How Can We Reignite Our Team's Passion Amidst Overwhelming Workloads? Seeking Advice!

Hi Everyone,

One of our big projects has almost 60+ people. They used to like our company's culture, but nowadays, all of them are frustrated due to the heavy workload in their project. All of them are very unhappy, and there are high chances that most of them may leave the job. They are not able to participate in our HR activities, which we organize for them. Hence, they are losing their interest in working on that project. What should we do to make them happy like before? How can we approach them? All of them are genuine and hardworking members, and we don't want to lose them. Please help and suggest.

Thank you.

Dear Pratima, you have mentioned that your company handles projects, but what kind of projects are they? Are you involved in software projects, or does your company manage EPC projects? What is the location of the project? What software do you use to execute the project?

Those who handle projects experience ups and downs in their workload. During a project, they often have to work more, and when the project is not active, or even at the beginning and end of the project, the workload is less. This fact should be made clear to everyone involved.

However, the following steps can be taken:

a) The immediate requirement is communication. Some senior personnel must communicate with the project team. Therefore, seniors who understand the projects well should talk to everyone involved and identify the causes of the excess workload.

b) Why is there a sudden increase in the workload during the project cycle? At the beginning of the project, is a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) created for all activities? Is the WBS actually followed, or is it just on paper? Was the wrong time duration assigned to certain activities? Is the assignment of less time responsible for project activities going awry?

c) Does your company use PERT and CPM techniques to manage the project? If yes, why are these techniques not working? If the techniques are not used, nothing can be done now, as introducing them mid-project would create further confusion.

d) If there is an increase in the workload, something is amiss. Someone must step in to improve teamwork. Therefore, let a senior review how many milestones were in the project and how many were achieved on time. The flaw in teamwork is that sometimes the weakness of a weak member is hidden by the skillfulness of others.

e) One important measure of performance in projects is "Starting an activity on time." So, find out what percentage of activities started on time. Why is there a delay in starting activities on time? Is it due to someone's inefficiency?

f) You mentioned that "They are not able to involve in our HR activities which we organize for them." What activities did you arrange, and why is there a lack of interest? Is it because the members feel the activities are unrelated to their actual work? If yes, this also reflects on the efficacy of the HR activities.

Final Comments: Today, the project members' motivation needs to be reignited. Having proficiency in project skills is one thing, and execution is another. Therefore, some seniors from your company must step in to improve the motivation of the employees involved in the project.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

A detailed reply has already been given by Mr. Divekar. As suggested, the reason for the frustration of employees needs to be found out, and it also calls for some sort of counseling by senior management. Further, there is a need to have a work-life balance approach. The work pressure should not affect employees’ morale and personal life. This is a crucial time for both employees and the management representative to sit together to sort out grievances of any nature, and corrective measures should be taken before it's too late.

Regards, JSM

So well explained by Mr. Dinesh Divekar, sir.

At each level of the project, an authority must ensure that they have a motivated team that can go above and beyond to complete the project. In most cases, the lack of proper planning, execution, clear communication, and timelines can be detrimental. Good leadership is, of course, needed to direct the project. Also, never forget the timely welfare of all employees.

Hi Pratima, the answer is already there in the question ("frustrated due to heavy workload in the project").

What changed during the pandemic?

Is it due to the responsibility for regular power supply and internet connectivity/bandwidth that used to be handled by the employer, now suddenly having to be managed by employees without loss in productivity, causing this issue? Or is it the sudden social isolation they now face from each other, where even casual project discussions on the floor now have to be managed with umpteen calls and video conferences? Is this creating a lack of communication or misunderstanding among the employees and their superiors?

At this point in time, employees need employers to look into the basic factors that have a major impact on their work. You could try checking on these lines.