As leaders, we know the major pitfalls of when our staff are unmotivated. Increased absenteeism? Check. Lower productivity? Check. Less buy-in for company goals? Check. More turnover? Sadly, check.

What we want is to keep our employees motivated. This keeps them driven, innovative, engaged, and willing to stay with a company that challenges them. You get proactive employees who believe in the company’s goals and will do their very best work to make them happen.

Sounds great, but we all know that it can be hard to achieve this motivation - especially when you have a large and diverse group of people. When we say diverse, we don’t only mean their backgrounds, but even their working styles can differ from person to person. It’s said that less than 10% of organizations are taking into account employee experience, and unfortunately it shows!

The good news is that there are some easy steps to motivating your team that are universal and can be applied to every employee.

Do Your Homework

It can all seem to be easier said than done, but it’s nothing a little research can’t handle. What are the best companies doing? Which organizations have really flourished with employee engagement? Why not ask your connections what they have done to increase motivation? How have other organizations made it all work? When is it time to talk to an outside consultant about organizational change? Take a look at your industry giants and see what can be applied. If you take these actions and use the tools below, you'll see a change.

Trust Your Staff and Let Them Know What’s Happening

You’ve probably already heard many times throughout the last few years about how micromanagement is a motivation killer, but it does still need to be said. Employees who feel they are micromanaged are less likely to take initiative or be innovative. They’re also more likely to leave. Employees who feel like their leaders trust them will do the opposite. If you empower your staff to figure things out for themselves and make decisions without you they will not only flourish, but they could make succession planning a lot easier for you. Information is also really important, so be honest with your staff about what’s happening in the company, even the ugly stuff.

“Because I Said So” Doesn’t Work on Adults

It can be really infantilizing in the workplace when a manager doesn’t share the big picture. When staff are given only puzzle pieces without knowing what the overall goals are or what will be accomplished by their work, it can feel like they’re just peons on a chessboard with no real purpose. By sharing the overall goals of your organization, how their work contributes to those goals, and what the endgame is, you give your staff a purpose behind their work. Employees will be more likely to go above and beyond for you.

Positive Reinforcement and Rewards

If you want your staff to produce the absolute minimum or leave, then by all means, single people out and recognize everything they’ve done wrong. If you want your staff to give you their absolute best, focus on and recognize what they are doing well. Positive reinforcement encourages and motivates employees to do their best work. In celebrating their successes, make sure that you properly reward your staff as well. It can be as small as an employee recognition program or a bonus structure. Employees who are recognized and well-rewarded for their efforts won’t be easily recruited out of your company and will drive themselves to innovate.

Talk to Your Staff

In the age of COVID-19, employee engagement is more important than ever. What better way to engage your employees than to ask them? Many organizations start with a simple (and anonymous) survey to see what their staff is thinking. This creates a buy-in, where your employees can take the initiative to be a part of the change. Sometimes the feedback is hard to hear, but it could be well worth it in the end.

Of course, employee motivation is a long-term commitment that doesn’t happen overnight. It can also feel overwhelming to look at the options and build something on your own. Staffmax has experts on hand that can help you flesh out a plan to help motivate your staff and maximize their potential, so if all else fails...please give us a call!