If a happy workforce is a productive workforce, employers should consider motivating their employees a worthwhile endeavor. Employers are often regarded as an important driving force in motivating their employees. That doesn’t mean they get the job done, though.
So how can you motivate your employees?
Key Takeaways:
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There are two types of motivation: intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation.
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To motivate your employees, you must first build a healthy work environment.
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Set clear expectations, listen to the needs of your employees, and hold everyone, including yourself, accountable.
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Consider providing fun events like office parties to show your appreciation.
Types of Motivation
It is important to know that there at two main types of motivation:
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Intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation comes from achieving internal satisfaction and fulfillment. This looks different for everyone, but some common examples are solving problems, feeling needed, and being happy with your surroundings.
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Extrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation comes from achieving external rewards or avoiding punishments. Classic examples of extrinsic motivation include providing bonuses for good behavior and docking pay for poor behavior.
Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation both play a role in the workplace. Keeping your employees motivated means understanding ways to tap into their internal and external motivators.
How To Motivate Your Employees
Before you motivate your employees, you have to have an healthy work environment. Attempting to motivate your employees in a toxic environment is like handing out free ice cream on a sinking ship.
So to motivate your employees, you must:
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Set clear and fair expectations. Employees need to know exactly their responsibilities and what is expected of them. This proactive approach helps when things go wrong, which they inevitably will. By understanding expectations, you and your employees can have a mature, professional dialogue about making improvements.
Setting clear expectations means clarifying the rewards for good behavior and consequences for bad behavior. Make sure these are fair because you do not want to scare away good talent.
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Understand the needs and values of your employees. Just like how your employees need to understand where you are coming from, you need to understand where they are coming from too. You need to be empathetic and consider the intrinsic motivating factors of your employees.
Employees are more likely to be motivated when they feel their needs and values are met, especially when they align with the needs and values of the company. However, understand that the needs and values of your employees may go beyond what you can offer. In these situations, look for ways to compromise and be accommodating, without missing out on your own needs and values.
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Establish consistency and accountability. Once you and your employees understand each other, it is now time for everyone to follow through. Accountability is not a bad thing, especially when it goes both ways. That means you need to hold yourself accountable and allow your employees to hold you accountable.
Additionally, accountability is a helpful tool when expectations, rewards, and consequences are fair and understood from the beginning. It allows people to feel valued, even in the face of challenges.
It is important to keep accountability consistent however. Inconsistencies in accountability make people lose faith in the entire system and lowers morale.
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Establish clear channels of professional communication. Successful communication is key to any healthy relationship. This requires a combination of being direct when necessary but diplomatic when possible. Communication is also about listening. Nurture active listening in your workplace so that you and employees are truly listening and truly heard. When people don’t feel like they are listened to, they are less likely to care.
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Provide and be open to feedback. Feedback, both positive and negative, will help employees understand whether or not they’re meeting expectations. It’s important to trust your employees and not over-saturate them with feedback, however, too little feedback can leave them feeling lost, alone, and unimportant. Feedback also helps you stay proactive and prevents issues from getting out of hand.
As an employer, you need to be open to feedback as well. You need to show to your employees that you take their needs seriously, otherwise you will lose their motivation.
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Facilitate purpose, growth, and goals. Employees need to see a reason for what they are doing. For some, that might simply be just an explanation about how their work helps the company as a whole. Others, however may need more.
Some of your employees may need to see how their work makes them grow, as people and as professionals. This is why it is important for you to understand their needs and values. If you can get them to find a connection between their work and their goals, your employees will have a more deeper reason for their work.
11 Tips To Motivate Your Employees
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Be an invested manager. In order for employees to feel motivated, they need to see that their boss is hands on, interested and welcoming. There are lots of ways to ensure your employees feel as though you’re a hands-on boss. Here are a few:
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Have an open-door policy. Balance explain that an open-door policy encourages open communication. This allows for employees to not fear discussing problems and concerns with their boss.
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Get to know your employees. Showing your employees that you have the time and desire to get to know them as an individual, rather than just a worker, will help them feel more motivated to work for you.
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Act on suggestions and ideas. Prove to your employees that they’re more than just a name on the payroll. If you listen to your employees’ suggestions and ideas, employees will stop believing in the Us and Them divide. Your employees will feel more valued and, therefore, more inspired to get the job done.
How to find out how your employees feel:
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Have a suggestion box so employees can put it in anonymously and senior management can act on suggestions.
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Ask your employees if there is anything that would help make their role easier and more efficient. Some people wouldn’t feel comfortable bringing it up outright but will be happy to disclose when asked.
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Respond to emails swiftly. Show your employees that although you are busy, you value their suggestions.
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Make room for employee progression. Giving your employees new responsibilities and opportunities to progress up into a different role could ensure they stay on the ball. This way employees will feel as though your company wants them to progress.
This can be discussed in yearly or bi-yearly appraisals. Find out how they feel in their role at the moment, and if they would like to/ be able to take on extra tasks. Working a job with day-to-day variety is less likely to cause employees to feel jaded and get easily distracted.
Allowing employees to take time out to undergo training courses which will aid them in their roles demonstrates that you care about your employees’ skill development.
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Organize team activities and celebrations. Workplace happiness is not just down to a high salary and financial perks. Many companies are increasingly paying attention to company culture and socials.
By organising work socials demonstrates that you acknowledge that having time to unwind after work is important and that employees should have a good balance.
It’s a good idea to ensure your employees have events to look forward to. These events could include:
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Seasonal parties.
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Outings to fun activities like inflatable parks, bowling or a rock climbing center.
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Pub quizzes.
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Provide employee incentives. Providing rewards for employees can go a long way. Don’t just put the carrot on the stick, provide the carrot if employees truly deserve it.
Incentives could be social events – Friday afternoon drinks trolley whereby each employee gets a drink of their choice to wind down into the end of the day, monthly lunches or dinners, or team building activities.
Financial benefits such as bonuses, gift cards and discounted gym memberships.
Related to work life balance, such as greater work flexibility or the occasional late start/ early finish.
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Create a happy workplace. Psychology has often highlighted the importance of a positive working atmosphere. So, as an employer, it’s important to create an environment employees thrive in. What can make a more stimulating workspace?
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Bring in a foosball table/ping pong table
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Provide free food and drink
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Install a television in a “chill out” area
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Include plants and other decorations in the office
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Put up calendars, whiteboards, etc. for employees to track progress and events.
Office perks are by no means everything, but they definitely can create a positive and exciting office to work in.
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Trust your employees. In order to have a healthy and helpful relationship between you and your employees, you need to trust your employees. Balance advise employers to not “micromanage”; to trust employees to make their own decisions and succeed in doing things differently to you. Employees who feel trusted will feel like an important member of the team.
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Provide flexibility for your employees Not everyone copes well with 9am – 5:30pm. Some are late risers and others prefer a longer evening. Promising flexitime allows employees to choose the hours that work best for them. Allowing employees to work at home, even just now and again or for a day a month will make them feel more motivated to work. Research on flexi-time has demonstrated that employees achieved more, were off sick less and were happier in their jobs.
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Encourage a work-life balance. Every employee wants a boss who genuinely cares about their work-life balance. Every employee has a life; so make sure they know you care about theirs. For example, you can do this by cutting the working day short every Friday or allowing a monthly late start.
If employees know you value the “life” portion of a work-life balance, they’ll feel more motivated to work hard in the “work” portion. It also incentivises them to work hard when they are being rewarded.
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Get your employees engaged. Ensure your employees are motivated by putting effort into them being engaged in important decisions. Encouraging employees to actively get involved in vital processes will show employees you value their opinions and ideas.
Having weekly or monthly meetings where employees can share ideas and collaborate will make them feel more connected to their work and colleagues and work better together.
Motivating your employees can never be overvalued. Make sure it’s at the top of your agenda. When you show an interest in motivating your employees, your employees will show an increased interest in working for you.
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Tie your employees’ work to a bigger picture. Many people lose motivation when they don’t see the point of their effort. Make sure to reaffirm with your employees how their work helps others and connects to larger goals. This is also a great way to validate the work of your employees.
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Author
Conor McMahon
Conor McMahon is a writer for Zippia, with previous experience in the nonprofit, customer service, and technical support industries. He has a degree in Music Industry from Northeastern University and in his free time he plays guitar with his friends. Conor enjoys creative writing between his work doing professional content creation and technical documentation.
