How to Keep Engagement and Avoid Burnout

It’s the busiest time of year for your field service business. Between taking care of established customers, onboarding new ones, and the high heat, it’s not unusual for employees to be tired. The dog days of summer tend to bring on vacation daydreams. So, as a company leader, how do you go about rallying the troops so that your business doesn’t just survive the summer months but thrives? Implementing the following tips will help you to keep employees engaged, motivated, and focused.

Keep It Real 

Sometimes the best thing to do is to just call a thing a thing. In other words, don’t be afraid to call out a situation for what it is. Acknowledging the fact that your business is in the busy season and that you see people are becoming tired shows that you, as a leader, are engaged and aren’t just going through the motions. Your team will see that you care to pay attention and recognize them as people rather than just workers. In addition, once you recognize where you are, you can figure out where you can go. You’re now in a position to execute your action plan.

Keep It Fresh 

One of the most effective things you can do during the high-stress situations that can lead to burnout is to keep things fresh. But what exactly does that look like? Going out and providing the same services day after day can get monotonous. Add to that being in traffic and outside in the high temperatures, and it’s not a surprise that people can tire both physically and mentally. This is when you can switch things up. Try things like additional training, professional development, or even team outings. The goal is to break up the day-to-day regular activities to keep the team engaged. 

Keep It Supportive 

It means a great deal when employees know that leaders support them. You can do this by supporting their growth and development. Ask what you can do to help make your employees successful. Offer the tools and systems they need to grow. This can be anything from making sure that they have the equipment they need and making sure it’s functioning properly to optimizing technicians’ routes so that they aren’t needlessly running back and forth across the city.

Keep Celebrating 

There is a concept in psychology called “positive reinforcement.” In short, it means to reward “good behavior.” The first thing to do is to define what “good behavior” is. It’s perfectly fine to reward sales, but also be sure to look at things like punctuality, consistency, and helping a teammate. It’s also great if you can get the team members involved. Invite them to celebrate each other by telling on one another when another teammate does something well. This will help to build camaraderie amongst your employees.

The heat may be on, but you can still keep your employees focused and productive. Busy doesn’t have to equate to disengagement and burnout with the right tools and techniques put into place. Taking the time to take care of your employees is worth the investment. The return is employees who are happier mentally and more capable physically, and that’s a benefit both to your field service business and your customers.

Contact the experts at FieldRoutes™ to schedule your demo.