivation. Managers need to be aware of this as they continue into the future and acknowledge that employees want to feel secure in this time of uncertainty.
Managers are faced with many challenges to motivate the employees. Some are recurring and have to be consistently worked on, while there are some new challenges due to the pandemic. To combat these challenges there are a couple of strategies that could help managers through this tough time. Managers need to have excellent communication. With clear and precise direction it is easier to understand and support their employees. Allowing a conversation can also make sure that the employees feel supported.The second thing is managers should encourage socialization. Now more than ever, it is important to keep up with friends. As a manager, it is important to acknowledge the lack of communication and relief that talking can bring. Social interaction can relieve stress and encourage workers about their job security. Personnel are always optimistic, keep good interpersonal rapport with each other, and also show a high level of performance in the organization (Sangeeta & Chanana, 2020). Managers can lead by example by staying positive and supporting people with clear communication to motivate their employees. Lastly, it is important for managers to be supportive during this time. Everyone has something going on outside of work, so it is vital, as a manager, to create a space where everyone can feel comfortable and connected. Currently in the restaurant industry, that includes taking the correct safety precautions to keep all employees safe, having clear employee guidelines, and being understanding if an emergency comes up.
Managers have had a difficult time motivating their employees at work and as the pandemic continues there have been more challenges in the restaurant industry. Strong communication and supportive economic payment have been a few of the constant struggles of a manager. Controlling stress has become a huge factor due to the pandemic that managers also have to take into consideration. One of the biggest concerns for business during this pandemic is job security. With the uncertainty of the future, employees can become unmotivated while working. However, there are solutions that managers should implement in the restaurant industry that could help: communicating, supporting each other, and socialization. The coronavirus pandemic has affected and changed everyone’s lives, but together, if we support and look after each other, we will be able to overcome this pandemic.
References
Chanana, N., & Sangeeta (2020). Employee engagement practices during COVID-19 lockdown. Journal of public affairs, e2508. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2508
Han, Su Jin, Kim, Woo Gon, & Kang, Sora. (2017). Effect of restaurant manager emotional intelligence and support on front-of-house employees’ job satisfaction. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management., 29(11), 2807-2825.
Kraimer, M. L., & Erdogan, B. (2020). Personnel Psychology. Personnel Psychology, 71(3). Retrieved January 26, 2021 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/peps.12359
OverheadWatch Team. (2018). What Challenges Do Managers Face in Motivating Today’s WorkForce? Retrieved February 11, 2021
https://overheadwatch.com/what-challenges-do-managers-face-in-motivating-toda
Sinclair, R. R., Allen, T., Barber, L., Bergman, M., Britt, T., Butler, A., Ford, M., Hammer, L. Kath, L., Probst, T., & Yuan, Z. (2020). Occupational Health Science in the
Time of COVID-19: Now more than Ever. Occupational health science, 1–22. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41542-020-00064-3