Employees are the backbone of any organization, and therefore it is essential to keep them motivated. The more motivated your employees are, the more work they do, and the more money it makes you. After all, it takes a lot of work to find the perfect hire for your company; you want to ensure you keep them and also have them reach their full potential. If you find that your employees are not motivated, it is important to get to the root of it and find out why. Remember that not all employees are motivated by the same things, so it is vital that you speak to them and find out what makes them tick individually. You could send out a survey or have an appraisal where you ask for feedback and make adjustments accordingly. There are many different incentives out there that you can apply to the company as a whole, but there are also many you can give to individuals. From financial rewards to sending them on training courses and aiding with career progression, here are just a few ideas you can implement to help motivate your staff at work. You will soon be able to notice a difference, and it will positively impact your company all round. You will be left wondering just why you didn’t implement these earlier.
Reward your workforce with a pay rise
For many businesses, COVID has caused unprecedented disruption and dented into their cash flows. Because of this, now may not be the best time to offer your employees a pay rise. However, if as a business you are operating well within the current climate, then one way to motivate your workforce is to say thank you and give some members of staff a pay rise. This not only shows that you trust them but also rewards them for their hard work during a difficult period. The pay rise doesn’t have to be huge, but any incentive which shows they are doing well and that you are invested in their future at the company is good to motivate them. It could be that you have had a tough time at work with demanding clients, or even an occasion with a client where you have needed a business disputes attorney. If this is the case, you will want to reward your employees for sticking with you and getting you through the more challenging times too.
Start a competition with the winner getting a prize
This works particularly well with a sales team but can also work well in many different working environments. Why not set a few realistic targets for your team to hit, and if they hit it, they win something? This doesn’t have to be expensive; it can be anything from a half-day off to a meal voucher to enjoy with their family. You can compete between groups, teams, or individuals if you want to get their competitive spirits out! The idea of this is to bring out their competitive side and motivate them to hit the target given. If they have something specific to work towards, it can be incredibly beneficial for their own personal achievements and your business earnings too!
Random positive feedback
Sometimes the best motivation is knowing that you are doing a good job. This is why it is important that you regularly praise your team and let them know they are doing well. Every now and then, why not ask a member of the team into your office to let them know they are doing well, and you are happy with how they are performing? If it’s not expected, it can motivate them and bring a good feel factor to the job. You could also send them an email or call them out for their achievements in front of everyone else in your next Zoom meeting. They will really appreciate this recognition and want to continue working hard to receive further praise. If someone has spent a lot of time on a project or hit a target and it goes unnoticed, they aren’t going to want to do the same again as they feel it is not noticed. By praising them with positive feedback, they will be motivated to continue to put in the same hard work they have been doing.
Make your workplace a nice place to be
The job can be the best job in the world, but if your workplace isn’t enjoyable, it can be hard to work and feel motivated. Sometimes, it’s more about giving your team a nice place to work than the job itself. Do you and your team encourage, are you all positive, do you inspire progression? Are you providing nice desks and chairs and appreciating your staff? It’s these sorts of things that can make a difference and make the team motivated. While you don’t need to get a pool table and nap pods like some companies, just having a nice breakaway space where your employees can eat their lunch will be appreciated. Encourage them to eat away from their desks and clear their minds – this can also help with motivation.
Give your workforce ways to progress
What career opportunities does your company offer? Is there a clear guide on how you can get promoted and work your way up within that specialism? Knowing that if you work well, you could be promoted to a manager can be a huge motivator. If there are clear stepping stones, employees know what they need to do and can strive to work towards these steps to develop themselves. Career growth can sometimes be a bigger motivation than financial gain. It is important that you take time to speak to those in your company (or ask their managers to do so) and find out where they want to be. If they have specific aspirations and progression plans, let them know how to get there and that you will help them to do it.
Offer a good work-life balance
Just like career growth and financial gains can motivate someone, so can having a good work-life balance, especially for families. If you ask parents to stay late to get their work done, reducing their family time can be very damaging and cause employees to feel less motivated. However, if within your policies and principles, you build in a section about work-life balance and actively promote this within the workforce, it can be very motivating and make employees feel happier. Ideas could be flexible leave policies, extra time off for your wellbeing, and a work from home scheme.
Let your employees know you trust them
When you know someone trusts you to do a good job, it can be very motivating. Instead of micromanaging, delegate key responsibilities to your team, showing that you trust them to do a good job. Sharing your vision and trusting them to achieve it can show employees that you believe in them and that you can rely on them to do a good job. As an employee, this gives them a chance to show you what they can do and try to impress, in the hope that you rely on them again in the future. It is important that if they do, do a good job that you recognize and praise the good work they have been doing.
Be transparent
Some things do need to be kept secret, but whenever possible, try to be transparent and let your employees know what you are doing. When you have a management meeting, invite an employee to it to be kept in the loop of what is going on. Every Friday, you could have a meeting with the team to present what’s been happening and give them an overview of how the company has been performing. This helps employees feel like they are part of the company and that you value their opinion. It also helps employees understand what is happening outside of their work.
Motivate individuals as well as a team
It’s always good to tell a team they have done a good job and reward them; however, sometimes make sure you show appreciation to the individuals as well. If you know one employee has stayed late more times to work on their project over another, show appreciation for that. Unfortunately, some team members put in more effort than another, so although rewarding a team is beneficial, so is rewarding the individuals who have worked the hardest.
These are just a few ways you can motivate your workforce. By increasing the motivation of your staff, you will soon begin to reap the benefits. Employees will want to come into work and do their best to aid both them and you, and you will notice an increase in targets hit and sales made. If you currently have a plan to motivate them and it isn’t working, try some of the tips above. As said initially, different people are inspired by different things, so a one hat fits all approach isn’t necessarily the best way to go about it.
