How to Keep Your Employees Motivated

 

1. Use the power of goal setting

Most of the people are turned on by reasonable goals. As humans, we like to see who can run the fastest, score the most and work the best. It’s a good idea to set stretch goals. However, they must be realistic. The idea is to make them get out of their comfort zone and set a higher benchmark for themselves. Of course, the results must seem achievable. If you set unrealistic goals, demotivation will set in, and the whole purpose of goal setting will be defeated.

2. Empower the individual

Every employee needs to know that he or she is valued as an individual. Make sure all the members of your workforce are given opportunities to express themselves. Encourage employees to display aspirational personal items. Whether it’s collecting travel brochures for a dream getaway or trying paper cut-outs of a dream car, anticipating future rewards make work routines seem easier and improve worker morale.

3. Create a positive environment

Since many working professionals spend the majority of their waking hours at the office, the work environment should be a place that puts employees at ease while encouraging productivity. An important step toward creating a happy and productive workspace is to encourage employees to share the information and knowledge, which for a supportive leader usually means more listening than talking. People should be allowed to admit their mistakes without fearing humiliation. Employees can also benefit from being given new and more challenging assignments that take them out of their comfort zones.

4. Encourage teamwork

From the soccer field to the battlefield to the boardroom, nothing is better at keeping an individual focused and responsive than belonging a team. Through teamwork, employees learn to trust each other and to look beyond themselves. And healthy competition in a team setting, both in the office and after hours, can increase creativity as well as productivity.

5. Recognize & reward

It doesn’t take much–an employee of the month plaque, a coupon for a Starbucks latte–to create real motivation, especially when recognition takes place in front of the group. Recognition and reward on a regular basis remind employees that they are appreciated, and help them to balance short- and long-term goals.

6. Knock out boredom

Boredom saps motivation and reduces productivity. In order to maintain motivation at the office, keep things lively and new. Avoid routine by allowing employees to explore and be inventive. Try to think of ways to put a new spin on old tasks, and to make sure that the most repetitive tasks don’t always fall on the same people. Schedule short breaks so that employees can interact and check in with loved ones.

7. Eliminate dissatisfaction

For many if not most employees, motivation is directly tied to job satisfaction. Just knowing that management is aware of problematic areas and is working to address them can help keep employees from losing sight of what they enjoy about their jobs.