If there’s ever been a time to up the morale of your group, it’s now. The election brought about some anxiety. Company layoffs happening all over the country are causing stress among peers. It’s time to pay attention to the headspace of your team.
The holidays, in themselves, can be a stressful time of year; without the recent goings on of the world and within the industry added on top. It’s important to understand where your staff is, as far as mental health is concerned. As management, it’s already stressful enough, and now you have to be concerned about others. I get it. You have a lot on your plate. However, gone are the days of “There’s always someone else out there willing to do your job.” It’s harder to find quality on air talent. And with the non-competes in question, you can’t afford to lose the ones who have been loyal for so long.
How do you make sure the atmosphere in your building, or at least within your station, is uplifting? I hate to say it, but have a meeting. Let the staff let it out. Ask them how they are doing, and be sincere. If they’d rather do this one on one, that might work better. Whatever way you decide to attack this, make sure they know you are there for them. Yes, you’re their boss. On the flip side, it’s hard for someone who is not in the greatest place to sound upbeat on-air and do their job to the best of their ability. SO as their boss, it’s also your job to make sure your talent is doing ok.
I know the budgets are done and you may not have enough for an outing, but there are other things you can do to keep the spirits up.
Have a Secret Santa! Put a price limit and do the exchange on a Friday. Have a cheap lunch catered in. Again, even if it’s only your station doing it, that’s completely fine. As the PD, you can manage this.
Have a couple Fridays where you grill out for lunch. Yes, this might cost a few bucks, but there are cheap ways to grab ground beef and buns for a group of 5.
Start an employee of the month, if you don’t have one already. Work with a client for trade and get Gift Cards to give them each month. Make it something worthwhile like gas cards and not a free ticket to a movie.
These are just a few ideas. The main thing is to check in. Especially now. After the initial meeting letting them know they can lean on you, you can stop by their desk and shoot the sh*t. Not about work, but something like “Doing anything this weekend? How are the kids?” It could take maybe 5 minutes of your time.
Management is more than instructing your staff what to do and making sure everyone is doing what they were hired to do. It’s also about making sure your staff is ok. I’m not saying you have to be their best friend and hang out outside work. Management in radio is different. The talent is the face of the station. If that face is struggling, what can you do to help?