Whether your business has a handful of staff or a few hundred, employee motivation is important if you want to keep your workforce happy and receive positive results. Either way, you will no doubt have spent time and effort trying to recruit the best people for the job, so losing them to a competitor that offers better incentives will, in the long run, cost you more time and money. Employee motivation doesn’t always have to be about offering financial perks and there are lots of other things you can do to make sure everyone feels valued. We’ve put together some ideas to help incentivise your staff.
Flexible working
As we cram more and more into our already busy lifestyles, the classic nine-to-five isn’t always suitable and we all occasionally benefit from flexible working hours. Allowing your staff a little more freedom with where and when they work will go a long way. We’re not saying staff should be given total control over the structure of their day, but if you are serious about employee motivation, granting a few work-from-home days may increase productivity and make better use of the time that’s usually spent in rush hour traffic. Employee motivation can also be generated by offering time back in lieu to compensate for late nights or heavy workloads.
Financial perks
While accounting for every penny is important for businesses, sometimes you need to speculate to accumulate. Employee motivation can be sustained if your staff feel valued, so make sure you’re paying them the going rate and avoid losing out to competitors. If you can beat what others are offering, even marginally, it might be worth it for the right employee. Offering competitive holiday and sick pay benefits is always advantageous, but you could also give everybody an additional day’s leave over Christmas, as a thank you for hard work. While you might then feel as though you’re a day behind, your workforce will return more motivated to put in the hard work.
Team up with local services
Taking on the services of other local businesses can prove to be great employee motivation. You could offer lunchtime massages, smoothie breakfasts or early morning yoga classes to really incentivise everyone and have staff skipping to work. If you feel your business could offer something in return, see if you can strike up a deal to keep the costs down. Discounted theatre tickets, gym subscriptions and restaurant offers are other ways you can keep your staff smiling whilst helping other local businesses.
Team building
Whether you can stretch to an annual day out or monthly Friday drinks, employee motivation can involve bonding the team. Inject some fun into the office by throwing a lunchtime party, or generate some lighthearted competitiveness by putting on a quiz. Employee motivation doesn’t have to be expensive, and if it means you’re running a happy ship, then it’ll be worth it.
Enhance the work environment
If the office is a welcoming environment, staff will feel happier about being there. Simple things such as providing tea and coffee, daily newspapers and a comfortable chillout room are small but effective ways to make the workplace a happier one. Checking in with your employees to make sure they are comfortable at their desks and have everything they need will go a long way.
Other ways to achieve employee motivation
Providing support, offering gratitude and taking the time to get to know your staff are all ways in which you can make sure your workforce feel happy and respected. Employee motivation can be spontaneous too, from offering an early finish on a Friday to a small reward for employee of the month. Keep your employees smiling and you’ll soon reap the benefits.
