What is most likely to motivate your employees on a day to day basis? Is it the paycheck at the end of the week? Or, is it the possible profit sharing or bonuses? Is it the occasional rewards or company picnics?
While all of these factors may motivate an employee to perform exceptionally well over a certain period of time, they don’t necessarily provide enough motivation for the “day to day” effort. For example, an employee may come in on a Monday morning and face an overwhelming task. What is going to motivate them to work hard even though they are still in “weekend” mode? While the pay and monthly bonuses may help, a motivating atmosphere and work environment may become the number one motivator for your employees.
It is simple: a motivated employee will perform their job responsibilities better. Studies have shown that while most employees are motivated during their first six months on a new job, their initial enthusiasm and excitement slowly fades away. So, as an employer, how do you create a work environment that maintains enthusiasm each day for the long term?
How to create a workplace that is motivating
1) Create tasks that are beneficial to the company.
Every employee wants to feel that their job makes a difference. If an employee feels like his/her work doesn’t mean anything or isn’t actually contributing, most likely he/she will not be motivated to even accomplish the task. As an employer, ensure that a majority, if not all, of your employees’ tasks have a direct benefit or contribution to the overall success of your company. Strategically created tasks that directly affect the company will energize and motivate the employee to perform to their best ability.
•Hire top performers.
A study performed by Leadership IQ in June of 2006 showed that 93% of employees felt that working with a low performer decreased their own productivity. Top performers should have a certain degree of self-motivation to begin with.
• Show appreciation.
Appreciation can be a simple “good job” or “nice work.” It will only take a few moments out of your day to show your employees that you notice their outstanding work.
•Set goals.
A goal is a result that someone is expecting to achieve successfully in a designated amount of time. Create a list of goals that an employee or the overall company could reasonably attain. Choose somewhere to display the goals.
5) Display confidence.
Show that you trust your employees to make the right decisions for the overall well-being of the company. To an extent, allow the employee to be creative in their job tasks.
While there are many ways to motivate your employees, these five simple tips can create a motivating work atmosphere without requiring much time or money from you.
