An employee is the backbone of a company. All workers combine and help in building a successful business. They serve as the foundation of any office. If a worker is not good at his work, he will not be able to play his role. That’s why it is necessary to introduce fun ways to motivate employees. A motivated employee works more diligently. He/she is more dedicated to his/her work. This behavior adds more to the company’s mission.

Employee motivation techniques are essential to the success of a company. When you know how to motivate employees you’ll get the best out of them. Motivated employees will work harder and dedicate themselves to the company’s mission. Happy workers are more productive and more likely to stay with the company than look elsewhere for another job.

It doesn´t matter what the business is, employee motivation in the private sector and the public sector are as important as each other. How do you improve their morale and motivation?

We will share some helpful tips in this article on how you can motivate your employees and get the best out of them for the success of your business. Let’s get into it.

• What are 10 Techniques for Increasing Employee Motivation?
• How do you Increase Employee Motivation?
• How do Smart Goals Motivate Employees?
• What are 5 Ways to Motivate Employees?
• What are the Most Important Types of Motivation?
• What a Manager can do to Increase the Employees Motivation?
• What are the Benefits of Staff Motivation?
• How to Measure Employee Motivation

What are 10 Techniques for Increasing Employee Motivation?

While of course money and benefits are important, a study found that they don’t top the list of motivating factors. Instead, some of the most important factors tended to be peer motivation (20%), and feeling encouraged and recognized (13%).

Below are some key tactics to keep your employees motivated — whether it’s enticing them to stay with you for the long haul or getting them to return to your business next season.

1. Make your business a pleasant place to be

No one wants to stand around in a dingy, boring space for hours on end. Having an aesthetically pleasing, well-lit, functional, and fun space makes work a lot more pleasant. The first step is to make sure things are well-kept and that you have updated working equipment.

Read Also: Managing Conflict in a Team

This means switching out that Cold War–era back office computer, your glacial-paced point-of-sale system, or generally anything that people might want to throw out the window in frustration. It also means keeping things clean and nice looking.

Sprucing up your space doesn’t have to be expensive. Try featuring local artists or picking up interesting furniture pieces at a flea market. All these little touches will make things a lot more enjoyable for your employees (and by proxy, your customers).

2. Be a respectful, honest, and supportive manager

This may seem like a no-brainer, but bad management is one of the top reasons employees run for the hills. Things like respect, honesty, support, and clear communication are the foundations here. But there’s a lot more you can do to be a great leader and mentor.

If you’re new to this whole management thing, it’s worth reading some books on the subject — effective management, like any other skill, takes knowledge and practice. The long and short of it: if you’re a good person to work for, your employees will be more loyal.

3. Offer employee rewards

People will stay with your business if they have a reason to. So if you want to keep your good people and keep them motivated, it’s worth starting an incentive program. Maybe it’s a quarterly bonus. Maybe it’s a commission structure that’s better than the competition.

Maybe it’s offering to foot the bill for additional credentials. Or maybe it’s even profit-sharing in your company. If people know they’ll be rewarded for a job well done, they’ll be 1) more likely to, well, do a good job, and 2) stay to see things through.

4. Give them room to grow

Especially if your business is rapidly expanding, giving your employees room to grow within the company is a huge motivator. There’s the dangling carrot of more money, yes, but there’s also the psychological factor of feeling like they’re trusted and respected for their work. If you’re opening up a second location, think about which of your employees might be a good fit for a management role there.

If there’s someone who’s doing a particularly good job with inventory, consider grooming that person to take over vendor relations completely. When you give your best employees growth opportunities, it shifts their thinking from “this is just a side job” to “this could be a full-fledged career.”

5. Share positive feedback

It’s great to feel fulfilled by your work. In fact, it’s one of the key job satisfaction factors. Satisfaction in your work can come from a variety of places — from knowing you made the perfect cup of coffee to saving a house by removing a menacing tree. And if your customers express appreciation for these things, be sure to share that feedback with your employees.

This is especially easy to do with Square Feedback. Many Square sellers make it a point to share all of the positive, encouraging feedback with their employees during weekly meetings. Letting your employees know they made someone’s day (or more) makes them feel good — and gives them a deeper connection to your business.

