Managing People and Work Processes-The Panagora Blog

Whether you run a small-scale business with a total of one employee, or your business is slightly bigger, with employees numbering in their hundreds, it is important to remember that employee motivation is key to your business success. Employees who are motivated, accomplish more, and this boost in productivity, always reflects on the bottom line. And since every business’ goal is to turn a profit, then focusing on ways to consistently motivate staff members is extremely important.

1.      Recognize their efforts : Everyone wants to feel valuable, like their contribution matters. The same applies to your employees. If you notice that your employees have done a good job, make sure to acknowledge that, and do so publicly as well! Not only is it a good ego boost for the employee in question, who will now feel seen, but it also encourages the other employees to put in their best so their efforts too will be recognized.

2.      Reward good work: Sometimes, you have to take it a step further by not just recognizing a job well done, but also rewarding the employee. And the reward doesn’t always have to be money. You can reward an employee who has pulled off three back-to-back, 24-hour days by telling them to take the rest of the day off for example. That is a huge reward that won’t cost the company much, but the payoff, for the employee who now knows that the company just doesn’t see him as an nameless entity, but actually cares for his wellbeing; that employee will work twice as hard when he gets back!

3.      Define your company’s goal and vision: Letting your employees know what the company’s goal and vision are, is also a strong motivator. This is because it is human nature to want to know what the destination is, as that is the best way to measure progress (how close or how far away from the destination are they), and employees who have an idea of where the company is headed, are more motivated to help the company reach that end point.

4.      Make Gamification your best friend: Research has shown that when a huge task is broken down into smaller bits and made more engaging by being turned into some sort of game, people’s competitive nature comes out to play, thereby resulting in more work getting done. This is the case with gamification. Break down your company’s goal into smaller, easily achievable tasks, and reward the teams as they accomplish the tasks.

5.      Encourage teamwork: People rarely flourish in a toxic environment; especially toxic environments where they believe that other people are out to get them. That is why you need to encourage teamwork in your company, so all your staff knows that you’re all in this together, and everybody wants to win. Gamification can help foster teamwork if you pair people up in teams and ensure that only the collective winning team gets a reward.

6.      Spruce up the work environment: Drab walls make people feel uninspired, whilst artsy, colourful places have been known to keep people inspired. So, if your office space is currently painted a boring colour, give it a new coat of paint. Something totally different from what is currently existing and you will see a marked difference in how your employees work.

7.      Encourage creativity: Creativity is not just about writing or being an artist. It is also about finding unique solutions to the problems that exist all around us. And that is a trait you absolutely should encourage in your employees because when they start interacting with the world in a creative way, that will in turn be reflected in the kind of solutions they would proffer to any troubles that might arise in your company; whether it’s resolving a problem with a supplier, or finding a solution to the leaking faucet in the visitor’s bathroom.

8.      Have an open-door policy: Create a work environment where your employees feel like they can walk into your office at any time to share suggestions and or concerns with you. This not only fosters employer-employee relationships, but it also boosts morale, and most importantly, it makes your employees feel like they have a real stake in the company, which in turn will be reflected in the way they work.

9.      Always communicate: Nothing is as aggravating as being kept in the dark, and although your employees might not openly admit it, being kept in the dark frustrates them. So, make it your mission to let your employees know as much as humanly possible about the company and the business. Trust is a two-way street, and employees who trust the management and the company they work for, have been known to do so much better, and put in more work for the business, because they know where they stand. So, the next time you’re tempted to keep secrets, because you don’t want your staff to panic, reconsider. Them not having all the facts can lead to so much worse.

10.   Give them some space: Nobody likes their boss looking over their shoulders as they’re working. Not only will they be more focused on you, rather than the job they’re doing, but also, they will take it to mean that you don’t trust their capabilities, which in turn can backfire. So, the next time you’re tempted to look over your team’s shoulders’, don’t. You can supervise and eventually give final approval to what they’ve done, but micromanaging their work, is not the way to go!