How to Motivate Employees?

Happy employees are productive workers. Small business owners need to maximize their revenue and increase productivity and you need your staff to work as efficiently as possible to achieve these goals. So, what can you do to motivate your team to work hard and help your business grow?

Here are nine tips to keep your staff motivated:

1) Communicate Openly

When you are talking to your employees you need to be doing more than sending out a month email newsletter. If you want your employees to help your company reach its goals, communication is key and often overlooked. You should be communicating frequently with your staff and actually communicating face to face with them. Your staff needs to know they are valued. Communicating with them in person is the best way for you to show them that their participation is appreciated.

2) Gamify and Incentivize

Offer performance incentives to encourage employees to reach their goals. A reward program based on certain performance goals makes it more fun and rewarding for your staff to achieve performances goals.

Incentives boost motivations and don’t have to be too expensive. You can offer your staff an extra paid day off, gift cards, tickets to an event or other low-cost ways to show your company’s appreciation for their performance. Cash rewards can also be incentives too.

3) Empower Them

Let your employees decide how they do their jobs. Ask for input and get suggestions from your staff on how they can improve their performance. Employees have a lot of ideas about how they can be more efficient with the way the work. Giving them the opportunity to give feedback will give you a better idea of how you can make working0 circumstances better for your staff.
During regularly scheduled employee reviews ask for this feedback and then once you have gathered this information, implement changes to how things are done. Give employees the authority to make their own decisions.

4) Show Them That You Trust Them

If you trust and depend on your staff, they will step up sooner than you think. A vote of confidence and a lack of micromanaging can go a long way. Show your staff that you trust them to the best job possible and they will rarely disappoint you.

5) Offer Opportunities for Advancement

Employees will be more motivated if they are working towards something. Nobody wants to work at a dead-end job. Give your staff training that gives them sills to climb their career ladder. Grooming new employees to move on to better opportunities improves your company’s reputation as a great place to work. When there’s no opportunity to move up, day to day work can seem stagnant.

6) Be an Example

When a leader walks the walk and talks the talk, they are being an example to their workforce. So always remember to lead by example. Show excitement about your business goals, so you can you’re your employees to get on-board to achieve the goals you have established. Good attitudes and moods are always infectious.

7) Give Them Purpose

Motivate your employees by giving them a purpose by helping them understand the company’s vision and how they can contribute to it. The better they understand the business’ purpose, they better they will understand their purpose within the business. Help your employees know how they fit into the big picture.

8) Establish Weekly Goals

Big goals can be overwhelming. Breaking down big goals into smaller weekly tasks to complete can help your employees make actionable contributions. Focus on making the thousand this week that contribute to the overall million at the end of the year. Everyone will benefit from realistic and achievable goals.

9) Prioritize Work-Life Balance

A workplace that encourages work-life balance, yields increased productivity, retention and overall happiness in the workplace. It is important to encourage your employees to take their vacation time and not to overwork themselves.

This article will also discuss:

How Do You Motivate Employees Without Money?

How Do You Motivate Employees Without Money?

Is money the only motivator for employees? Are there more meaningful ways to motivate your staff to perform at their jobs.

The thing is what motivates one co-worker might not work with someone else. Everyone is different and wants different things. Workplace motivation can be difficult to determine. To effectively motivate your team, you need to understand them and know how they think and act. Everyone responds differently. Understand your employees’ social styles to understand better how to motivate them.

Obviously, the biggest motivator is money, which can be given through performance-based bonuses and raises. Everyone likes extra money but what happens when you can’t offer your employees raises and bonuses? How else can you motivate them?

How can you increase employee engagement without money?

• Be generous with your praise
• Empower to work as a team without managers
• Use their ideas to contribute to the company’s operations
• Never criticize or correct
• Make high performers an example to others
• Choose an employee to take for lunch once a week
• Give recognition and small rewards for jobs well done
• Throw company events and parties

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