Did you know that disengagement and demotivation impact a whopping 70 percent of American workers?
When your workers lack motivation, you face issues beyond lower productivity and worse morale. These employees tend to quit more often, do lower quality work, and hurt your company's stability and bottom line.
The good news is that you have several ways to encourage employees. Read on for five employee motivation ideas to try today.
1. Offer Appropriate Incentives for Hard Work
The most common methods of motivating employees include monetary and non-monetary incentives for employees.
For example, you can reward your highest performers with attractive bonuses. You may also offer profit sharing to encourage workers to help the company make money.
On the other hand, you can give your best employee a special parking spot, allow for top performers to work from home, or hold recreational events to celebrate success.
2. Give Your Employees Some Control
Employees can easily get demotivated when they feel they have no say over the company. So, give your workers time to share their ideas and encourage an open culture for a more productive workforce.
At the same time, avoid micromanagement since this can slow down workers and make them frustrated. As long as employees get quality work done, let go some if they have a different way of doing things.
3. Be Open to Flexible Work Schedules
Did you know that flexible schedules help keep your employees engaged and also cut down on turnover? Since you likely have workers with a variety of lifestyles, consider allowing for more flexible work hours or allow staff to telecommute.
For example, you may set an 10- to 12-hour period each day during which your employees can complete their eight-hour shifts. You may also allow workers to choose between telecommuting entirely or working just a few days from home.
4. Make the Work Environment a Comfortable Place
If you make employees work in a dim, crowded, and noisy workplace, this can hurt productivity, lead to many distractions, and harm office motivation.
Consider designing the office so that it's brighter, modern, and visually pleasing. For example, you might add newer lighting, put some nice pictures on the wall, and move furniture so that the space looks more open.
Also, make sure that the equipment you've provided works properly and doesn't need an upgrade.
5. Schedule Special Days and Outings for Workers
To stay motivated during long workdays, your employees need something to look forward to so that their effort seems worth it.
When closing a busy sales period or reaching a major milestone, consider having a party or outing for your staff. This might include an after-work dinner, weekend trip to the beach, or even just a food truck in the parking lot.
Put These Employee Motivation Ideas Into Practice
By using these employee motivation ideas, you'll help your employees see that you appreciate their work. This should lead to happier and more productive employees.
Along with these methods of motivation, know that being honest and open with your staff goes a long way too. So, share balanced feedback and keep your workers informed of the company's operations and performance.
For more tips on running a more productive and successful business, check out our other helpful posts. Visit the HR and Quotes section of the Bootstrap Business Blog for more employee motivation ideas and inspirational advice.