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How to Keep your Employees Motivated

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Keeping employees motivated should be one of an entrepreneur’s or company’s top goals.

The workforce’s overall mental and physical well-being is crucial to a company’s operations.

If you’re a business owner who wants to make it big, you’ll need a team to back you up – A team that is continuously driven and committed to your company and brand.

Employee happiness goes beyond simply paying them well.

It is determined by how they are handled and how they perceive your company and its goals.

It is also heavily influenced by your own actions.

If your staff members don’t see too much joy or not hoping in the way you understand business, it will show in their character and performance.

So, aside from big pay raises, what are other ways to keep your employees happy and faithful to your company and brand?

Consider these suggestions the next time you sit down to assess how to improve your employees’ workplace environment and practices.

Read More: How To Create A Great Place To Work

Keep Employees Motivated With A Friendly Attitude At Work

Some blog posts advise you to befriend your employees first.

This could be a mistake.

Allowing your employees to confuse a professional relationship with a casual friendship could lead to difficulty in establishing a leading role in the office.

However, as a business owner and manager, you can ensure your employees understand that they are more than just production models.

Give Staff New Positions to Try Out Things

This demonstrates you are curious about what else they are good at.

It also communicates to them growth opportunities within your business are always feasible and that they will be assigned different tasks and jobs day after day.

• Plan activities for yourself and your employees

Perhaps you could leave early to go bowling or have an early dinner.

Getting out of the office building for a cup of coffee could do wonders for maintaining your employees motivated.

Show your employees that you believe in them.

You should only give them instructions once.

Do not blow points home repeatedly—this causes them to feel inferior and incompetent.

Nothing helps make an adult feel like a child than nitpicking and being repeatedly reminded about the most insignificant details.

This means that you must have faith in your employee, which can be challenging with a new team member.

However, remember that most people perform better when no one is constantly looking over their shoulder.

Respect Your Employees And Show You Believe In Them

Give staff a task to complete, and don’t bother them about it again until they have finished (unless there is a looming deadline).

• Keep Them Involved in Off-Site Business Deals

Take one or some of your staff with you next time you meet off-site with a potential client.

This keeps them informed about potential new clients and shows them that you regard them as a vital cog in the operation of your business.

• Include Them in Meetings and Contract Trips

It is not only an excellent way to make them feel more involved and a valuable part of the group, but it can also help them understand further about your sector that they might have yet to learn at the office. 

• Provide Challenges and Rewards

Everybody enjoys being tested now and then, so set goals and due dates for specific accomplishments for your employees.

For example, “If we can finish this new campaign by Thursday afternoon, we’ll take Friday off,” or “On who can bring in the latest clients upcoming month gets a $200 bonus.”

These difficulties can range from entertaining and exciting to intensely competitive.

Whatever you do, make the obstacles and goals as attainable as possible.

No matter how enjoyable a challenge is, if the end result is nearly impossible, you are trying to instill a sense of failure in your employees.

Keep them stymied and happy, but most importantly, show them that you applaud their efforts by rewarding them.

Give Consistent Recognition

The common denominator in every team member is to feel valued and recognized for their contribution.

Some companies give out edge awards to employees who have performed well.

This is all well and good, but hardworking employees deserve to be recognized more than once a year. 

Your duty as a company owner is to let your employees know that you appreciate their work, effort, and positive attitude.

This will make them self-driven and help them build a work ethic.

Take this same time to recognize them, even if it’s as simple as an email acknowledging their efforts.

Nothing motivates a team member to do more and stay with your company than praise and acknowledgment of your efforts.

READ MORE: How To Boost Staff Productivity

Experiment with Bonuses

Let’s be honest; employees will like it if you give them bonuses.

Try giving out small bonuses and incentives throughout the year.

This is an area where you can get imaginative and tailor rewards to the interests of your employees.

If you have a baseball-loving employee who has been performing well for months, why don’t you repay them with tickets to a baseball game?

These types of bonuses should never be planned or scheduled.

