Highly motivated employees can carry your company onto bigger and better things. Productivity of an enthusiastic and energized group is leaps and bounds greater than an uncaring, apathetic team. A key facet in motivation for workers is engagement, or having a vested interest in the final outcome. This makes them feel as though they are contributing in a meaningful way .
While increased productivity is well and good, these team members also tend to generate higher quality results on top of it. This improves turnover rates and makes excellent use of your time and money. Here are some ways employers can motivate their employees:
Play Your Cards Right
People that are satisfied with their work bring with them a great momentum which benefits the company. Likewise, disengaged employees slow down the momentum and can become costly. If you have an employee that is better suited for a certain role than the one they currently have, consider having them crossover to increase their level of engagement.
Hiring or promoting from within also yields better results on average than employing outside talent. It’s faster, more effective, and you already know the person to a degree, so you circumvent the risk of hiring someone who needs additional training.
Make Sure the Team is Organized
The importance of workflow organization cannot be overstated. If there are ever periods of time where someone doesn’t know where something is or how to properly do something–that’s time and money wasted. Project management software is an effective new technology that guarantees everything employees will need is in one place with easy access.
Know Everyone’s Point of View
Since employees that are deeply engaged are the ones that drive motivation and increase value, it’s important to find out who is engaged and who isn’t. Vetting your pool of employees ensures that the company performs to the benefit of the cohesive whole.
Disengaged or uninterested employees can weigh heavily on a company. If you detect a sense of apathy creeping in, it does the company well to address it and see how you can accommodate their lack of interest or enthusiasm. Many times it will be something outside of work that is leaching into their performance on the job. In this instance, it might be a simple matter of taking some vacation time .
There are other times when someone simply is not a good fit for the company. This does not have to be a personal matter. If someone is not happy at work and it seems like they are inconsolable on the matter, the cold hard truth is that they are probably better suited for work somewhere else. This will make them happier, and also crack down on the lack of motivation in the team before it can seep into the minds of their cohorts.
Many times workers fall into the middle ground between highly engaged and disengaged. The good news is most if not all of these people can be motivated once again with the correct stimuli. Perhaps they merely feel a sense of ineffectiveness, in which case all you need to do is empower them.
Understand How to Cultivate Drive
After you see where everyone stands, find out how to instill a sense of dignity and significance in your staff. Give your workers something to shoot for; this is a simple tactic which can be quite effective in lighting the spark beneath someone.
One example of goal-setting for an employee is the opportunity for advancement. This has the potential to invigorate someone enough to stretch their abilities and exceed expectations. Better yet, in the end, both of you will have an improved understanding of their potential.
Sometimes work is simply too easy or monotonous to elicit a sense of engagement from an employee. If you have someone working for you that you suspect could do more, try giving them slightly more challenging work and see how they do.
Listen to What They Want
A big mistake bosses sometimes make is failing to deliver what an employee wants professionally. For example, if someone requests feedback on their work, or wishes to take on more responsibility, keep this in mind and grant them the opportunity. You might be surprised what a person could blossom into when merely given the chance to do it.
Keep Everyone on The Same Page
To great effect, many companies now are deciding to incorporate automation into their business model. Adding something like an AP automation software , or inventory software has tremendous benefits, but it does not mean your employees will be replaced by it.
If people in either department feel like they are being replaced or devalued due to new technology, reassure them that new technology is merely a tool to streamline business, and will help them in their day to day duties. In fact, it could be an opportunity to better utilize these valued employees by expanding their skill set and changing their roles. In this way, both of you benefit.
Remain Positive
Most of your employees are trying to succeed in their professional careers. You want your employees to trust you , and feel that they can come to you if they need anything. Provide them with regular feedback, this way, they will know how to improve themselves.
This may take more time than you have initially planned, but it is an important part of any business. Just be sure to take your time, and stick to whichever strategy works best for you and your team. Remember, you want your employees to have a positive experience at the workplace, so you want to help them as much as you can.