If you are at the point when your business venture has a decent-sized team of staff members working for it, then the chances are things have gone well and you’ve been able to progressively build something up over the years.
However, hiring people to work for your company is not the be all and end all. These staff members need to be treated the proper way and motivated, so that they can go on to produce the best work possible on behalf of your business.
Money and other work-related benefits are always going to be important to workers, but research has surprisingly found that they aren’t the top motivators inside of the workplace. Peer motivation, as well as feeling recognised and appreciated have been found to be the largest factors on employees’ motivation levels. So, if you want to run a business successfully, regardless of its size, you need to be able to keep your staff motivated.
Ways to Motivate Employees
As any employer knows, motivated employees are essential for a successful business. Not only do they work harder and produce better results, but they are also more likely to stay with the company for a longer period of time. There are a number of ways to motivate employees, and the best approach will vary depending on the individual. However, there are some general strategies that can be effective in motivating most workers.
One of the most important things is to provide employees with a clear sense of purpose. This can be done by setting clear goals and expectations, and by providing feedback on performance on a regular basis. In addition, it is important to create an environment that is supportive and positive. This means providing opportunities for training and professional development, and fostering a culture of motivating your workforce can be done in a large number of different ways.
Understanding the needs of your staff members and being fair to them at all times will go a long way in ensuring they are fully motivated to work for you. As the leader of the business, your team members will naturally look up to you, so don’t allow your own standards to drop; this will undoubtedly affect the entire business.
Here’s a few things you can do to ensure staff members are motivated and will happily work their hardest for you and your respective business venture.
Make sure your workplace environment is pleasant
There is nothing worse than dreading turning up to work each day as you are set to leave the house. This is a part of many people’s daily lives and it is largely due to toxic workplace environments. You should aim to ensure your office (or other type of workspace) is a great place to work and enjoyable for everyone involved. There is nothing good about making your employees despise being at work, so try to make sure you are at the helm of a friendly premises.
Other things to consider may seem less obvious, but they are equally as important. For instance, you should make an effort to buy decent furniture for your offices, such as comfortable seats for workers to sit in while they work, and sturdy desks for them to use on a daily basis. These little touches really do make a huge different when you are at work. If people are comfortable, they will find working more enjoyable and manageable.
Don’t go back on promises
If you make promises to your employees, try to never go back on them. This can potentially cause distress and distrust within your workplace, which are things you don’t want your employees feeling; it will harm their motivation levels. For example, if you told someone they can have time off around the Christmas period, or have promised someone a bonus/ pay rise during a certain month, you should stick to your word. If you start going back on the things you have said, you’ll see motivation levels begin to falter and it’ll be because of your own actions – or inactions in this case.
How to keep your staff motivated, remotely
Now that working from home has become somewhat of an accepted norm within the business world of the UK, you’ll need to utilise some techniques to cater towards that. Keeping your staff motivated from a distance is indeed a modern challenge, but one that you will need to overcome quickly to stay ahead in your sector.
Here are a few tips on how to keep your staff members motivation levels high while they are working in an environment they normally spend their down time in.
Keep cameras on during video calls
At the point when you have a group meeting consistently make certain to utilise a service that permits you to all video call. Ensure everybody has their camera turned on. It has a gigantic effect when everybody can see one another and it’s a far better experience than staring at a blank screen will ever be.
Being able to see other colleagues and fellow workers also makes things a bit more normal for most people, so it can only have positive effects on their motivation.
Accomplish the right balance
Openness is absolutely vital, so stay in touch, but ensure you are not micromanaging. Everybody has been significantly more stressed than usual due to the global pandemic and having a manager breathing down your neck won’t be productive. Make a point to give your employees the consolation and inspiration they need to manage their responsibilities yet make sure to have some additional tolerance.
Accomplishing this balance will be key when trying to achieve success from a distance, as many business owners will be looking to in the modern world.
Be a supportive team leader from afar
Being a strong and supportive leader and giving steady initiative to your group is a critical factor to your employee’s feelings of motivation. Putting trust into them and being thoughtful will take you far; the best leaders act as role models, which helps them to demand respect.
If you can become a strong role model even while away from your workers, you will gain their respect and motivate them to work even harder for you. By doing this you will have no worries when it comes to productivity, even while people work remotely.
Set key aims for each staff member
Having clear objectives and setting targets will assist with motivating your group. If your representatives know what they are really going after it will keep them persuaded. Sharing your vision and setting the group a definitive business objective will propel them to cooperate and accomplish the best outcomes they can.
Teams are roused when they know what they are doing and by having clearly defined objectives will do precisely that, laying out clear objectives and quantifiable objectives that are in accordance with the vision of the business permits you and the group to follow your prosperity. On the off chance that you put forward these objectives you will see inspiration go up as the group will feel esteemed and it will develop usefulness.
Set S-M-A-R-T goals and if you going to keep tabs on their development, we encourage to do the three following things. Sort out and reconsider your objectives often, make activity plans with achievements, and lastly track your time so you realise that your day-by-day endeavours are being engaged.
