You have already hired the most suitable employees to work for your organization. The next thing is to make sure that they stick around.
Compensation in the form of money and benefits may seem important in keeping employees in an organization, but more is needed. Research has found that other factors like recognition, motivation, and employee motivation matter.
Below are some tactics to keep your employees motivated and looking forward to their working day.
1. Offer Employee Rewards
Maintaining your company’s profitability involves more than generating revenues. It also demands that you understand the needs of the employees.
Today, most employee recognition programs focus on offering employee rewards. You could schedule your reward system to include quarterly bonuses, commission structures, or even profit sharing for the company.
If your employees understand that they will be rewarded for a well-done job, they are more likely to improve their productivity and stay with the company for longer.
2. Create a Company Culture of Recognition
Creating a culture of employee recognition and appreciation is important for motivating the employees in your organization. Recognition and appreciation are crucial for overall company success since it allows you to recognize and reward noteworthy effort.
It is easy for hardworking employees to feel overlooked or unappreciated, which could cause their motivation to go down. Engage in small activities like holding Employee Appreciation Day or highlighting the employee of the month to show how much you value and appreciate your employees.
3. Celebrate Milestones
Employee recognition programs should focus on celebrating milestones to show employees they are appreciated.
From big to small, there are very many ways to celebrate milestones in the workplace, be they work anniversaries, birthday celebrations, or even project completion. For example, if your organization has a team of new hires, you can show them appreciation by introducing a new employee announcement introducing and welcoming them to the team.
An employee appreciation speech can also help an employee who has recently received a promotion feel appreciated by the company.
Research by the Harvard Business Review acknowledges that 82% of employed Americans are disappointed that their employers do not recognize them enough for their contributions to the organization. That lack of recognition affects their morale, productivity, and overall company performance.
An additional 40% of employed Americans said they’d put extra effort into their work if their companies recognized them more often.
4. Encourage Professional Development
If employee professional development is not a top priority for your organization, your employees may feel uncertain about their growth potential. When you create a work environment where professional development is encouraged, the employees are motivated to continue learning.
Professional development also goes hand in hand with employee retention rates, as the employees can look into the future, eliminating the need to leave the company for other opportunities.
Interestingly, there are many paths an organization can take to encourage employee professional development. These include workshops, mentorship programs, training sessions, and subscription programs that enhance employee skills.
5. Introduce Employee Wellness Programs
Employee recognition involves taking care of their emotional and physical well-being. But, implementing a robust wellness for your company is not a small thing as it may require a lot of resources.
Start small by creating a periodic wellness challenge for the employees to join. The strategy encourages employees to prioritize their well-being and encourages them to stay motivated.
6. Provide Feedback
Employees respond positively to active feedback methods connected to individual and organizational success. Continuous feedback on performance provides employees with a sense of investment in the company’s goals and helps to build stronger relationships.
7. Encourage Breaks and Physical Activity
Employees can perform better when they exercise regularly. You can start small by providing club-level opportunities or promoting exercise during lunch breaks.
Employers can also motivate employees by giving them regular breaks throughout the day. When employees are allowed to take short breaks in between work, they are less likely to experience distractions in their place of work.
8. Encourage Employee Input and Creativity
Employee recognition programs should consider input and creativity because it gives employees a voice in the workplace. The management should focus on listening to their employees as this will promote their engagement in the workplace.
Everyone has an opinion about what should be done in the workplace. Allowing employees to express themselves is a good way of motivating them to remain creative to improve organizational performance.
9. Enhance Clear Communication
Communication is vital for any organizational manager looking to motivate their workforce. Employees require the management to communicate goals and expectations on time.
Including employees in goal setting requires constant communication so everyone understands their role. Information also needs to be broken down so non-executives can understand.
Final Thoughts
Now you know how to motivate employees using the steps mentioned above. But you must understand that you will need to make changes and adjustments as you find the best motivators for your workforce.
Note that companies are different; what works for others may not work for you. Whatever your choice, remember that the primary goal of motivation is to get employees who are happy to report to work.
You may be interested in: What Motivates Your Workers?
