Denice R. Preston
Businesses that succeed focus on their people and know they can reap the benefits of an engaged workforce. Today, business leaders are placing staff ahead of customers regarding happiness and motivation. Jason Stockwood, chief executive at online insurer Simply Business, says that customers will only be satisfied if their employees do a good job. Simply Business is ranked number one on The Sunday Times’ 100 Best Places to Work for 2016.
High-motivated staff can make a significant impact on your business’ success. Research by BH Engagement shows that companies with a well-structured employee motivation program can increase annual turnover by up to three times. They are a magnet for talent: 44% of potential employees evaluate a company’s reward and recognition programs. On the other hand, low-motivation employees can negatively impact business performance and operations. This could be from being ineffective and indifferent to customers to abandoning a company.
Surprisingly, a large percentage of UK workers feel demotivated. BH Engagement found that 39% of UK employees feel underappreciated at work. 77% reported that they would be more motivated if they were recognized. Employees who are motivated retain more and are better for the Business. Profitability can be increased by 25% to 85% by increasing employee retention by 5%. Motivation doesn’t have to be about getting paid more. It can be a little money for small, straightforward ways to motivate staff.
These are our top ten tips to motivate staff.
1. Establish clear expectations for your staff.
It can be very demotivating to have confusion about the job’s purpose, duties, and tasks. Uncertainty about the job and its purpose can lead to anxiety at work. This is a key aspect to remember from the beginning.
Vineet Nayar believes that employees are the most important members of your company. He shares eight simple ways to improve employee engagement in this video.
A job description is a great way to get staff started. The job description should include details about the duties and responsibilities of the role, which the position reports to, and what values the employee should exhibit, such as a positive attitude and a willingness to learn.
An employee’s annual review should be based on a written job description. Staff should monitor their performance throughout the year, knowing their performance will be evaluated on how they fulfill their job description. It is helpful to have regular one-on-one meetings and discuss performance with staff. It is important to clearly explain what success means in a job and the objectives and targets for the role. You should update job descriptions to reflect changes in roles and responsibilities.
2. Be an example
Bosses who are too strict with their employees can do more harm than good for morale. Staff will be able to emulate similar behavior if you say one thing and do another. Your leadership style and work habits set the tone for your employees. If you don’t take your employees out for lunch or go on Fridays to play golf, then you’re not leading by example. You want employees to arrive at work at a different time than 10 am daily. Make sure you are there bright and early.
Leadership by example doesn’t have to be limited to work hours. Your behavior and how you speak will influence your staff.
Employees can be involved in strategy development and decision-making. This is a great way to create a motivating culture. They should agree on the company’s values and then model them together. To encourage collaboration in your Business, hold team meetings. Invite staff members to share ideas and work together on projects.
3. Brilliant communication is key.
Staff will be motivated if they are informed about the performance of the company and their employees. This is especially true for new businesses where there needs to be more job security. Staff will be motivated if they are given regular, honest, open communication. Two ways to ensure great communication:
- Intercompany communications – Update your staff regularly on important business issues, such as progress towards its end-of-year targets. A team meeting is a great way to motivate employees for the week ahead. To keep your staff informed and up-to-date, use newsletters, staff communities boards, and all-hands meetings as your Business grows.
- Individual staff communications: Hold regular, one-on-one meetings with employees to discuss problems and get honest feedback about their challenges. Your staff should be able to communicate with you regularly, preferably face-to-face. Although the team prefers to see their boss, if you are not on-site, make frequent phone calls.
Communication is a two-way road. Listen to your employees and consider their suggestions. This will make them feel valued and motivate them to contribute to the company’s success.
4. Positive feedback is encouraged and praised.
Recognizing someone for doing a great job is more than just a raise in pay. People love being acknowledged and appreciated.
It is the best way to give positive feedback in person immediately. Recognize staff for doing a great job, and encourage the team to share customer feedback. Motivating staff with small rewards and ‘thanks’ notes is easy. Spot awards like vouchers or handwritten notes of appreciation are great motivators. Be a good employee and say thanks every day.
5. Adopt a no-blame culture.
Avoid creating a culture where staff is blamed for mistakes. It will not only demotivate employees but also make them less likely to take calculated risks and hide their mistakes out of fear of being caught.
Instead, adopt a culture of no blame where mistakes and problems can be discussed openly and transparently to learn from them and improve. Regular debriefings are a must after milestones or projects. Invite teams to come together and see how they can improve. This invaluable insight will help you make your business more efficient, especially if you are a startup.
6. Flexibility and individuality are key.
Modern businesses are very different from the old firms. Flexible, friendly teams make it easy for staff to enjoy their workday and strive for their best. A 2015 CIPD survey revealed that over half of respondents preferred to work for an organization with a family-like feel held together by tradition and loyalty.
Be flexible about a nine-to-five work day. Many small businesses now offer flexible work hours and the option to work remotely. Flexible working hours can attract and retain top talent. You can learn more about your employees and help them to achieve a better work/life balance.
It is crucial to follow a dress code. Many companies are adopting casual dress codes. It’s important to be clear about what is acceptable when you meet clients. However, employees must dress by the industry. This communicates your company’s culture.
It creates a supportive environment at work by allowing employees to support charitable causes. Let employees pick a charity that they would like to support. It can be anything from a jar at the reception desk collecting pennies to individual fundraising activities and cake sales. It gives employees a common goal that unites them.
7. Encourage staff to make great decisions
Staff who feel they can control and succeed on their projects are more motivated. Employees are more likely to accept responsibility if they can deliver a project or complete a task in their way.
Hands-off approaches convey that you support employees in taking the initiative and trust them to make good decisions. These are positive behaviors that promote a productive work environment. This also allows you to spend less time micromanaging employees and more time building your Business.
8. Career development and opportunities
Rarely is an employee happy working in a job that offers little opportunity. Spend time getting to know each employee’s career goals and working together on a career plan. Invite employees to share their opinions and map them to future roles within the company. The first step is to identify your skills and gaps. Next, create a plan for how you will develop them through work shadowing, coaching, or training. Employees should regularly review their progress against the plan to ensure they are moving forward.
Do a talent mapping exercise to identify potential employees and create a training program. Recognize high-performing employees and provide them with opportunities to advance into new positions. Online learning courses and grants from the government are available for training and development.
9. Incentive and employee rewards
Small business owners may be unable to pay high staff salaries or large bonuses, but small rewards can work. A small reward could be tickets to sporting events, concerts, or theatres. It is possible to arrange trips for your team and incentives like extra vacation days or time off to support a charity. You can surprise staff with small bonuses at the end of the year if they have done well. This is a great way to show appreciation and keep them motivated.
Team-bonding activities can make your company a more fun place to work. You can arrange a team lunch, picnic, or casual outing for employees.
10. Make sure you have a great working environment.
No one wants to work in cramped spaces with broken or old chairs, desks, and cables, surrounded by boxes and piles. Make sure your workplace is clean, safe, and pleasant. Make sure computers and other equipment are working properly, workspaces have enough storage space, and sufficient lighting. Encourage employees to participate in tidying up and use digital tools and services to reduce paperwork.
A good environment matters. Jason Stockwood, the chief executive officer of online insurance company Simply Business, won the Sunday Times Best Company award for 2016. He stated, “You can’t force people to do good work if they hate their environment.”
Add pictures, color, and plants to the walls to brighten your workspaces. Provide plenty of creative space for staff to sketch, plan, and create to-do list ideas.
