Estimated reading time: 5 mins
Managers and business owners all around the world are constantly thinking up ways to motivate their staff in order to get the best out of them, boosting productivity. There is no one size fits all approach, unfortunately, and people respond to different stimuli. So you may have to create a multifaceted and nuanced program. However, if you can connect with your employees on a level which encourages the best, then you will reap the rewards. Generally speaking, people want to do a good job, and, no doubt, you will have chosen your employees based on this prerequisite. That means that you just need to keep motivation up, which is difficult if the job is monotonous and repetitive. Anyway, we have come up with a few ideas to keep your team motivated and their spirits up.
Offer opportunities
If you have hard-working employees, it will help if you gave them the chance to progress. Everyone wants to feel that they are worth something, so to encourage your team to work hard, give them the chance to do something different. If a role comes up, you can put the best people forward. You can help them prepare for an interview, for example, or simply place them in a new, more demanding role, depending on the size and structure of your organisation. This will allow the ones who have been chosen to feel valued, that their hard work has not gone unnoticed. This may also encourage the others to excel too, as they will know who in the team works hard and who does not. If progression is something, the employee wants then you need to recognise that and keep the door open.
Training
Getting your staff in the classroom every now and again to learn new skills and ways of doing things can serve many different functions. On a superficial level, it is good for people to do different things, so for a monotonous job, having the opportunity to sit in a classroom for a few hours will break the day and week up. In addition, spending time and money on your staff will have a psychological purpose and make them feel more values, worthy of training. Having the opportunity to learn something new can bond teams together too. Also, as the main point is, you will be giving the staff new ideas and better ways of thinking about the job through training, and this can lead to improved efficiency.
Hold regular team meetings and feedback sessions
It is a good idea to involve your staff in some of the decision making. To do this, you can hold regular meetings. You can outline future plans and where you want the company to do. In these meetings, you can ask your team what they think, how they would move things, and if they have any suggestions about the future of the company. You can also ask them to advise about things that they believe need updating and changing, systems and processes that they think need updating and changing. Involving the staff into these discussions can go a long way. It can build trust and open honest communication channels. The staff have their ear to the ground, and sometimes movement coming from the bottom up rather than top-down can improve things and make things more efficient. You will learn from hearing your staff’s comments. You have to ensure you do not become protective or begrudging. You need to listen to all comments with an open mind. However, you must be careful to ensure that it does not become a moaning session, where everyone airs a gripe. You need to remain in control and ensure that the meetings stay focussed. Any particularly good ideas could be rewarded. Perhaps get the staff member to elaborate on the idea in writing, i.e. allow them some time to come up with some sort of business proposal, and if the idea is implemented, they can get rewarded. This will show your staff that you are listening and that their ideas and opinions do matter and will be listened to as part of a wider business strategy. This builds trust and causes staff to feel more emotionally connected to the business as a whole.
Provide the best equipment
If you want the team to do the best work and perform to the best of their ability, then you need to provide the best tools and equipment. Have an honest look at what you give the staff to use. Is the computer system up to scratch? Have you provided the best, state-of-the-art equipment? If not, you need to do an analysis of what you have and work out what would be the best tool to buy going forward. Also, have you provided the best creature comforts? Never underestimate the power of tea and coffee. Do you have a good water facility too? How about the canteen? Is it clean and comfortable with lots of choices? In addition, think about the toilets, are they a pleasure to use? If you work on a building site, it may be an idea to hire a welfare unit hire to ensure that your staff have the best facilities you can get. When it comes to a place to work, some people will be sold on the small things. So ensure that this is up to scratch.
Have a great place to work
This one relates to the previous one, however, you need to think more generally. Does the office have a nice break out room? Do you have clean carpets, and lots of natural light coming in through windows. Natural light is a natural mood enhancer so the more light you can get into the office, or place of work, the better. Think about smells, and colors. Some colours such as blue, are actually conducive to hard work and thus boost productivity. Ensure that the pace is clean and that there is plenty of stimulus on break out rooms. Have an open and honest atmosphere, and a place people can go to when they feel down.
