5 steps to a motivated workforce
We live in a competitive world. Things are constantly changing. For a business to be successful it needs to be working at its peak and in order to do this, it needs a motivated workforce. It is essential that employees are fully engaged and working to the best of their ability. In order to achieve this, we have put together a 5-step plan to motivate your workforce.
1) What motivates your employees?
It’s important to start by recognising that everybody is different. While some will be motivated by pay or status, others may be more interested in working conditions, fringe benefits or even feeling more stretched with what they do. Take time to find out what generates excitement for those within your team, a performance appraisal would be an ideal time to find this out.
2) Decide on actions to improve motivation
Now that the team have shared what motivates them, it’s time to see what actions can be put into place. There are likely to be policies at an organisational level that could be beneficial to employees such as a flexible working policy, opportunities for training / promotion, discounted goods or healthcare options. Look at your team’s feedback and match up their desires with what is already in place. In some cases, it may be necessary to speak to Senior Managers / HR Members to discuss ideas about new benefits that could be implemented in the future.
3) Express your support
As a Manager it's important to support employees wherever possible. Make sure that you aim to honour any assurance you have given to employees. If, for some reason, you are unable to do this, make sure you speak to the employee directly and explain what has happened and why this has led to an unplanned change.
4) Show thanks and appreciation
Remember to show gratitude to staff on a regular basis. It’s important to give credit where credit is due and remember that a simple “thank you” can go a long way.
5) Remove de-motivators
As well as looking at what motivates the workforce, it’s important to find out what de-motivates them. Be it physical factors such as noise level or psychological factors such as boredom it’s worth looking at what is causing problems for the workforce. Some issues can be dealt with quickly whereas others may take more time. But, either way, it’s just as important to take away the de-motivators and it is to bring in the motivators.
Top tip – Another way to find out what is motivating your employees is to make full use of Exit Interviews. Why not call Exacta now on 0800 085 6618 to discuss how exit interviews could have a positive impact on your business?
