Delivering a message that is clear, concise, and actionable is a cornerstone of any successful engagement effort. This brief article will help you to understand the eight strategies for engaging and motivating employees so that you can build meaningful relationships with your audience. In addition to providing practical benefits of these strategies, this article will provide some motivational tips from Something With Numbers so that you can inspire greatness from your team!
Regardless of your industry or company size, it’s important to have an engaged workforce. You have a responsibility not to just hire talented people, but also motivate them. Motivation doesn’t just happen on its own though it takes a concerted effort on the part of management and recruiters alike through different methods.
Employee recognition programs
One of the most effective ways to motivate employees is through the use of employee recognition programs. Job seekers value recognition and it can be a powerful motivator. When employees feel rewarded for their hard work and commitment, they’re more likely to feel committed and dedicated than other people who don’t receive any form of recognition.
Employee motivation is all about increasing employee productivity by increasing employee satisfaction. There are three general categories that motivate employees: extrinsic, intrinsic, and social motivators. Extrinsic motivation comes from such things as bonuses, commission plans, and other tangible rewards such as cash or stock options. Intrinsic motivation comes from sharing in the company’s success and the desire to be personally involved in making things happen. Social motivation is based on such things as friendliness, camaraderie, and other social interactions with fellow employees.
Proper recognition and rewards
To ensure that you’re providing your employees with the proper recognition and rewards, develop a complete incentive and recognition system that is personalized for each employee. A perfect system will include:
- A buzzer or bell that goes off to signal recognition of a job well done.
- Personalized acknowledgement cards for exceptional work.
- A choice of awards such as unique plaques, pins, and badges.
- A sense of community by allowing employees to discuss recognition.
As a management professional, you have a special responsibility when it comes to motivating employees. In addition to understanding employee needs, you need to make sure that you’re providing them with the right tools and resources. The following are some tips to ensure employee motivation.
1. Provide the Right Tools for Employees to Succeed
One of the most common reasons why employees lose motivation is because they don’t have the right tools needed to complete their job responsibilities. This is especially important for large companies that have multiple departments or branches that are involved in complex operations. You can alleviate this problem by providing your employees with the right equipment, software, and instruction manuals they need to keep your business running smoothly.
2. Creating a Culture of Respect
Telling your employees that you respect them is one thing, but demonstrating it through your actions is another thing entirely. For example, if you want to foster loyalty between yourself and your employees, it’s important that you be friendly towards them. Don’t just tell them that you respect them–show them. Share your knowledge with them. When you walk into the company, be sure to say “Hi” to everyone and introduce yourself simply by name. This will positively reinforce the relationship between yourself and your employees.
3. Recognize Employee Contributions
There are several ways to recognize employee contributions during salary reviews or annual benefit plans. You can provide recognition by praising employees for their excellent performance, evaluating an employee’s potential, or paying special attention to inspirational performance during a team meeting or once-a-year meeting with top management.
4. Allow Employees to Attend Training Events
In addition to conducting training of their own, many companies offer free training to their employees. In fact, some companies even hold annual training sessions where they talk about relevant business topics. This way, you can give your employees the opportunity to learn more about what it means to be a member of your company and improve the quality of their lives as a result.
5. Encourage Workplace “Wisdom”
Workplace “wisdom” is knowledge that employees accumulate through extensive experience and observation of the company’s activities. In most cases, employees gain this wisdom because they’ve been around the block and understand the problems associated with different business operations. This is a great way to motivate your employees. Encourage them to share their wisdom so that you can improve the quality of your business and its operations. This is particularly true for senior employees who have been with your company for a long time and have more experience than other employees.
6. Allow Employees to Choose Their Own Rewards
Some employee rewards programs allow you to offer prizes or cash incentives, but some don’t. If you choose to have a self-directed reward program, encourage your employees to come up with prizes based on their motivation and incentives. You can even allow them to choose a prize from a prize book that you’ve published.
7. Encourage Employees to Share Workplace Knowledge
In today’s global business environment, there are many different cultures and languages being used by people from different countries. To get employees to share their experiences with each other so that they can benefit from each other’s knowledge, it’s important for you to encourage workplace interactions in order to build employee camaraderie and loyalty.
8. Consider Benefits and Jobs
One of the reasons why employees can become demotivated is because they aren’t happy with the compensation and job responsibilities. To avoid this problem, you need to offer benefits that are attractive to your employees. You can do this by offering competitive pay packages that include 401 (k) retirement programs, health insurance, paid vacations, bonuses, and stock option plans.
