Motivated employees are productive and good for your business.

The performance of your employees has an impact on your bottom line and here are 11 useful tips that can help.

Numerous studies have suggested that highly engaged employees are more likely to exceed performance targets and achieve success. As not every employee shares the same personality type and not everyone is motived by the same incentive, how you should go about motivating your employees is an interesting subject worth discussing.

Why do employees work?

Before you start providing incentives to your employees with an aim to motivate them, it is worth asking the question – why do they work and most specifically, why do they choose to work for you at this point in time?

Undeniably, the need for financial security plays a big part but it is not the whole picture. Factors that lead employees to show up for work may include:

  • This is a place where they belong
  • The job may be a reflection of their self-worth
  • The work may be fulfilling and rewarding
  • They may enjoy exerting control
  • They may like to be challenged

If you are interested in delving deeper, both Maslow and Herzberg have theories of motivation and the internet is flooded with articles about these two scholars which can help you to understand human needs.

The idea is that once you have profiled each person and their traits, you can then start to personalised motivation.

11 effective methods of staff motivation

Individualised motivation

Individualised motivation is a scientific step that can help to motivate individuals to the maximum of their abilities. To do that, you must first understand their individual needs.

Create a safe working environment

Under the health and safety law, business owners must provide a working environment with little or no risks to the health and safety of their employees. That aside, most people tend to prefer working in an office that is quiet (particularly in an open-plan office), tidy, well-lit, has adequate ventilation, has access to clean drinking water and toilets, as well as has sufficient work areas where they can perform the work comfortably. If your office environment ticks all the points above and they are important to an employee, then you will have a happy and engaged employee.

Create a positive office culture

Creating a morale-boosting office culture does not always mean providing free doughnuts and coffee. In this instance, we are talking about projects that have an impact on the wellbeing of your employees, their relatives or even strangers. For instance, having a scheme that allows extra holidays if an employee needs to care for a sick relative or a project that involves your staff to help out those less fortunate in your community.

Listen to your employees

No one likes to be ignored. Be an active listener to your employees and allow them to share ideas, ask questions, or discuss anything that is important to them. When they speak, give them your full attention and maintain eye contact. If they are giving you an idea that will help your business, let them know accordingly.

Have a dialogue

The other side of listening is sharing. Talk to your staff frequently, involve them in your company vision and tackle any potential issues that may lead to disengagement.

Set meaningful goals

Believe it or not, most people actually love a challenge so using goals to motivate employees are not new. The crux of the matter is the goals must be meaningful – while they can be challenging, the goals should be attainable if one puts in the appropriate time and effort.

Timely recognition

When a job is done well, a sincere thank you, positive feedback or a token of appreciation often will make the employee feel positive and appreciated, though it must be done soon following the task rather than a few months later.

Social recognition

More and more companies are using social media to give a shout out to their star performers.

Encourage learning

We live in a world that is constantly changing, primarily shaped by the evolution of technology, globalisation of commerce, social and political landscape, among other factors. To help make your business more agile and competitive, encourage your employees to keep learning and challenge themselves.

Promote from within

Most employees like to progress as an individual and as an employee. When there are new opportunities, consider to promote from within and create a smooth transition.

Build trusting relationships

Relationships often outlast companies so it is wise to invest time and effort to build strong relationships with your staff.

TaxAgility supports small businesses in London

Every small business owner knows the importance of having motivated employees. At TaxAgility. While our small business accountants may not be able to help motivate your staff specifically, we can help you tackle your accounts, bookkeeping and tax issues, giving you peace of mind so you can concentrate on running your business and providing motivators that matter to each individual staff.

We provide the following services:

Call us today on 020 8108 0090 or get in touch via our contact page to arrange a complimentary, no-obligation meeting.

Other useful articles pertaining to small businesses that may interest you are:

This post is intended to provide information of general interest about current business issues. It should not replace professional advice tailored to your specific circumstances.