6. Be transparent

Having insight into how business is going makes your employees more invested. So make a point to share this data with them on a regular basis. Luckily, Square makes this easy. With Square’s POS, you can send out daily, weekly, or monthly sales reports — or even information about how many of your customers are new versus returning. Having access to all this data not only makes your employees feel like they’re an important part of the business, it also helps point out areas where things could be improved.

7. Offer flexible scheduling

Technology has changed the way businesses operate, and it has also changed the way we work–or the way we can work. If employees are able (and expected) to check work email on their phones or finish projects on their laptops at home, it’s reasonable for them to want a similar flexibility from their employers when it comes to scheduling. And they do.

In a Forbes study, 46 percent of respondents said that flexibility is the most important factor when it comes to job searching. And employers are paying attention: 86 percent of companies on Forbes 2014 “Best Companies to Work For” offered some type of flexible schedule. So, whether it’s a work-from-home opportunity or flex time, offer various scheduling options if you want to be viewed as a progressive employer and attract top talent.

8. Offer food in the workplace

Are good snacks the key to employee retention? Maybe. After all, nobody works well when they’re hungry. It seems so simple, but sometimes all you have to do to make people happy is to feed them. Obviously, it’s not that simple–employees also have to be reasonably satisfied with their jobs. Yet food does make an undeniable difference. In fact, a survey by Seamless found that 57 percent of employees say food-based perks would make them feel more valued and appreciated.

It makes sense: When your employer pays attention to your physical needs, you get the impression that they care about you as a person–not just what you can do for the company. In the same survey, 38 percent said food perks would make them more likely to endorse their employer in a “best places to work for” survey, so not only will decent snacks help you keep your employees, but they can also help you attract great new talent. For this reason, it may be worth offering your staff free snacks on certain days or making staples (think fruit, bread, and butter) available at lunchtimes. However, the snacks you provide don’t necessarily have to be free. You could, for example, invest in a machine filled with quality foods from a Vending Company in Houston (or a similar company operating in your area) to save your employees leaving the premises during breaks or lunch hours. This will make your employees’ lives easier, encouraging them to view their workplace as somewhere that really does care about their needs. 

9. Recognize their achievements

Sometimes all people want is some recognition for a job well done. If an employee has been putting in a lot of time working on a project, or they went out of their way to help out a coworker, do not hesitate to praise them. It’s not just about the act of recognition, but the principle: If people feel that their efforts are appreciated, they will feel compelled to continue working hard.

Employees whose achievements were recognized also have reported that they experience higher levels of enjoyment out of the work they do. But if they feel like their long hours and personal sacrifices were for naught, it’s unlikely that they will go out of their way for the company again. So, whether it’s noting their contributions in a meeting, recognizing them in a staff email, or just thanking them privately, it’s imperative that you show hardworking employees your gratitude.

Having great employees who’ve been at your company for a while is a huge plus. Keeping employees motivated, especially during tough times is an important part of your business’ success. Long-time employees know the ins and outs of things, and they also make running your business a lot more enjoyable.

10. Ask them what they want

Instead of trying to guess what’s most important to them, actually sit down with them and find out what they value. Crazy, right? Doing the unexpected might be the best thing you can do for your employees and your company.

How do you Increase Employee Motivation?

The first step to improving employee happiness is making sure your workforce is motivated. These are the top 10 things you can do to help your employees stay engaged at work.

1. Improve corporate and team culture

These are essential for a motivated workplace. Productivity improves when employees feel part of a team and a valued members of the company.

Company culture starts at the top and filters down. It’s reflected in a philosophy where everyone is equal and of value, and contributes their skills to the objectives of the company. It includes working as part of a team and sharing knowledge and ideas.

2. Develop a modern work environment

The work environment is one of the critical motivation strategies. A smart modern office fosters more success than an old building with peeling paint and bad decor.

The office should be a pleasure to work in, full of natural light, and a comfortable temperature. Employees will appreciate extras such as an area to chill, eat lunch, play games, and chat.

If you’re due an office re-design why not ask employees for their ideas?

3. Provide an Employee motivation platform

Another key motivation strategy is to supply a platform where everyone can work together, such as LumApps. A cloud-based intranet is a perfect tool to do this. People can stay up-to-date with projects, collaborate with team members and colleagues, and have access to company information.

This is a sure-fire way to promote employee motivation, develop team building and engage people in their work.

4. Provide transparent and clear communication

Clear communication leads to positive outcomes. When employees are clear on their roles and what they should be doing they feel motivated.

A company intranet is a way to achieve this. It can give access to whatever an employee needs to perform their job:

• Project schedules and briefs
• Technical data
• Marketing materials
• Employee handbooks
• Product information
• Internal news…

5. Encourage teamwork

Teamwork is the key to improved employee motivation. Working as a team ensures everyone feels valuable and plays a part in achieving a goal.

It also means you can share ideas, solve problems and plan together with colleagues. This can take place as an intranet messenger chat, a virtual meeting or face-to-face.

6. Encourage innovation and creativity

Boredom destroys motivation. Allow employees to express their creative side and bring their ideas to projects. Just because someone works in accounts or the technical department doesn’t mean they don’t have innovative ideas.

Encourage employee engagement motivation by inviting them to contribute ideas for new products, branding or a logo. Offer a prize for the winner. Being recognized for skills other than those we’re employed for can encourage a high level of motivation.

7. Express gratitude

It’s easy to say thank you or well done. These simple words go a long way toward motivating someone and showing appreciation.

Another way to recognize good work is through extrinsic rewards, for example, extra vacation days, vouchers, or travel. This gives employees something to work towards.

The intranet is a great place to set up a reward page, where employees can earn points and see the prizes on offer.

8. Recognize a good job

Catch people doing it right and acknowledge it. When someone tells us we’ve done a good job we feel motivated to do further good work. It boosts confidence to know we’re appreciated.

This also applies to recognizing that someone’s done something brave, for example reporting a hazardous or uncomfortable situation.

9. Express clear company goals

Another motivating factor for employees is clearly defining the goals of the company. This means employees understand the bigger picture and where they fit into the company.

The impact of employee motivation on employee performance is important. If an employee knows why they’re doing their job and how it contributes to the company objectives they feel confident in their role and will work more efficiently.

10. Give individual and team rewards

This is an opportunity to achieve increased employee motivation by giving people something to work towards. If a team knows that if senior management accepts their project they get a free weekend in Paris or a trip to the Maldives, it’s an incentive to work hard. The same applies to individuals. Offering rewards can motivate and create healthy competition.

11. Provide a Positive communication

Positivity breeds motivation. Positively presenting new ideas and projects encourages employees to support the success of the company. When everyone understands the company goals the level of employee motivation can increase dramatically.

This also applies to problem-solving. If there’s an issue it’s more likely to be solved if it’s addressed positively, over an informal cup of coffee, rather than with negativity.

12. Provide a Positive competition

Friendly competition is good in the workplace. This form of motivation works. It encourages team spirit and facing challenges in a positive way. This can take place through employee recognition, such as a page on the intranet that features the employee of the month. Competition doesn´t have to be cut-throat – if presented in the right way it can boost employee morale.

13. Build regular objectives with each employee

Don´t wait until annual reviews to set objectives. If you regularly set each employee’s individual objectives they’re likely to devote a high level of energy and commitment to their job. Doing this will ensure employees are constantly motivated to achieve their targets, especially if they receive rewards.

This is also a way to get to know employees, which makes them feel their manager has an interest in them as a person.

14. Include employees in decision making

How can you use employee engagement to increase motivation? Giving employees accountability and listening to their opinions can increase intrinsic motivation and engagement. From setting up a survey on the intranet to asking what color the new product labels should be to finding out what people think of remote working. When you need to make major decisions that will affect the lives of your employees include them in the decisions.

15. Ask employees for feedback

This is another way to enhance motivation is by using intranet surveys. Your employees can be your most important focus group when you launch a new product, plan to expand or introduce new systems. And don’t only ask for feedback, show you’ve listened, and considered people’s opinions. This will make employees feel they’re an important part of the company.

16. Discover what motivates each employee

Money and material rewards don’t always encourage an employee to work harder. Of course, they help, but not everyone is motivated in the same way. Some people feel their career path is more important than incentives.

Every person that works in a company is an individual and should be treated like one. This means talking to people and asking what motivates them, which will build trust. Do this face-to-face or with an employee motivation survey that lists a series of employee motivation interview questions.

17. Develop an easy work-life balance

Balancing our personal lives with work isn’t always easy. We have children, parents, partners, studies… An employer that understands this and allows fair vacations and time off for personal issues will motivate their staff.

When the right work-life balance is achieved, employees can concentrate on their work as they’re not worrying about external issues.

How do Smart Goals Motivate Employees?

Are you motivated simply because you have set a goal? The mere presence of a goal does not motivate individuals. Think about New Year’s resolutions that you made but failed to keep. Maybe you decided that you should lose some weight but then never put a concrete plan in action. Maybe you decided that you would read more but didn’t. Why did your goal fail?

SMART goals help people achieve results.

Accumulating research evidence indicates that effective goals are SMART. A SMART goal is a goal that is specific, measurable, aggressive, realistic, and time-bound.

In order to motivate employees, goals should be SMART (specific, measurable, aggressive, realistic, and time-bound). SMART goals motivate employees because they energize behavior, give it direction, provide a challenge, force employees to think outside the box, and devise new and novel methods of performing.

Goals are more effective in motivating employees when employees receive feedback on their accomplishments, have the ability to perform, and are committed to goals. Poorly derived goals have the downsides of hampering learning, preventing adaptability, causing a single-minded pursuit of goals at the exclusion of other activities, and encouraging unethical behavior. Companies tie individual goals to company goals using management by objectives.

What are 5 Ways to Motivate Employees?

According to a recent study by Dale Carnegie,  less than 25% of non-management employees are fully motivated and engaged. This is clearly an issue that must be dealt with. If employees feel no reason to work hard, why would they? Creating simple yet effective motivating factors within your company culture is the answer.

Here are 5 simple ways to motivate your employees to do their best.

1. Set goals and recognize success
Your employees want a challenge, it’s human nature. If they show up daily with the same menial tasks to work on with no goal, it’s easy to become unmotivated. Setting achievable goals for your employees allows them to work towards something concrete and will also give you, as a manager, something to measure their performance against.

If employees aren’t meeting goals, you will know it’s time to let them go or work on their performance. When goals are achieved, make sure they are celebrated or at least acknowledged. This doesn’t have to be extravagant, but a simple incentive like a team lunch or internal email recognizing the success will keep employees moving towards their next goals.

2. Listen
One of the biggest motivating factors for employees is the feeling that their wants and needs are heard at work. This doesn’t mean that every request is granted but listening to what employees say is key to motivation.

Whether an employee has an idea for a new process or new ideas for their position, however unrealistic the ideas may be, just listen. People like their voices to be heard, and if they are continuously blocked by managers unwilling to listen, they may reach a point where they don’t care about the organization and aren’t willing to work hard.

3. Pay them well
To keep your top employees, you will have to pay them a competitive salary. This might be easier said than done in some organizations, but ensure you’re not skimping on salary. If their performance merits a raise, give them one, this will let them know they are valued and appreciated. If you can’t afford competitive salaries or raises, consider performance-based bonuses for individual employees or teams.

4. Care about their future
A manager that shows interest and involvement in the future of their employees does wonders for motivation. Creating opportunities for people to move up within your organization and encouraging continuous growth and education.

Employees feel valued and important when they feel their manager cares about where they are headed within the company and in their careers. Acting as a mentor and advocate will build trust and motivation about their future with your company.

5. Create a good culture
Make sure your company is a decent place to be. Not just offering a competitive salary and benefits but people genuinely enjoy working there. If your culture is negative and stiff, why would employees want to work hard if they aren’t enjoying what they do? You don’t have to have free beer every day of the week or Google Glass for everyone, just incorporating simple perks like lunches, team-building activities, and happy hours can be motivation enough.

Keeping your employees motivated to work hard and give their best efforts is key to a successful and healthy business. Some employees might need a little nudge to work harder, and some do it on their own, but in the end, managers play a pivotal role in motivation.

What are the Most Important Types of Motivation?

According to incentive theories of motivation, all types of motivation can be divided into two major groups: intrinsic and extrinsic.

Rewarding future sponsors is both types of motivation, but what makes them different is where the reward is coming from. For the intrinsic, it is an internal reward, while the extrinsic comes from outside of the individual – it can be other people or something else.

Intrinsic motivation is most easily defined as those things that motivate a person with the aim of being rewarded internally.

This is any activity based on personal gratification or just for the fun of it without expecting external praise.

There are so many activities that are done daily and are dictated by intrinsic motivation. It could be going to the gym, learning new skills, playing games or sports, or helping someone cross the road because it gives you pleasure or a sense of purpose.

Anything at all that makes you feel good within yourself is fueled by intrinsic motivation.

The next six types can be classified as intrinsic motivation. A careful look into each of them will give you a broad insight into how they all stand out in their various forms.

• 1. Competence Motivation

Basically, competence motivation is driven by curiosity, willingness to know more or have some skills.

This kind of motivation is also known as learning motivation as it involves building more expertise on a subject matter and is not a competition among peers. So, if a promotion happens because of the skills garnered, it is a plus, but was not the primary goal.

You can see a practical example of competence motivation when an employee spares his free time to learn something, like a new skill. It can be a salesperson who is learning new sales techniques, or a designer learning a new framework.

Both of them are motivated by learning, because they want to know something new and improve their work. And they don’t directly expect to get an external reward.

Another example is the curiosity of explorers. They want to know what is there under the surface of the ocean, or deep in space.

• 2. Creative Motivation

Creative motivation is often known to be prompted by a sense of wanting to say or express something.

It could be in the form of words, art, song, business, or production, but it always starts from trying to express oneself.

Because of the initial self-drive, creative motivation is never mistaken to be an extrinsic motivation.

So, even if just one person is benefiting from the creative expression, the motivation is still sustained.

An example of this type of motivation is the urge to write a book or a poem. Even if it doesn’t get to the ends of the earth, or doesn’t get published, there is always the fulfillment of penning those sentiments into words.

The reward in this case is not in bonuses or incentives, but in intangible assets that are gratifying.

• 3. Achievement Motivation

The achievement motivation is somewhat like competence motivation in that it aims to achieve a goal just for personal development.

If the goal is to pursue a remarkable feat just because of the feeling of attaining that height, then it is a practical illustration of achievement motivation.

It could be a particular title in a company or position in society, and as long as it is not focused on being rewarded monetarily, then achievement motivation is the drive.

Most often, the process of getting that accomplishment with this type of motivation is not burdensome, even with any fluctuations that come along the way. Whether it yields recognition by an external party or not, the result is always the goal.

Also, this motivation propels the motivated person to feel worthy when the feat is achieved.

The best example of achievement motivation is found in sports. Just look at the Olympic records. These are the greatest athletes in the world and all of them are passionate about what they do. They want to be the best and write their names in history.

In an organization, it can be a desire to be the best in the department. It is often used in sales departments, like a leaderboard or the wall of fame. Also, a fair bonus is usually included.

Another common example is certification. An employee wants to get a certificate to prove their skills.

• 4. Attitude motivation

This type of motivation is based on the willingness to change the world, make something good, or help people.

It doesn’t matter what people will say, how they feel, or what vibes seep from within.

The main thing is that a person sees something that is wrong and wants to fix it, help, or change it.

Of course, it also comes from culture, his education, and other aspects of his personality.

An example of this is helping an older woman to carry her shop bags way back home regardless of the day’s stress and tiredness. There is no tangible reward to it, but an attitude motivation sponsors the feeling of helping someone.

Another good example of such motivation is when people are cleaning the ocean beach from discarded plastics. Or helping homeless animals to find a new home.

• 5. Affiliate Motivation

The feeling of belonging to a group or society and being accepted is ignited by affiliate motivation.

For example, Theresa needs to make money, but she also wants to do meaningful things with her life. She’s been interviewing at different jobs, and now two different employers are offering her a job.
Company A is a well-known company, and they make good money. Company B can pay her decent money, but the company mission also includes supporting the community and group volunteering.
Theresa likes the ethics of Company B, and chooses to work there instead. That is just what affiliate motivation is all about.

A more intimate example is that of David who works as an HR intern in a big organization. Aside from the work hours, David and some other colleagues were to discuss fashion trends and anything not relating to work just to socialize. David has the choice to either join or not but he did because he was motivated by affiliation motivation.

Affiliate motivation is the bedrock of this drive as that desire makes people seek openings where they will be accepted and wanted.

• 6. Physiological Motivation

Physiological motivation focuses on satisfying basic physiological needs: air, food, water, sleep, warmth, sex.

Therefore, as the primary needs of life, the main goal for them is to survive.

In physiological motivation, the reward might not be always tangible but it is always felt.

No doubt, basic human needs are not negotiable. The desire to be healthy, sleep more – all of these are driven by this type of motivation.

Extrinsic motivation stands for all the things that serve as an external drive, which is classified into two categories: compensation and punishment.

For compensation, it can be salary, bonuses, goods, money, and an appraisal.

Punishment might include fines, blame, judgment, and many others. This side of extrinsic motivation is usually mistaken to be negative, but it has quite a lot of positivity.

Extrinsic motivation is shown when an employee does his job well and gets fairly paid. At the same time, he comes to work on time because he knows if he comes late, he will lose money or even be fired. Also, he will be able to get a bonus from the supervisor if he achieves the goals set for him.

Either way, extrinsic motivation comes from someone or something else outside of the person being motivated.

There are three motivation types that can be classified as extrinsic, and they all show the very common aspects that stimulate many daily actions.

• 1. Reward-Based Motivation

This is probably the only motivational type that many are aware of, because of its popularity and that it is the easiest way to get a fast motivational boost.

Promise employees a bonus in their salary or set a bonus for a specific result, and people will start working harder.

The issues with this type of motivation are that it doesn’t last long; people get used to it.

It is just as the title says, and it involves the reward attached to it more than just a mere internal feeling. If there is no incentive, this type of motivation is not seen to be a drive.

The reward is always external and substantial as opposed to intrinsic motivation.

A good example is a competition between sales in the workplace to sell a certain amount of goods. If the reward is money instead of just selling to help the company make more sales, it is reward-based.

Regardless of this fact, reward motivation is not totally wrong even though the drive is incentive-based.

A reward-based motivation can work hand in hand with achievement-driven motivation, as the reward can also give a fulfilling sensation of achievement. With both motivation types, you will be rewarded externally and be gratified with doing what the company wants.

• 2. Power-Based Motivation

Just as the name already states, this is based on the human desire to have power over other people. Or, change the situation around their lives.

It can be said that controlling other people is not always bad, even if it has some negative connotations.

It doesn’t always mean control; sometimes, it means they are motivated to lead.

A good example of power-based motivation is Leadership. A leader is a person motivated to lead people.

“With great power comes great responsibility.” –  It is not just a fancy quote from Spiderman. A great leader will inspire people to overcome challenges and will help them organize their work. He will take this responsibility for them and will lead.

At the same time, like anything in bad hands, it can bring bad outcomes. An incompetent manager can ruin the atmosphere in the team, decrease productivity, or even increase employee turnover.

HRs should pay close attention to this type of motivation, the individuals that respond to it, and how the company uses reward-based motivation.

• 3. Fear-Based Motivation

It is a motivational type that drives people to achieve something they otherwise won’t have been able to. It is not based on any monetary reward, but on the fear of pain or awkward feeling.

Fear-based motivation is always tagged to be negative, but it isn’t.

Though fear-based motivation could involve a negative result to motivate, it usually ends up producing positive results.

A good example is trying to be at work on time because your manager has promised to fine latecomers. The new rule by the manager clearly states that anybody that comes late more than once will not just be fined but fired. To avoid this, you wake up early every morning to beat traffic and be at work. This sudden change to work resumption will be fear-based, not because of the love of the work.

Read Also: Performance-based Pay: An Effective Motivator or Stress Inducer?

So, if the motivation has to do with producing more for the company, with fear of consequences used as a baseline condition, then fear motivation is being used.

Of course, you shouldn’t rely heavily on it, because the negative aspects of this type of motivation can overcome any positive results. And instead of increasing productivity, it may lead to demotivation, lower job satisfaction, stress, and as a result, a rise in turnover.

What a Manager can do to Increase the Employees Motivation?

Employees may not need a pay raise as much as they do personal thanks from their manager for a job well done. Show your workers that you support them, and encourage better performance by motivating them in the following ways:

• Personally thank employees for doing a good job — one on one, in writing, or both. Do it promptly, often, and sincerely.
• Be willing to take time to meet with and listen to employees. Give them as much time as they need or want.
• Provide specific feedback about the performance of the employee, the department, and the organization.
• Strive to create a work environment that is open, trusting, and fun. Encourage new ideas and initiative.
• Provide information about upcoming products and strategies, how the company makes and loses money, and how each employee fits into the overall plan.
• Involve employees in decisions, especially those decisions that directly affect them.
• Encourage employees to have a sense of ownership in their work and their work environment.
• Create a partnership with each employee, giving them a chance to grow and learn new skills. Show them how you can help them meet their goals within the context of meeting the organization’s goals.
• Celebrate successes of the company, the department, and the individuals in it. Take time for team- and morale-building meetings and activities.
• Use performance as the basis for recognizing, rewarding, and promoting people. Deal with low and marginal performers so that they improve their performance or leave the organization.

What are the Benefits of Staff Motivation?

Higher productivity levels

It comes as no surprise that implementing employee motivation techniques encourages people to work productively and results in better revenue outcomes. However, not many people know that a productive way of working also positively influences employee experience, as it promotes higher job satisfaction.

More innovation

Motivating employees with rewards and other benefits grows a culture of innovation. When employees feel appreciated and supported by their organization they want to challenge themselves. Consequently, the importance of motivation in the workplace should never be underestimated, as it stimulates growth. Moreover, managers who recognize what benefits motivate their teams often see the best results.

Lower levels of absenteeism

Employers who acknowledge the importance of motivation in management, accept that leaders get the best out of their teams when they’re supportive and not critical. When a manager cares about their team’s workload and well-being, absence levels tend to be lower as employees feel less stressed and overwhelmed.

Lower levels of staff turnover 

Employee benefits and motivation go hand-in-hand and together contribute to exceptionally high retention rates. When employees receive perks, in addition, to reward incentives, they’re highly motivated and are unlikely to look for another role. Especially, if other companies can’t match their compensation package.

Great reputation and stronger recruitment for your organization

Organizations that understand how to increase employee motivation, often deliver exceptional employee experiences and have a strong internal brand. However, this doesn’t happen overnight. A strong internal brand is the result of data-driven strategies that rely on employee feedback. Businesses with established brand ambassadors, or in other words, happy and motivated employees both retain and attract top talent.

How to Measure Employee Motivation

It’s difficult to assign a metric to measure employee motivation. The only genuine way to measure this is to know how employees are really feeling. Some professionals use employee engagement software, others organize frequent 1-1 meetings.

Annual surveys are too infrequent, too hard to measure, and too long. By the time you ask for feedback in an annual survey, employees may have been living with those problems for up to a year and they may be having detrimental effects on the business. Instead, we recommend you look for a confidential pulse survey tool.

It’ll let you conduct short, frequent surveys, and make it easier for HR to quickly gather and act on vital feedback about what makes employees tick. As a business leaders or HR members, employees may find it difficult to be honest in face-to-face interviews, so confidential questions are a great way to get a full picture of the business.

The best solutions will display your results on a real-time dashboard, allowing you to quickly measure trends and identify issues before they become larger problems. This also allows you to understand what employees find motivating and what they feel may be holding them back – so you can swiftly implement a solution. You also have the ability to regularly check back with them to see if anything has improved or changed. 

Showing that you care, listen and act upon the things that really matter to them, will – ultimately maintain motivation.