Simple and Effective Strategies to Motivate Your Employees

Working for you seems so great. The workplace atmosphere is awesome. Salaries are competitive. You invest heavily in team building.

However, your employees are constantly leaving you.

Now, you probably think: “It’s not me, it’s them.”

I’d like to say that’s true, but unfortunately, it’s not.

You know what they say- people don’t leave their jobs, they leave their managers.

And, statistics are there to back this statement up. Namely, 50% of employees who left their job positions did so to get away from their boss.

So, what makes you a horrible boss and how to make things right in the future?

Prove that You Care about Them

Did you know that over the half of your employees feel disengaged? This is a major problem that may affect their overall productivity and cost you from $450 to $550 billion every year.

But, money is not the only issue. You need to take your relationship with your employees into consideration, as well. Have you ever asked yourself how satisfied your workers are with you? What would they possibly change? What are their long-term and short-term goals?

As a boss, you need to know it all.

Keep tabs on their private lives and go the extra mile in celebrating their personal milestones. If it’s their birthday, then buy them a cake and throw an office party. It doesn’t to be fancy, but it will mean a lot to them.

Mind their professional milestones, as well. Once they’ve just completed an incredibly difficult project successfully, you should reward them for their hard work. This doesn’t have to be a better job position or a huge raise. Instead of money, you could give them a reloadable prepaid visa card with their name on it, offer them a day off, or praise them publicly.

You should constantly keep track of their behavior patterns and notice if something strange is going on. For example, if one of your stellar employees is underperforming, you need to know what troubles them. Arrange an in-person meeting and see if you can help them. Show them that you care and make them feel like an important family member. That’s what your organization should be after all- a huge family.

Give them a Chance to Learn

Even the most awesome job gets dull over time. Your employees need to work with the same clients, from the same office and complete the same tasks over and over again. No matter how much they appreciate you or love their coworkers when they get bored, they will start looking for new challenges. And, your rivals are already lurking around, waiting for them.

But, how to retain your employees?

You hire young and ambitious people, willing to learn and improve themselves. And, if that’s something you expect from them, you need to provide them with the opportunity to perfect their skills and take their career to the next level.

Ask them what they want to learn about and where they see themselves in the next few months. According to their answers, you should organize numerous relevant in-house courses or even pay for some accredited seminars.

Additionally, give them different tasks and make their jobs more challenging. Inspire innovation and allow them to express their creativity.

This was beautifully explained by Steve Jobs: “It doesn't make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do. We hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.”

As they become more competent and independent at what they do, give them career advancement opportunities. Surveys show that this is one of the most powerful employee retainment strategies. More than 30% of Millennials would stay with their current employer if they give them a chance to advance.

Give them Feedback Regularly

One of the most obvious sources of frustration among your workers is the insufficiency of quality feedback. If you believe that providing quarterly reports or an annual performance review is enough, you’re wrong. They want to know how they’re doing and they expect you to tell that to them regularly.

Statistics show that highly engaged employees get feedback on a weekly basis. On the other hand, those who receive little or no feedback feel disengaged and are more likely to underperform.  

Make your feedback specific. It needs to be helpful and to explain how your employee can improve a certain aspect of their performance. Take some time to provide them with the tools, advice, or training that may help them do so. Most importantly, state your requirements clearly so that they know where they stand in relation to what you expect of them.

This is how you will motivate them to improve their performance, make them feel recognized, and boost their satisfaction.

Ask them for Advice

It’s paramount that you show your employees they’re not just a bunch of easily replaceable cogs in your well-oiled machine. To make the wheels of the machine spin right, every cog needs to have a specific, equally important role.

Involve them in your decision making and let them contribute to the company’s bottom line actively. They will feel more valued, see their future inside your organization, and be more committed to helping your company grow.

What makes this practice great is the fact that it will inspire your employees to communicate with each other openly, come up with fresh ideas, and solve all problems as a team.

Back to You

Improving your workplace morale may be a complex, long-term investment, but it definitely pays off. It will help you earn your employees’ trust, establish a positive corporate culture, and improve people’s overall satisfaction. It will also boost their performance, build powerful relationships between them, and keep them loyal to you.  

How do you motivate your employees?