Studies have shown that motivated employees in the workplace are substantially more productive than having an apathetic workforce. This is because staff who are engaged can see the results of their efforts and how their contributions positively affect the company, therefore inspiring them to work harder. You are also likely to retain employees because they feel a sense of loyalty to the company, thus saving you time and money having to find new hires.
Knowing where to begin can be tricky though The big question is, how do you actually motivate employees? How do you know what works and what doesn’t? And what their needs and wants are? These five tips can help:
Acknowledge good work
According to recent research, up to 70% of employees say increased recognition from managers would boost their motivation and morale. It makes sense. If you put hard work into a project that produces positive results, but are not acknowledged for it, why bother to continue working with such effort?
How you motivate employees comes down to recognizing your team’s contributions and the impact it has. You could take it a step further and offer employee benefits that don’t break the bank. It could be something as small as a coupon, the option to work flexi hours, or have an extra day off, which need not cause any HR nightmares if tracked through a good online leave management system.
Encourage open communication
Showing your staff that their input matters is essential in keeping your employees motivated in the workforce, which is why it’s important to encourage open communication that allows them to provide feedback and voice their opinions and concerns on company and industry issues. This can be achieved by scheduling regular meetings or even setting up a company email address for feedback and suggestions.
Motivate through training and development
Providing a variety of quality training options is key in motivation. New employee onboarding, management development, team building, skills training… These are just some ideas you could implement.
Share visions of success
Helping a team understand what it would mean to achieve an objective by envisioning the end results is another vital way to motivate employees in the workplace. It’s easier to achieve success if you can see its possible outcomes after all. Adding to that source of motivation, acknowledge when someone makes progress toward that objective.
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