Three simple ways to keep your employees motivated
You’ve worked hard to build your perfect business, and you want to keep it operating successfully for as long as you can.
However, it doesn’t matter how much hard work and funding you put into the running of your business, if the employee motivation just isn’t there, then it can go downhill very quickly.
Employee motivation and productivity doesn’t have to be gleaned from grand or expensive gestures. Sometimes, it’s the simple actions which make a difference. Here are three ways you can keep your employees motivated.
1) Provide clear goals
Motivation comes from knowing exactly what you are striving for, and what the end result will be. If employees are unclear in regards to their own function, or the goals of the company itself, then productivity can decline very fast.
Clear goals should be outlined for the business as a whole, as well as for individual departments or job roles. For instance, marketing staff could have a goal strategy outlined for them in regards to bringing in new customers.
Goals can also be outlined in team meetings or during personal conversations, to ensure that everybody is working productively on the same page.
2) Reward hard work
In any business, there’s going to be times when constructive criticism is needed, or perhaps a pep talk or two. It’s important to always weigh out the good with the bad, and ensure that employee feedback isn’t always focused on the negative. Making an effort to recognise and reward hard work will keep your employee’s feeling appreciated and motivated.
The perfect opportunity for reward is around a holiday period such as Christmas when employees will appreciate any extra gift they can get. You could provide a gift certificate from Perfect Feast or add a little extra Christmas bonus to their December wage.
Rewarding hard work doesn’t have to be constant gifts, however; simply saying thank you or well done can go a long way. It’s a good idea to also carry out regular employee reviews so that you can sit down with individuals and tell them exactly what they are doing right.
3) Create a positive environment
Even if a job role is a dream come true for an employee, and they have a great boss to boot, a negative working environment can completely cancel out the pleasure in that. If an employee doesn’t feel safe or happy in the environment they are in; then it ultimately doesn’t matter how much they love their job.
A positive environment should be encouraged in many ways. This includes team bonding and clear communication throughout the workforce, to ensure individuals are working together and forming enjoyable relationships, rather than misunderstanding and the possibility of conflict.
A positive working environment should also come from an attractive setting and operational facilities. The workplace needs to be open and bright, with sources of natural light, and ergonomically sound, to provide a comfortable place to work.
Employees also need to have access to food and drinking making facilities and working bathrooms to make their working day run smoothly.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez
