Low employee motivation can have a seriously detrimental effect on productivity in a workplace. Therefore, it's essential to ensure that employees are happy and engaged while they are at work. Here are some effective ways to motivate your employees.
1. Create a Comfortable Workplace
Employees feel more motivated when they work in a comfortable and well-designed workplace. Employers should ensure that the workplace is climate-controlled with plenty of natural light. Equipping employees with ergonomic office furniture that properly supports their back also helps to keep them feeling comfortable and cuts down on time off due to backache. It's much easier to feel motivated when physically comfortable.
2. Listen to Employees
One of the best ways to motivate your employees is to make them feel like they are valuable members of the organization, not simply drones who must carry out instructions. Use employee feedback surveys and regular meetings to encourage employees to share their thoughts about how working processes and conditions could be improved. Employees are on the front line of your organization, so it's likely that they'll have some useful insights to share.
3. Recognize Employees' Achievements
Has a member of the sales team smashed all previous records for the number of deals closed in a single month? Good employers recognize this kind of achievement. Send an email to the employee thanking them for their great performance, or post details of the good work on the office bulletin board to let everyone know about it.
4. Give Financial Rewards
Financial rewards are often among the most effective ways to motivate your employees. However, there are better options than simply giving cash. Rewarding employees with company branded prepaid Visa cards means that they will remember the reward every time they pull out the card to use it, whereas cash is anonymous and its origins are quickly forgotten. Prepaid cards are one of the best ways to motivate your employees as they are widely accepted and very easy to use.
5. Trust Employees
Allowing employees to work from home one day each week is a good way to show that management trusts them to work hard, even when there is no direct supervision. Good employees respond to this display of trust by working especially hard to prove their commitment to their role. Allowing employees to work flexible hours or work from home also helps to prevent burnout, as it cuts down on commuting time and helps employees to balance work and family commitments.
Conclusion
Organizations that meet every point on this employee motivation checklist are well on the way to creating a motivated workforce that works hard to ensure productivity stays high. If your organization is currently struggling with employee motivation, try adopting some of these ways to motivate your employees, such as offering financial rewards or increasing flexibility in the workplace.
