Three tips on how to motivate your employees
As the owner of a business, you probably know how important it is to keep your staff happy and engaged. According to a LinkedIn Pulse article on workplace motivation, motivated employees are more productive, efficient and willing to develop their skills. Furthermore, they create a more positive work culture, improve employee attitudes and reduce employee turnover.
What business owner wouldn’t dream of having a staff full of motivated employees? Thankfully, this is a dream that is not so out of reach. If you’re trying to figure out how to motivate your employees, here are three steps you can take.
1. Offer benefits employees want
Benefits are a great way to make employees feel appreciated. They also provide incentive for employees to stay at your company. In fact, many HR experts think that, overall, a solid benefits package is more valued by employees than a high salary. So how do you find the optimal benefits package?
Why not ask those who will receive the benefits - your employees? Try holding a meeting with your team and asking what benefits they would be interested in. You could make the process go more smoothly if you have a list of possible benefits (that are within your budget) that they can choose from. Different employees will naturally want different types of benefits, and this is OK.
Hopefully, the team will agree on which benefits to take, but it might be that you have to make some decisions. Whatever the case, communicate openly with your employees about the benefits package and occasionally revisit the matter. The key is to be transparent and to encourage employees to give feedback.
2. Provide a healthy work-life balance
Employees who work too much over a long period of time suffer from decreased motivation, high levels of absenteeism and burnout. By encouraging a healthy work-life balance, not only will you have happy and motivated employees, but you help ensure that they won’t leave your company for a less stressful situation.
Think about taking these steps to keep your employees happy and motivated:
Allow them to work more hours from home
Give them more flexible working hours
Create a nice, comfortable working atmosphere and physical space
Encourage them to take breaks during the day
Offer health and well-being possibilities such as gym memberships or on-site mindfulness training
Improving the work-life balance of your employees can be surprisingly easy and cost-effective. It will also provide great value to your company in the long run.
3. Show them how they contribute to the company’s success
When employees see their role in the present and future success of the company, they are likely to be more motivated. Therefore, it’s important to let your entire staff know the direction your business is going, what you hope to achieve, and the importance of the employees in reaching your goals.
After you do this on a company-wide level, sit down and have a development discussion with each individual employee. Highlight how important their skills are to the success of the company. Talk to them about the skills they want to develop to achieve their own career goals. Set targets for the next six months and agree to have another chat at that time.
One final point on employee motivation: not only does higher motivation benefit employees and your business, but it also benefits your personal well-being. As the owner of the business, it will lift your spirits to see the inspiring, motivating atmosphere you have helped create!
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