Quick tips for improving employee motivation

Keeping employees motivated is vital to the everyday running of a company. Whether it comes down to the quality of work they are producing, willingness to go the extra mile or how loyal they stay to the company, if you put the work in, so will they.

Below are some top tips for improving employee motivation – they are great for boosting team spirit, increasing performance levels and injecting some life into the office once again.

Offer flexibility

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Earlier start times, later finish times and non-existent lunch breaks mean that employees are now working longer hours than ever before. Not only does this add stress, it also makes it increasingly difficult to juggle work with personal responsibilities. However, offering a degree of flexibility is a great way of improving employee motivation. Flexi-hours and working from home have been proven to boost staff morale and is more likely to attract higher quality staff because it is a major benefit of any role.

Give responsibility

Giving employees extra responsibility is a great way of boosting morale. If they feel like you trust them and appreciate the value they add to the company, they are going to be a lot more satisfied and as a result will put more effort into their job. If you notice that an employee is starting to lack enthusiasm, give them a new project to work on and let them take the lead with it. A new challenge combined with your faith is the perfect way to rekindle an employee’s spirit once again.

 Reward your staff

If you are looking for ways of improving employee motivation, then offering incentives are a great way of doing so. Reaching targets, meeting deadlines, signing up new clients and winning awards are all great achievements for any company so it pays to reward those who have played a part in this. Whether it’s a company day out, staff lunch, a bonus or an extra day off – it will all be appreciated and will make employees more open to working towards similar achievements in the future.

Show appreciation

Recognition is an important part of motivation and engagement and believe it or not, it can be as simple as genuine appreciation. Praise where warranted and give credit where credit is due. The best recognition is immediate, specific and personal. Let the person know exactly what you appreciate about them or what they did and do so in a way the individual will feel comfortable with (some people like public praise, others prefer a one-to-one chat).

Allow employees to grow

There is nothing more demotivating than feeling like you’re in a dead-end job. Talk to employees about what direction they’d like to see their career path take and help them to identify opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them achieve these goals. Share with them ideas they can use for their own career management within the organisation. Move past any fear you may have of your employees leaving – by caring about their growth and aspirations you will probably get a more productive, loyal and longer-term team member than if you didn’t have these reservations.