Share positive feedback
It is important that your team of employees is aware of when they are doing a good job. With this in mind, it is your duty as the business owner to inform them of when they are getting things right. Don’t be afraid of saying “well done” when somebody performs well over a period of time or clinches your company an all-important sales deal.
You should try to normalise positivity within your workplace in order to keep spirits high and allow for both cooperation and boosted motivation. Get your employees to give each ither a pat on the back and celebrate one another’s achievements when the time is right to do so.
Having incredible representatives who’ve been at your organisation for a long time is a huge plus. Keeping employees motivated, particularly during difficult stretches is a significant piece of your business’ prosperity. Long-term workers know the intricate details of the company, and they additionally make maintaining your business significantly easier and more enjoyable.
Make your expectations clear
At the point when workers don’t comprehend what they should do on a specific venture, it’s difficult for them to get amped up for it. Each time you give your staff a task, explain however many subtleties as you can and confirm your directions and assumptions. Likewise clarify how the task finds a way into the organisation’s bigger objectives and urge them to pose inquiries in the event that they need extra information.
Reward creativity
Allow your supporting staff to know it’s safe — and, truth be told, urged — to develop new ideas for the business and set them in motion. Your workers will realise that you value their thoughts and encourage them to be creative. They’ll likewise be more contributed and drawn in on the off chance that they’re chipping away at something they thought of.
If somebody’s idea for boosting sales doesn’t work out the first time around, don’t make them feel bad about it, instead tell them to try and try again. This will motivate them to be more creative and ultimately help your business to become more unique in the process.
Host weekly meetings
By hosting weekly or monthly meetings within your workplace, you can cover a great number of things in regard to staff motivation levels. From here you will be able to assess the working environment and overall employee morale, which are both essential when trying to keep spirits at a heightened stage.
Having meetings allows everyone to share their viewpoints and be heard, which is a great way to motivate your employees, make people feel valued and create a more positive company culture throughout your business venture. If this is something new to your business, try not to hit the panic button, as stepping out of your comfort zone can lead to positive steps in changing a firm for the better.
If you become a great motivator, you’ll heighten employee engagement levels, ensure people feel as if they are working in a safe environment, look out for the mental health of workers and bond with other members of your business more effectively. These are all useful elements that will help you to build a better business model.
Think about how you effect things
Improve workplace motivation and morale by realising that as your employees’ boss, you’re their passport to a great or terrible day. Words matter, but there’s much more you can do to help your team get a handle on motivation, including setting high standards and laying out clear expectations.
You should focus on their personal and professional development and start every day with a smile and a welcoming presence. If your employees find you to be unapproachable, they will not be motivated to put in the hard work for your business.
Ask your staff what they want from you
Rather than taking a random guess at what your employees want from you and the company they work for, you should ask them directly. This will be very effective when trying to solve problems, raise motivation levels and doing the right thing by your staff.
Remember, if you treat the people that work for you well, they will most certainly return the favour, as they will feel valued and important to the overall business venture.
Offer training
Most employees need to continue acquiring and improving their abilities so they can progress in their professions. Support and urge that want to learn by offering training programs, tutoring and educational cost help for business related courses.
Talk about career aspirations
Similarly, as it is significant for your organisation to set targets, it’s vital that your representatives have career aspirations, so they feel they’re running after something. Converse with your staff about their desires and work with them on plans for meeting those objectives.
Promote from the inside
If individuals from your staff accept that they’re stuck in the same old job and can’t advance any further, they’ll rapidly lose inspiration. Promoting from inside your own business venture shows that the association is focused on assisting them with ascending the professional bureaucracy, and they’ll work more enthusiastically to get to that next stage in their career.
It is not necessarily the case that you shouldn’t think about acquiring outcasts to fill open positions, yet consistently advancing your representatives can do a great deal for assurance.
Get away from the comfort zone
Urge staff individuals to take on new obligations and undertakings outside of their ordinary jobs. Ensure these tasks are reasonable for people as far as trouble and responsibility, yet in addition attempt to make them try enough that they help representatives fabricate abilities and experience. By allowing your staff individuals an opportunity to attempt new things, you’ll show your confidence in them and brief them to perform at a more elevated level.
Keep staff aligned with the business
If you neglect to share important business data, either deliberately or accidentally, workers will arrive at their own decisions. At whatever point practical, give your staff reports on the association’s monetary exhibition and long-and transient objectives, and clarify how this data affects them and their positions. Keeping your group tuned in will help them feel associated with the company.
Criticise usefully
At the point when workers are making an unacceptable showing, let them know, yet do it with care and class. Never scrutinise a worker before their partners. Likewise, centre the conversation around the exhibition, not the individual. At the end of the day, on the off chance that you think somebody is turning in messy or deficient work, don’t say, “For what reason are you so imprudent nowadays?” Instead, bring up the example of mix-ups you’re seeing, with explicit models, and talk about how the individual could possibly improve later on.
