6 Tips for motivating your employees

Innumerable studies over the years have shown that happy workers are the most productive in business, but unmotivated individuals are less customer-focused and can adopt a counterproductive behavior. All businesses, irrespective of size, need to increase productivity and maximize revenue generation, so staff must be as efficient as possible. But motivating your employees doesn’t require lots of resources. Here are six proven ideas to motivate your employees.

1. Give your employees purpose

The best you can do as a leader to make your environment motivating is to ensure you make the work every team member is doing meaningful. That means the work is critical to the success of the business. When employees feel that what they are doing makes a difference, they get energized and feel engaged.

There is no worse feeling than knowing that your work doesn’t matter. To achieve this, you need to minimize or eliminate the non-value-added work that flows to your team members. Making the job meaningful offers job satisfaction to your team. Thus, it is your job as the team leader to examine every team member’s work to find out if what they are doing is suitable for the success of the business or not.

1. Make the workplace comfortable

No one likes standing around in a dull, dismal place for many hours every day. Even the most positive and energized worker can find their spirits falling in these circumstances. Thus, to make the work a lot more pleasant, create a fun, well-lit, and aesthetically pleasing space for your team.

The first step is to ensure you have updated working equipment, and that things are well-kept. Crisping up your workspace doesn’t need to be expensive. You can search for exquisite furniture at a flea market, or find artwork from local artists. You also need to keep things nice-looking and clean. Doing these simple things will make your business a pleasant place to be for both your staff and customers.

1. Be supportive, honest, and respectful

Bad management is one of the primary reasons employees quit. You need to make things like clear communication, respect, support, and honesty the foundations of your business. There are many things you can do in this regard to become a great mentor and leader. And if you are new to management, source relevant books to read on the subject of effective management. Like any other skill, this takes time, knowledge, and practice. In short, if your employees enjoy working for you, they are very likely to be more loyal. It’s a win-win!

1. Provide room for growth

If your business is rapidly growing, an excellent motivator is to give your team members room to grow within your firm. The result is more enhancing the opportunity for increased revenue and, most important, the psychological benefit of feeling that they are respected and trusted for their work.

In case you are opening up a new branch or outlet, figure out which of your staff is suitable for playing a management role there. For instance, if someone is doing an excellent job with your inventories, then you should groom the individual to handle the vendor relations. Giving your best employees opportunities to grow shifts their thinking from that of just a job to that of being a full-fledged career.

1. Empower your employees

In as much as possible, let your employees have a say in how they do their job. Get their suggestions and ask for their input on how they can improve their job performance. Most team members have lots of ideas on how they can enhance their efficiency, but they may not disclose them to you unless you specifically request them.

So, carry out regular staff reviews and discuss these improvements with them; don’t just ask. Remember, if you want to motivate and empower your team, take their advice and act on it. You also need to authorize them to make their own decisions. For instance, allow them to offer service to customers up to a certain point without the need to get prior approval from you.

1. Provide flexible scheduling

Technology has revolutionized the way businesses run, and it has also altered the way we work. If your employees are expected and can read work email on their phones, or complete their projects on their laptops at home, they also need flexibility from you as an employer when it comes to scheduling.

According to a Forbes study, about 47% of respondents named flexibility as the most crucial factor in job searching. Employers are also enlightened regarding this matter. 87 percent of the Fortune 500 companies provide various flexible schedules. So, give your employees flexibility, whether it is a flexi time or work-from-home opportunity if you want to attract top talent and be considered a progressive employer.

Motivating your team members will increase their productivity and morale, and the result will be reflected in your revenue generation. So give your employees purpose, be respectful to them, and give them room for growth.