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Top 5 Ways to Motivate Your Employees

April 23, 2013

Employees can become unmotivated for a variety of reasons. It may be an individual’s work ethic or distractions at home. However, it is also important to acknowledge the fact that you play a large part in the motivation and success of your employees. If they don’t like coming to work, they are unlikely to put forth their best effort which can cost you and your company a lot of money. Here are 5 ways to keep your employees motivated, thus keeping your company successful:

Create a Friendly Work Environment

Google is a great example of a company that listens to what its employees need and understands that different people need different things. So, they do their best to cater to everyone by taking a very scientific approach to the way they design their spaces. They consider everything from the décor and furniture to lighting and ventilation systems when designing spaces within the offices.

Most employees spend at least 40 hours a week at work. So, why not create an environment that your employees enjoy? The more comfortable they are at work, the more likely they are to be excited about being there.

Recognize Their Accomplishments

Be sure to recognize your employees for a job well done not only publicly, but individually. Take your employee aside to let them know that you appreciate their hard work and that you think they are an asset to the company.

If you can’t be there in-person to thank them, consider sending them a handwritten note. Inc. wrote about Stanley McChrystal, a retired U.S. Army general, who once had more than 150,000 subordinates. He used to send more than 2,000 thank-you notes to his troops each year. Stanley said that he used to even receive thank you notes in return and found that some soldiers had framed his notes and hung them in their bunk areas. Yes, an email is much quicker to send, but taking the time to send a handwritten note can mean so much more.    

Pay Them Fairly

Acknowledging their accomplishments is great, but paying them fairly is also very important. If you have employees who continuously do great work and take on additional responsibilities, you need to pay them what they deserve. If they haven’t received a raise in two years or they get paid significantly less than the average salary for someone in their role, then you have a problem. Employees who know they aren’t getting paid enough they will become unmotivated and feel unappreciated. And eventually, they may leave.

Provide Coaching or Mentorship

Providing your employees with access to mentors or coaches within your company is another great way to keep them motivated. Not only is it something that could be extremely beneficial to their professional growth, but they will feel much more at home in an organization that seeks to nurture them professionally. Providing someone with access to the thoughts of a leader or more experienced colleague within your company may inspire them and inspired people are usually some of the most motivated.  

Get to Know Them

It is important to take the time to learn about each of your employees. Yes, you’re busy, but it doesn’t take that long to stop and have a short conversation with each of your employees every once in a while. This will help them to feel noticed and they will be more likely to do great work if they know they are being seen by their managers.

What are some ways that you try and motivate your employees? Please share your tips below! 

Posted By: Briana Perrino

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