When your workforce is motivated, achieving your organizational objectives becomes very easy. Employers need to consistently discover ways of getting and keeping their workers motivated. This could be in form of pecuniary or other incentives. It really does not take much to keep your employees motivated. The number thing that is needed is the commitment on the part of employers. If your workers find their work motivating, it strengthens your leadership credibility and enhances the working conditions on both sides of the divide. Here are some guidelines for keeping your employees motivated.
Find out what motivates your employees.
A good way to begin this is to find out what actually motivates your employees. What motivates one employee differs from what motivates another. An employee may refer a two-week vacation to a monetary incentive, while another may prefer being invited to have dinner with his boss to having a party organized for all members of staff. So, it’s important to know what motivates the people who work for you or with you. This may be done through a survey. Your survey will enable you to notice a variety of possible ways to motivate your employees.
Regularly communicate your goals and growth to them.
A local proverb says “a family that often meets, sticks”. You need to periodically meet with your employees. Let such meetings be focused on communicating the goals of the organization and updating them on the levels of growth already attained by the organization. However, you must be careful not to make the sessions for goal communication boring. Don’t make the meetings too regular and devise new and captivating strategies to do this, else they will be dispassionate about such meetings. In addition to the communication of the developments in the organization, employees like to be kept abreast of what happens in the organization where they work. When kept in the dark by their employers, they often lose the steam for work.
Periodic communication, using different means, is vital to motivating your employees. Nowadays, many employers do not reside in the same city where their establishments are cited. Instead of going through the rigours of travelling at all times, you can hold such meetings through the Internet and social media sites.
Make them a part of the decision-making process.
As much as possible, get your employees to make input in certain decisions in the organisation. People naturally feel obligated to protect whatever they initiate. It gives them a sense of ownership/belonging. But when they are shut out of every bit of decision-making, they become distant from the organisation. They will simply carry out their task as a matter of official assignment, instead of as a service of love and passion. And with time, they will be de-motivated.
Give regular one-on-one feedback.
You need to regularly appraise each employee. Nobody likes to feel “invisible” in the workplace. People like to be noticed, especially when they perform well. You need to regularly let them know how they perform with respect to their official tasks. Employees are motivated when they have the opportunity to get direct feedback after being appraised by their bosses. This also has a psychological angle to it. Since appraisals are likely to leave us with knowing that we have room for improvement, we are inspired to work towards such progress in our career goals.
Appreciate the efforts of your employees.
As a way of letting them know that they aren’t “invisible” in their workplace, always appreciate their efforts. More often than not, employers get to speak with their employees only when the latter makes a blunder. But when your staff are appreciated for their work, especially when they go beyond what is officially assigned to them, be lavish with praises. When each is specifically thanked for their efforts, they will feel motivated to do more. This attitude of gratitude should begin from the person who opens the gate to the highest-ranking official in the organisation. Do not assume that salary is a form of appreciation. Workers will go the extra mile if they are acknowledged by their superiors and employers.
Reward hard work and excellence
Apart from verbally appreciating your employees, physical or tangible rewards are invaluable in getting them to feel appreciated. Design a reward template for those who exhibit levels of excellence and diligence. Tangible rewards send numerous messages to the receivers and onlookers. Everyone has some interest in every establishment. When they know what they stand to get if they put in their best, they will go all out to do more than you imagine.
