How to Motivate your Employees in 12 Easy Steps

In any organisation, there will be days where employees or even managers are not feeling motivated, however these 12 easy steps will avoid fostering a dispirited team.

If you want to know how to motivate your employees and get positive employee engagement, you have to make them feel passionate to go to work every day and wanting to spend time with you and their colleagues.

Motivating your employees does not have to be a challenge anymore. Here are 12 fantastic ways you can use to motivate your employees:

Create a friendly work environment

Your employees spend a large amount of time of their lives working in the office. So try to make the office look as friendly and appealing as possible.

When you create a pleasant atmosphere where it is welcoming and comfortable, your employees will be more than eager to go to work every day.

Acknowledge employees’ achievement

Everyone wants to be recognised for something they have done; regardless if it was for a work or personal achievement. The acknowledgement of a job well done coming from upper management will mean more to an employee than you think. Always remember to give credit when credit is due.

“For good ideas and true innovation, you need human interaction, conflict, argument, debate.”

– Margaret Heffernan

Rewarding employees

There will be times when it takes more than just a pat on the back. Try giving simple incentives when rewarding engaged employees.

It does not have to be monetary rewards all the time; simple things like a week of having a personal parking spot at the office would be sufficient. Rewarding employees could also be a part of the company benefits.

Positive communication is the key

Everyone communicates at work and it is probably the easiest thing you can do with your employee. Yet it can also be the most difficult. Spend a short period of time each day to have a word with your employees; discussing things from concerns to ideas.

This will not only make your employees happy, it will also provide you with much-needed insight on your business from your employees.

Encourage friendly competition

A little competition among the employees would not hurt. A competitive environment is a productive environment. Encourage employees to participate in competitions or challenges as it is healthy and may actually lead to increased camaraderie.

Friendly competition amongst teams helps with employee engagement and employee participation.

Have a meaningful and worthwhile goal

Managers should ensure that the company has a vision and plan at a corporate and individual level. Employees who have a path set before them that may lead to promotion can work towards a goal. Achievable goals are very helpful as it gives employees the drive to work harder without being asked.

Create a career path

When employees have an idea of what is provided or what the incentives are, they become further motivated. This will lead to increased commitment towards their employer. The members of your team will be more valuable to your organisation, and to themselves, when they have opportunities to learn new skills.

Provide your employees with the training they require to advance in their careers and to become knowledgeable about the latest technologies and industry news.

Be a leader worth following

As a leader, employees are going to look to you to set an example for the rest of the group. Leaders tend to be setting a tone and values for the company. By doing so, it could have a meaningful effect on the mentality of the employees. If leaders set an example of positive thinking, employees will follow and the entire work culture will become more motivating.

Encourage creativity

Creativity does not have to be based on the work that the employees are doing. It could be simple task like giving ideas on the next company retreat or team building exercises.

“An employee’s motivation is a direct result of the sum of interactions with his or her manager.”

– Bob Nelson

Encourage team work

Try to remove any bureaucracy and hierarchy within the company and create an ‘openness’ to new ideas at any level and working together as a team keeps employees motivated.

Welcome all ideas

Everyone is unique and unpredictable and each with individual desires and some with complicated ideas. Remember not to shunt away ideas or suggestions no matter how silly or meaningless they may sound.

No single strategy can ever hope to please all of your workers all at once. A tiny silly idea could be brainstormed into something brilliant sooner or later.

Don’t let employees become bored

Some employees have a short attention span. Host a cupcake bake-off, plan a happy hour every Friday, have company lunches together in the office on alternate Wednesdays or allow a different person to run the weekly meetings to break up the dreariness.

In Summary

Now you know how to motivate your employees using these 12 simple methods. As you work to find the best motivators for your workplace, bear in mind that you would need to make adjustments and changes as you discover what works and what does not.

Every company is different; some of these ideas may work for your company, while other methods are not the right ones.

Perfect your motivation strategy as you get to know the individuals in your company and they will reward you with greater dedication and a positive perspective for the company’s future. Do not forget that an employee who enjoys coming to work is a worthy investment. Try boosting your team happiness as well.

Source: inside.6q.io

Collect by Minh Tien - Sapuwa