When it comes to growing your business, you can use all the technology and latest tools you want, if your employees are not motivated to do a good job, you won’t be getting very far because let’s be honest, without them, things not much would be working so well.
There could be a few reasons why your employees are not motivated. They could be feeling bored, unappreciated or even unhappy with their compensation. If you are looking for a few ideas to get them on board again, and regain their first motivation, you can try these few ideas below.
1. GIVE THEM A PURPOSE.
Their work should mean something to them and be more than a 9 to 5 job where they spend a great part of the day on Facebook. Let them know that what they do really matters and is actually essential to the company.
2. CULTIVATE A POSITIVE WORK ENVIRONMENT
Banish fear and stress; these are only useful and unproductive. Employee should feel very comfortable at work since they spend a great part of their time at the office.
3. STEP UP YOUR INCENTIVE GAME
Give your employees an exciting reason to come to work. Who said work had to be boring? Employees need more than money at work to feel motivated. Make a game out of work and reward your employees when goals are met. Don’t underestimate the power of food as an incentive; keep free food at the office and people will be excited to come to work every morning.
4. LET THEM KNOW YOU TRUST THEM
Keep in mind that employees will do a better job if they know that you trust them. If you give them a task and they do it differently than you would have, just trust them with it and you’ll see that their attitude will change.
5. SET SMALLER WEEKLY GOALS
Just like in their personal life, people need goals and a sense of achievement in their professional life. Don’t set big goal that they won’t be to reach which will discourage them. You could set smaller and achievable weekly goals for instance that they will be able to achieve and feel more confident about work.
6. GIVE THEM STOCKS
There is nothing more efficient than making your business there’s. Make the health of your business matter to them through an Employee Stock Ownership Program.
7. COMMUNICATE CLEARLY YOUR EXPECTATIONS
In a company, misunderstandings create unnecessary frustration and conflict. Communicating your expectation will clearly reduce (even cancel) useless stress and conflict, employees will have a clear picture of what they should do to reach your expectation.
8. MOTIVATE INDIVIDUALS, NOT ONLY TEAMS
Nowadays almost every motivational effort is designed around the concept of the team: teamwork, team-building… Try to make it more about the individual. Having goals and rewards as a team is great but not everybody is the same and people might need different types of encouragement to be motivated.
9. WORK-LIFE BALANCE
Insist on work-life balance, make them take breaks and vacation often. Make it impossible for them login into their computer outside of work hours. Workaholics probably won’t like it but you would be doing them a huge favor at end of the day.
10. OPEN DOOR POLICY
Keep your door open; people should feel comfortable enough to talk to you whenever they need to. Weather it is about personal things that might affect their work or professional issues; they should be able to say it without fearing any type of vendetta.
11. RECOGNIZE GOOD WORK FREQUENTLY
Whether it is as a team or even individually there is no proper time to recognize good work. A few words and encouragements, in the kitchen during lunch break, or through an email, are worth more than you think. Do it frequently and people will feel appreciated and feel like they actually do a great job that is worth pursuing.
12. PRAISE IN PUBLIC BUT CORRECT PRIVATELY
This goes with the previous point. Praises are to be made in public, the feeling of recognition will, hence, be increased. But make sure your praises are genuine and free of any kind of manipulation (otherwise it’s insulting). Nonetheless, it is very important that you correct privately. NEVER correct an employee in front of the rest of the team. Not only it will make you look as mean and bossy but also create an unproductive stressful environment.
13. PROMOTE UNITY
Happy employees are also employees that get along. Make them understand that they are going in the same direction and that the best way to do it is together. “If you want to fast go alone, but if you want to go far, go together” should be the company’s mantra.
14. LIVEN THINGS UP
It might be easy to fall into a comfortable routine, but your employees may feel bored at some point. You can spice things up but changing things around the office. Move the office furniture, bring in a new caterer, paint the wall, redecorate, or change weekly schedules. Just avoid mind-numbing sameness.
15. SUPPORT NEW IDEAS
Listen to your employees and support their ideas. And I am not saying that you should support any kind of idea but if employees come up with good ideas, listen to them carefully and give it a shot.
16. CREATE A CAREER PATH
Another great way to motivate your employee is to give them something. People like planning and having a bigger picture to look at. They also love having an extra something they can get out of their job. A real career path with promotions within the company is very valuable and it’s a great way to motivate them.
17. KEEP AN OPEN MIND
We know by now that, in real life, things don’t always go as planned. Try to be flexible, keep an open mind and embrace change, welcome new methods. It is way much cooler to work for a company that embraces change and goes with the rapid changes of the world.
18. IMPLEMENT WORKPLACE TRADITIONS
Create and implement workplace traditions. It is kind of exciting to have those little things that only happen at work, it gives employees a sense of membership, privacy from home, and also something to look forward at the end of the week or the month.
19. PAY THEM WELL
(Of course I was going to bring that up) It is actually very important that you pay them as much as you can. Don’t try to save money at their expense that would only discourage them to give their best. 20.
20. PROMOTIONS AND BONUSES
Prepare a nice package of promotion and bonuses that you will attribute to each one of your employee individually and based on their own performance. If you decide to refuse a promotion, please explain properly your decision.
21. INVOLVE EMPLOYEES
If you have no idea, ask them what they want. Better asking than assuming, right? Ask them for feedback, advice and opinion on certain things concerning the company.
22. TALK TO THEM & SHARE INFORMATION
Get to know your employee individually and as a group, mingle with them and have little chats. Also, tell them what’s happening in the company and what is about to happen. Not only to they need a purpose but they also need to know what is going on within the company. Having insight on how the company is doing, makes them more invested.
23. PROVIDE FREE AND HELPFUL SERVICE
Provide a free nursery, bring a personal trainer or a tax attorney to help them. Find a service that your employees would love to have once in a while.
24. SET AN EXAMPLE
It doesn’t matter if you’re a natural leader or not, if you give the example and embody all the values that you are trying to convey, people will follow naturally (be sure of that!). Look at it the other way, if you don’t give the right example, people might think that there is no reason to follow what you are only saying and not actually doing.
25. ENCOURAGE LEARNING NEW SKILLS
Bring in teachers, sign them up to seminars or courses or offer to pay part of the tuition. Enable them to learn new skills related to work or even to their passions. Knowledge is a valuable benefit that will encourage them to give the best of them at work.
