Increasing motivation in the workplace can help
improve performance, raise morale and boost productivity. While different
motivators work for different types of employees, there are several common
techniques for getting employees excited and energized for their jobs which
include:
i.
Creative a Positive Work Environment: Motivate employees by giving them a positive work
environment. Encourage teamwork and idea-sharing, and make sure staffers have
the tools and knowledge to perform their jobs well. Be available when employees
need you to give directives or a dispute mediator. Eliminate conflict as it
arises, and give employees freedom to work independently when appropriate.
ii.
Set Goals: Help employees become self-motivated by helping them
establish professional goals and objectives. Not only does this give employees
something to strive for, but your business benefits when goals are tied to
corporate contributions. Make sure goals are reasonable and achievable so
employees don’t get discouraged. Encourage them when they hit notable
milestones.
iii.
Provide Incentives: Increase motivation by providing incentives to work
toward. You can create individual incentives for each employee or team
incentives to motivate employees as a group. Financial incentives can include
cash prizes, gift cards or restaurant gift certificates. Non-financial
incentives can include extra vacation days, compressed work weeks or choice
office space or parking spots.
iv.
Recognize Achievements: Celebrate employee achievements through
employee-of-the-month or star performer awards. Make a big deal out of accomplishments
by celebrating at staff meetings. Print certificates or engrave plaques, issue
a press release or post a notice on your company website. Recognize team
accomplishments as well as individual efforts.
v.
Share Profits: Motivate employees with the incentive of a
profit-sharing program. In this way, employees increase their earnings when
they help you increase yours. This approach simultaneously promotes collective
goal-setting and teamwork. It also gives employees a sense of pride in
ownership and can improve performance and reduce turnover as well as raise
morale.
vi.
Solicit Employee Input: Regularly survey employees about their levels of
satisfaction. You can conduct anonymous polls or hire an independent party to
conduct a formal focus group. This will help you catch potential morale
breakers before they get out of hand. Soliciting employee input also shows
staffers that you care about their opinions and want to continually improve
working conditions.
vii.
Provide Professional Enrichment: Encourage employees to continue their education or
participate in industry organizations. Provide tuition reimbursement or send
employees to skills workshops and seminars. If an employee is motivated to an
upward career path, offer mentoring and job shadowing opportunities to keep
them focused. Promote from within whenever possible, and create opportunities
to help employees develop from a professional standpoint.