Offer some assistance
Routinely check in with representatives to guarantee their responsibilities are reasonable and told them it’s OK to look for help when they are overpowered. On the off chance that work can’t be dealt with by existing staff, get transitory experts to help keep things on target. Break staff can help during top requests or with exceptional undertakings, facilitating the weight on existing representatives.
Leave the office often
At whatever point conceivable, hold all training days, festivities, or similar workplace activities off-site. A difference in view can give a break from routine and help experts reconnect with their partners. Consider some friendly time in the plan; it can help upgrade the spirit of teamwork within the venture you are currently running.
Recognise falling morale levels
Numerous organisations become mindful of issue with inspiration and confidence just when the issue arrives at a tipping point. To forestall this, be aware of the early manifestations. These remember an ascent for non-appearance, protests about client care, lacklustre showing from top representatives or expanded clash between colleagues.
Always look at salaries
No, cash isn’t the lone explanation individuals feel excited about their work, yet it is a basic factor. Audit the Robert Half Salary Guide to ensure you are offering pay that is somewhat better than expected for your area and industry. In case you’re not, you may be coincidentally sending the message that you don’t esteem your workers’ commitments.
Help staff have a healthy work / life balance
Lift commitment by offering programs like working from home and adaptable timetables, which help representatives shuffle their work and individual lives. Giving nearby administrations like cleaning, youngster care or exercise offices likewise permits colleagues to be more proficient with their time.
Get everybody locked in
Sort out an approach to get the entirety of your workers occupied with important things, such as the decision-making process. Request info and utilise their thoughts however much as could reasonably be expected so they have a personal stake in seeing the venture succeed. This can enable and inspire representatives as well as can prompt new and more useful methods of working that regularly would be disregarded.
Engage high-potential employees
Highly talented workers consistently have different opportunities making their way to them. So, try not to allow them to begin contemplating a future elsewhere. To keep them drew in, think about placing more assets into vocation advancement and preparing. Or then again maybe you can give them new activities that will assist the business with adjusting the evolving market, develop, and create.
Learn from people leaving you
Staff members who are leaving the business will at times be more forthright and legit with you than the individuals who are still employed by you. Post-employment surveys can give you knowledge into ways your specialty can improve. Keep in mind, however, that the withdrawing representative may not be totally even-handed. Consider this when you’re thinking about their remarks.
Give your employees business cards
You should get your employees to hand out business cards on behalf of your company as it will pack a series of benefits, both for their motivation levels and your venture as a whole. Doing things that raise the motivation of your workers while also helping your company thrive in completely different ways is fantastic for the long-term health of your firm.
Every small business in the United Kingdom can utilise business cards for a vast number of positive reasons, which undoubtedly improve networking opportunities, growth levels, connections and more. However, unless the quality of said business cards are high and created with an effective design, the desired effect will not be reached.
So, if you’re a business owner that wants to start handing out business cards for the betterment of your company, get your employees to hand them out for you. This ill boost their self-confidence within your working environment while also further motivating them at in the workplace. This will happen because they will take confidence from being trusted with handing out business cards that represent your company, as well as making them feel like an important part of how the business venture both communicates and operates with others.
Let current employees have a say in who you hire
If you allow your current crop of workers to have a say and give an opinion on who you set on to work alongside them, they will no doubt be motivated to do an even better job than they already are doing. This is because it puts them in a position of power within the company and fills them with confidence.
If your startup business is thriving and going from strength to strength recently, you’ll probably have started to take on more work than you can physically get through on your own. This is where your very first employee comes in to help you carry the load. Very few things are simple when it comes to business management, but one thing is for sure: the more people you have to do the work, the easier it becomes for all involved.
Keep in mind that the more people you set on, the more people you will have to motivate on a daily basis. So, feel free to make your current employees a big part of this process, but only do it when you are completely ready to do so.
Get people working in teams
Pushing teamwork within your workplace means that staff members can inspire one another to achieve better things on behalf of the company. It is essential that you ensure your staff members have a good communication stream between each other if you want motivation levels to remain high, so do all you can to encourage teamwork.
Teams are made for a few reasons. They may have to convey a one-time task or work together on a continuous premise. In any case, if you can exploit a team’s collective efforts and innovativeness, the group can achieve significantly more in far less time while working together, when compared with individuals working alone.
With this in mind, try to ensure that your staff members are aware of how being a great team player can help them to further their own careers. Being a hard-working, valuable member of any group can open professional doors for workers, since bosses may see first-hand what an incredible job someone is doing. Employees may even be invited to display their qualities in other group settings – and in more prominent, roles within the business they already work for.
Could our services help you?
Invoice Factoring may be able to help you to motivate staff members, by making things easier on your company from a financial standpoint. Consider getting in touch with a member of our expert team today if you believe we could be of service to you.
Read more: Become the ultimate team player in the workplace
Seasoned professional with a strong passion for the world of business finance. With over twenty years of dedicated experience in the field, my journey into the world of business finance began with a relentless curiosity for understanding the intricate workings of financial systems.