Surprise and unforeseen recognition are all part of a motivation process, and your employees will remember and thank you.

• Don’t boast

Never portray yourself as outstanding or better than your employees.

If finances are tight and you can’t even afford the bonus payments or little extras your workers receive, don’t wear new clothes daily.

Also, if your company is in this scenario, your employees are unlikely to be interested in hearing about your vacation on the lake with your new speedboat.

Provide Excellent Training

Make your training as engaging as possible.

Make your staff feel like they are a vital part of the firm and that their opinions are as valuable as yours.

Allow your employees to take charge of their own work.

Assigning more serious obligations will give them a sense of authority.

Support your staff members by paying them regular visits at work.

Inquire if they require anything to complete their tasks.

Ask about any problems they are experiencing and try to resolve them as quickly as possible.

Make room for additional benefits in addition to the monthly salary.

These advantages can include special allowances such as insurance coverage, insurance, rewards, and salary increase.

Set a Good Example

A great way to set a good example to your staff is to [present yourself as a good worker.

You can do this by:

• Arriving on time or early and doing your job well.
• Allowing employees to have an excellent work-life balance.
• Introducing flexible or hybrid working for staff with enough opportunities for remote/home working.

Quick Tips to Keep Employees Motivated

Unfortunately, there is no way of keeping the workforce motivated indefinitely.

It is up to management to generate methods and create a company culture where employees can stay motivated without becoming autocratic.

Here are some simple yet effective methods for keeping your staff motivated.

Start Each Day in A Good Mood

It is critical for managers to recognize that their mood has the greatest impact on the team.

The rest of the team naturally dismisses teammates in a bad mood.

However, if the manager is stomping around the office, everyone notices.

Managers who arrive at work in a lousy mood have a massive effect on everyone around them.

Supervisors must practice arriving at work in a good mood and with a can-do attitude.

You should appear and sound upbeat on a day-to-day basis.

Offer Regular Feedback to Keep Employees Motivated

The manager needs to keep track of the performance of all team members, not only to help themselves but also their staff.

People like to recognize how they are performing at work.

Keep the workers informed of their achievements and positively analyze their contributions.

The manager needs to keep track of their team’s activities to be able to provide the feedback necessary for keeping the staff highly motivated.

While employees will respond well to glowing praise, providing constructive criticism is essential.

No staff member will think everything they do is perfect and welcome some pointers on how to get better.

They won’t appreciate it if you yell at them in front of the whole team, so make sure you can have a friendly conversation, ideally in private.

READ MORE: How KPIs Can Make Your Business Successful

Give People a Choice And Do Not Micromanage

Independence is a necessary component of fundamental motivation.

When people achieve a sense of independence, this will make them believe they have some sense of control.

It is not beneficial to have a headmaster’s attitude toward others.

“Employee micromanagement” is a term used in management.

Micromanagement is defined as the need to “control every part, however small, of (an enterprise or activity).”

A management attitude like this is harmful to team member motivation.

It gives them the impression that they are being dictated to rather than being a part of an organization.

Crucially, it also means you give your staff the feeling you don’t trust them.

Common Mistakes

Here are some things good bosses need to avoid:

• Treating staff like children
•  Penalizing the whole team for one person’s mistakes
•  Not giving constructive feedback
•  Dismissing employees’ ideas
•  Not letting people speak in meetings

How Motivation Helps Employees

There are generally two types of employees – those who can motivate themselves and those who might need some help.

Being motivated has a positive psychological and behavioral impact on an individual, and even though it is development progress in a professional setting, the effects are felt instantly.

Employees are a company’s best asset.

You can have the best computers or the plushest office, but you’re doomed if your staff aren’t on board.

Final Thoughts

Spend some time considering your team or how it works.

It is not sensible to presume that your crew will always perform at its peak, as if on autopilot.

Be proactive and aware of what is going on with your team.

Being a good coach, role model, or mentor to your team is an integral part of being a leader.

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