If staff don't think their work is valuable, find themselves in conflict with colleagues, or can't balance their job and personal obligations, they lose the necessary enthusiasm to do their jobs. Writing for the Harvard Business Review, Ron Carucci and Kathleen Hogan provide six "renewable energy sources" leaders can use to energize depleted workers.

Ron Carucci is a co-founder and managing partner at Navalent, where he works with CEOs and executive teams to drive transformational change. Kathleen Hogan is Microsoft's Chief People Officer and EVP of Human Resources.

1. Drive meaningful career conversations

Over the past two years, workers have increasingly expressed a desire to see meaning in their work. According to Carucci and Hogan, workers "want to know they're on a path of growth and opportunity for greater impact."

While most workers want to discuss their careers, they are not always comfortable driving those discussions. To show they care, leaders should regularly initiate career conversations. "This legitimizes people's desire to talk about their future aspirations while removing any awkwardness. These conversations should also include caring feedback on areas to improve so that people are ready for opportunities when they arise," Carucci and Hogan write.

2. Establish rituals that encourage inclusion 

As remote work has become more common, workers have felt more isolated, which typically leads to energy depletion. "Loneliness intensifies the stress of difficult challenges," Carucci and Hogan write. "Leaders who create team rituals ensure they aren't exclusively responsible for replenishing team energy."

According to Carucci and Hogan, "[a] strongly bonded team creates a place people want to be, whether remotely or in-person. When people feel deeply connected to their peers, it energizes work, making it more fun."

3. Help workers build diverse relationships

In a remote environment, many workers only interact with their immediate peers, which can weaken cross-functional relationships by up to 25%. "This can increase isolation and monotony, two energy-depleting experiences," Carucci and Hogan write.

To help workers build cross-functional relationships, leaders can initiate opportunities for connection between cross-functional peers who do different kinds of work. "These experiences are energizing because people learn new things about their colleagues—and themselves," Carucci and Hogan note.

4. Be open about your workplace struggles

According to Carucci and Hogan, one of the most meaningful ways a leader can be an example to their team is openly prioritizing their own well-being. "Openly discuss how you've dealt with work stress or even other challenges like anxiety or burnout," they suggest.

When a leader is open about their well-being rather than expressing false positivity, others often feel encouraged to discuss their struggles. "If you've found your company's wellness benefits helpful, share how they've helped you and encourage team members to take advantage of them," Carucci and Hogan write. "Your example of practicing self-care signals its importance to your team, empowering them to follow suit."

5. Ditch 'productivity paranoia' and focus on prioritization

According to recent research conducted by Microsoft, 85% of leaders say hybrid work has made it more difficult to be confident that employees are being productive—a shift that has resulted in what Carucci and Hogan call "productivity paranoia."

However, 81% of workers said they would benefit from assistance prioritizing their workloads—but only 31% said they have actually received helpful guidance from their managers.

"Rather than worrying about whether or not people are working enough, spend time helping people focus on what's most important," Carucci and Hogan write. "Accept the reality that people are working harder than ever." 

6. Take action when workers start losing steam

Every organization needs to define what an energized and thriving workforce looks like. They also need to identify and monitor signals that indicate whether their workforce's energy is trending in the right direction.

"Many leaders shy away from intervening when patterns of behavior shift, but that's precisely the wrong instinct to follow," Carucci and Hogan write. "Expressing concern for someone is different than expressing concern about them. When you spot early warning signs, intervene promptly," they add.

"The data has shown that today's volatile, ever-shifting workplaces have the capacity to de-energize employees," Carucci and Hogan note. "Embrace the role you play in keeping your team's energy replenished and prioritize creating a team environment that keeps energy reserves high." (Carucci and Hogan, Harvard Business Review, 11/18)