EMPLOYER GUIDE: MOTIVATING STAFF
2M Careers are a technical recruitment agency, and although we focus on construction and technical recruitment, the principles of how to motivate your employees cross all sectors.
We hope you will find the following advice on motivating your employees practical, useful and insightful.
There are numerous guides, books and courses on how to motivate people. Some people are natural leaders and and inspire wherever they go, however they tend to be the exception rather than the rule. Many of us find ourselves in a management position with no formal training on how to lead and motivate.
We all want to inspire but most of us are not very inspiring!
Most bosses expect miracles from their staff, we expect them to know what we want and what we mean - however we very rarely tell them.
There are many reasons why you should motivate your team:
- Increased morale and productivity
- Increased staff retention and lower turnover of staff, a stable workforce will always perform better
- Increases loyalty to the company and will give staff a sense of pride in their job
Here are a number of simple tips that can go a long way to ensure your team feel motivated and valued in the workplace.
- Say thank you! We are always the first to complain when something is not done right, but how often do you thank your staff?
- Make them feel valued and recognised when they do a good job.
- Praise them, it makes them feel good and do it regularly.
- Weekly meetings are an excellent forum to do this, if you thank someone in front of their colleagues it will not only make them feel proud, but it will motivate others to receive the same praise.
- Best of all - a thank you costs nothing, but can go a very long way.
Staff productivity and motivation are crucial to the success of any business. Many bosses expect and demand a huge level of commitment and dedication from their staff nowadays, but we have to reward and recognise the people who go the extra mile. If we don't they will soon feel put upon and their morale will plummet.
If your staff are putting in extra hours left, right and centre for no reward or recognition they are unlikely to be happy. You need to make it clear why their efforts are necessary - explain the bigger picture and make them feel involved in the company. You don't need to throw money at people to reward them - give them an extra day off or a half day on a Friday or take them all for lunch. It is essential as a boss that you make them feel valued and part of the team.
Treat your employees with the same value and respect you would expect to receive yourself. Pay them an appropriate salary. If you underpay staff they will always be looking for a new opportunity and you will lose good people. You may save a couple of thousand pounds now, but the cost or replacing staff is much higher than retaining the ones you have.
Acknowledge good work and do not dwell on the mistakes, it will make them feel devalued.
Listen to your team. They are often at the coal face and can come up with the best ideas on how to improve things. They should always be able to come to you with ideas and suggestions.
Always give feedback and advice when asked, make time for your employees.
Never criticize or reprimand your employees in front of other staff members, or even worse - clients. It not only upsets the person, but makes you look foolish.
Delegate tasks where appropriate when your employees are ready for it, it will develop a sense of trust between you and increased responsibility can make your staff more confident.
Train and develop your staff - identify what training they need and deliver it on time.
Give your staff regular appraisals and one to one sessions. This allows them to see their own strengths and weaknesses and identify rooms for improvement and promotion. Your staff should know what is expected of them and how they can achieve it. Goals should be set and progress monitored. Your staff need to know where they fit in the organisation and how their contribution is important. Appraisals should be structured, regular and actions on them should be followed up.
Following a few simple guidelines like this will bring about a positive effect, just remember to make sure that these efforts are genuine and done with sincerity. Don't make your employees feel that they need motivation or you expect a return immediately on your investment!
Motivation helps people achieve their goals and manage their own development and the development of the companies.
EMPLOYERS' GUIDES
| 
