A project team that’s concerned about continued employment

Dear Bob …

I’m managing a strategic project for a company that’s been hit hard by the economic downturn.

The project started before the downturn, and we were far enough along that our execs decided against pulling the plug. As far as I’m concerned it was the right decision.

My problem is keeping the team focused and motivated. They’ve already seen friends leave due to layoffs, and there’s a rumor floating around that as soon as the project finishes, the company will decide it doesn’t need the team members either.

The situation isn’t exactly energizing.

Any thoughts on how I can keep everyone working hard until they cross the finish line?

– Managing, but barely

Dear Managing …

It’s a tough situation, and you’re far from the only project manager in it.

It’s also easier to handle than you might think. Here are your key messages to the project team:

• For the most part they’re in the same situation as every other employee in the company. Nobody has any guarantees.

• If anyone is to have a chance at continued employment, the company has to survive. It’s up to every employee to do what they can to help make that happen.

• The project matters. If it didn’t, the company would have pulled the plug on it already to save money.

• If there is another round of layoffs after the project finishes, how the project team performs will have a lot to do with whether or not its members are among the survivors. If they do well the company would be foolish to let them go. (Implied but not stated: If, on the other hand, the project finishes poorly, it will reflect poorly on everyone working on it.)

• That being the case, everyone on the project is best off concentrating on what they can control, which is the project’s outcome, instead of wasting energy on something they can’t influence, which is everything else needed for the company to succeed, and what the company will need from them after the project is over.

• If someone brings it up and won’t let it go, remind them of this, too: If the worst happens — if the company really is just waiting for the team to finish the project so it can lay them off too — then the best thing they can do is to finish the project well. Project successes look great on a resume, after all, and knowing how to bring a project to a successful conclusion is excellent interview fodder.

How and how often you deliver them is up to you and the circumstances. My suggestion is that less is best — since everyone seems to be asking the question, make sure they know the answer.

Then keep refocusing them on the project and the work they need to do to get it done.

– Bob