Motivation is one of the most important factors in any workplace. If your employees aren’t motivated to do their work beyond a paycheck, things will start to unravel pretty quickly. While you have to focus on the important things like the latest billing software for your accounting department, new computers, and improving products and services, it’s also vital to remember your employees’ job satisfaction and how their work environment will have an effect on whether they stay true to you or hit the road for other employment.
Source: FlickrThere are many employment related articles on magazines, the internet and newspapers that can help you. Here are 4 tips you can take into consideration:
1. Give perks based on performance instead of position.
A lot of companies offer cool perks, like reserved parking spaces, catered meetings, and, of course, bonuses. Unfortunately, most of those perks are reserved for higher-ups—i.e. the managers and executives.
Providing those little rewards based on position sends the wrong message to everyone. You’re motivating people to shoot for a position, which is something few people will have the skills for or even want as a career. That creates competition for all the wrong reasons. Offering perks based on merit and performance motivates people to do well at their own jobs, the work set before them, regardless of whether they end up as manager. Every position at your company is important to the overall function, and each position should be treated that way.
2. Take interest in an employee’s future.
For some employees, this may be the only job they ever take. For most, however, the job is a stepping stone to a greater dream. Regardless of the situation, employees feel super pumped when you actually care about their future career paths. Do your best to show them that you care about where they are headed professionally. Be a mentor or coach. Find training courses on business education websites that they can enroll in. If they want to go back to school or take classes on the side, consider footing some part of the bill. Whatever your employees learn from classes or mentors can apply to their current work, benefiting you and your company in the process.
3. Understand that there is a work-life balance.
Probably the hardest thing for any workaday person to deal with is balancing work with everything else going on in life, but a proper work-life balance is necessary to our health. So what can you do to encourage that balance? Offer some flexibility in schedules, including half days and work-from-home days. In general, strive to be understanding. Be sensitive about doctor appointments, family commitments, and the like. Don’t make them into a big deal. Such small gestures seem insignificant but they can make a big difference.
4. Create a positive culture.
Do everything you can to make your workplace somewhere people actually want to be. No one wants to work in an office where everything seems negative and stiff. For many employees, an awesome culture can make up for a slightly smaller paycheck. That doesn’t mean you need to give away iPads and laptops or offer free beer every single day or make your office look like Google’s, but free lunches, happy hours, and the occasional pizza can go a long way.
Above all, allow the team itself to be creative in its own fun. If you foster an environment of creativity and positivity, the team will find its own ways to have fun and boost the culture.
Good luck motivating your team with these tips!