Nine Tactics for Keeping Work Teams Engaged through the Rugby World Cup

 The Rugby World Cup (RWC) has kicked off unleashing with it a sense of national pride, passion, fun and excitement.  This is especially so for those countries world-wide with a passion for rugby and whose teams are in the competition, including the host country, England!

Depending on the different time zones, fans will be waking up early or staying up late to watch their favourite teams play and could come to work somewhat bleary eyed and down on energy.

A question some companies may be asking is ‘how do we get the best out of people during the RWC – when they are likely to be distracted, fatigued, and more interested in watching the games than working?

Here are nine ideas for having an engaged team during the RWC 

Whether you are a large or small business, employee or manager,  be mindful of the following over the coming weeks: 

1.Business as Unusal – the workplace is likely to be and feel different and adjustments will have to be made so manage your expectations accordingly.  Managing people’s leaves, sick days and or extra staff may be needed. For example, here in New Zealand, “The Push Back For Black” petition is calling for employers to change their standard working hours to 10am-6pm from 9am-5pm in order to allow employees to watch the early morning matches before they come to work.

2.Logistics – Notice what’s working and what’s not and make adjustments accordingly. Is your workforce and business-planning requirement accurate as the weeks pan out?  Do you need specialist resources?  Has the work dipped and can you afford to allow more people to take annual leave?

3.Flexibility – Plan for all the things you can anticipate and be proactive with. However, what often gets us is the unexpected.  By having mental and emotional agility you will be able to deal with whatever comes your way.

4.Fairness – Whatever actions you take – ensure that it is not only fair but it’s perceived as being fair.  There is life beyond the RWC and what you do now helps building the emotional bank account. 

5.Communication – Consistent and regular communication is necessary to keep people engaged and focused on the right things.

Whatever else you do, have a game plan and play off the mantra of communication, flexibility, and fairness and you will score well with your customers and people alike.

6.Social Media – How can you use social media to good end – for example, the latest information on crowd build and traffic congestion.  What is your policy on social media? Does this change during the RWC and do people know about this?

7.Teamwork – The RWC offers a very practical and motivational opportunity for building a sense of team camaraderie and fostering greater teamwork, attitude and behaviors. 

8.Diversity – be mindful that everyone is not into Rugby and while they may join in the spirit of things or be so over it – let that be an okay part of your culture as well. Model tolerance with the message that differences are okay as after all, diversity creates enrichment and “one size fits all” is not what leads to creativity and innovation.

9.When healthy rivalry crosses the line – healthy rivalry can be fun and energizing but sometimes things can turn serious.  If this happens do acknowledge it and remind people what is acceptable and what the rules and consequences are. 

There may well be a temporary dip in energy and engagement after the games.  Get input and feedback from team members and continue to build on some of the more successful initiatives beyond the games.  

All these factors also lend themselves to a sense of engagement whether at work or play. High employee engagement is what all employers and business want as research shows a direct correlation with bottom line measures such as profitability and productivity.  

Not surprisingly, engaged employees produce better results with higher sales, greater teamwork, loyalty and customer service and less absenteeism. 

In the meantime, let’s cheer for our teams – the great All Blacks for us Kiwis and let’s hope that on the first of November,  New Zealand is awash with a buzz and there is a proud Kiwi in every corner of the globe!  :-)

Other posts for your interest:

10 Actions for Advancing Your Career 

What is your Leadership Story?

Manage Your Emotions

10 Actions for Building a High Performing Team

Jasbindar works with organizations and coaches senior leadership teams to increase leadership effectiveness and team engagement.

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