Top tips for motivating your staff
Discover how to boost staff engagement and productivity using the latest strategies and techniques.
Employee motivation is key to the success of any organisation.
If your staff dread coming into work, feel bored, uninspired, or micromanaged, it can negatively impact both workplace productivity and staff retention.
Previous research from Totaljobs found that 1 in 4 employers struggle to keep their staff engaged. But boosting employee motivation and engagement doesn’t have to be hard, and a comprehensive approach can help you reap significant rewards.
In this article, we’ll explore strategies you can implement to boost staff motivation. Let’s dive in.
The importance of motivating staff
Employees who feel motivated produce better work, feel inspired and fulfilled in their roles and report higher job satisfaction. This can have a number of knock-on effects that will boost your organisation.
Here’s a look at the top benefits of having a motivated workforce.
Higher productivity
An obvious yet critical benefit of a motivated workforce is that it’s going to be more productive, as motivated workers are much more likely to:
- Work harder
- Achieve goals
- Put time, effort and passion into their work
Compare that to unmotivated workers, who are more likely to increase presenteeism, where they make sure they are seen while not actually doing much work.
More professional fulfilment
There aren’t many things worse for a worker than sitting at their desk watching the clock tick the day away.
An employee who lacks professional fulfilment will be more likely to be looking for other opportunities, or even to retrain to do something else. Motivated workers are more professionally fulfilled because they are engaged and feel good about the work they are doing.
Reduced staff turnover
Motivated team members who find their work fulfilling are always more likely to stay with their employer for the long term. As a result, a more motivated workforce is central to boosting employee retention.
Furthermore, these employees can also contribute to a positive work culture that makes your organisation a more appealing place to work, assisting in the attraction and onboarding of top talent.
Better teamwork
Motivated employees are more likely to help each other and work together towards a common goal. In short, when everybody is pulling in the same direction, strategic goals are more likely to be hit.
Motivated people are also more likely to inspire and energise their colleagues, creating a positive feedback loop of productivity and collaboration.
How to motivate staff
Now we’ve gone through why it’s so important, let’s take a look at how to motivate staff in your workplace and create a more productive working environment.
1. Celebrate success
Often, managers and team leaders can be focused solely on problem-solving, meaning a job well done can go unacknowledged. Praising successful work will help your employees feel like their work matters and that they are valued team members.
There are a few suitable ways to celebrate successes, including:
- Sending a short thank you email, copying in whoever was involved and their managers.
- Adding a moment of thanks or celebration to daily or weekly stand-up meetings.
2. Constructive feedback
Giving employees the support and guidance they need to grow and develop is central to maintaining employee engagement and motivation.
So, if a piece of work does not meet expectations, speak to the employee one-on-one. If you’re sharing positive feedback, again do so one-on-one, but here you could ask if the employee is happy for the feedback to be shared more widely in the team. This could set a good example for the other team members.
Always look to avoid delivering negative feedback in front of others. Also avoid vague instructions such as, “take another look” which can lead to confusion and uncertainty. Take the time to highlight specific action items and suggestions for improvement.
3. Reward hard work
When your staff feel as though their hard work is going unnoticed, they can quickly start to feel unappreciated. This can lead to an increase in employee dissatisfaction and even turnover.
To combat this, employers can show employees that their efforts are recognised with a comprehensive reward strategy to show their appreciation. This can include things like:
- Financial bonuses
- Vouchers
- Early finishes
- Extra days off
- Team events
4. Team building
If your team is not connected or united in their efforts, it can lead to feelings of hostility and resentment.
Team-work expert, J. Richard Hackman, has studied effective team dynamics for decades. He found the most important factor in creating a strong team was “enabling conditions,” i.e. a supportive work environment, rather than complementary personalities and attitudes.
This is great news for employers, as it means you can foster team building and collaboration within teams, no matter how different the personalities involved. From training and away days to problem-solving activities, there are plenty of team-building methods you can utilise to create a supportive, trusting and collaborative team dynamic.
5. Challenging work
A steady flow of the same type of work might seem like an ideal situation, but when employees feel like they aren’t being challenged, there is a risk they will look for something new elsewhere. Don’t underestimate the risk of boredom. In a study by The O.C. Tanner Institute, 40% of UK workers reported feeling bored at work.
You can prevent staff from becoming bored by recognising the skillsets in your team and the areas where different employees thrive. Bringing team members into projects that reflect their career aspirations can keep them motivated and shows you value their contribution.
6. Offer professional development opportunities
Feeling like you’re not moving forward with your career can be demotivating. On the flipside, if you’re learning new skills and benefiting from continuous learning, you can gain a sense of momentum that adds to your day-to-day motivation. That added motivation is just one of the many benefits of employee training.
Learning and development is among the most advertised benefits in job adverts for this reason, appearing in as many as 47%. Training geared towards employee growth can be delivered in a number of ways, including:
- Online learning modules that are cost-effective and don’t take up too much time.
- Formal qualifications that the employer can pay for, to upskill employees and give them the tools they need to succeed moving forward.
- Informal mentoring from senior members of staff who are happy to pass on their experience to the younger generation.
7. Listen to employee feedback
Having a company culture where employees’ voices are heard is vital to increasing engagement, productivity, and motivation. So, make sure your employees feel they can approach you by taking time to listen to their ideas and challenges.
Be mindful that sometimes quieter team members might be reluctant to speak up, so connect with them directly to show you value their opinions. Feedback surveys are a useful way to identify any common challenges within your team and help you continuously improve as a leader.
8. Promote work-life balance
If you want to keep your workforce engaged and motivated, it’s important that you don’t expect or encourage them to work through their lunch breaks or consistently work longer hours.
A culture of presenteeism is harmful to motivation and productivity. Employers can combat this by:
- Encouraging employees to get away from their desks and get some fresh air at least once a day
- Providing opportunities for flexible working hours across the workforce.
This focus on wellbeing should also extend to employees working from home, as the key to managing a remote workforce is often finding ways to keep staff motivated without the possibilities of face-to-face interaction. For example, you can try a “walk and talk” style meeting over the phone rather than video calls.
9. Review salaries
Money is not the only motivating factor in the workplace, but it does play a significant role.
Our research shows that salary is the biggest influence on 73% of workers’ decisions to apply for a role, while over a third of workers are unhappy with their current salary. In addition to this, it can be incredibly demotivating for a longstanding team member to see a job advert for a same-level role offering a higher salary.
As a result, where possible, employers should try to commit to regular salary reviews, perhaps every six months, or annually, to ensure their workforce feels valued and recognised for their contributions.
10. Keep meetings to a minimum
Too many meetings often result in an employee’s workflow being constantly interrupted.
So, when scheduling a meeting, always be considerate. Take time to think about who needs to attend rather than inviting the whole team by default. Another solution is to make attendance at some meetings optional, so if deadlines are looming, employees don’t feel pressured to attend.
During meetings, make sure you set a clear objective and communicate this to all attendees in advance. Set an agenda if you can and aim to keep it as brief and productive as possible.