5 Ways to Motivate Employees
High employee turnovers eat into company resources spent on capacitating new team members. Your best bet in retaining an experienced workforce lies in tried-and-test HR strategies such as competitive pay, growth opportunities, and desirable benefits. But to build and foster employee relations, employers need to keep communication lines open. With constant and honest dialogue, snags in workplace dynamics that affect productivity can be easily pinpointed and straightened out.
Being a manager means being on top of things, including affairs your staff may be unwilling to discuss. By brushing up on your powers of observation, you can learn to identify workplace issues even if they are not verbalised by your employees.
Monitor their level of participation.
Enthusiastic workers are a wellspring of ideas and feedback during meetings. Volunteerism and the initiative for self-improvement are standout traits of employee engagement and satisfaction. If you notice any of your members’ lackluster response and participation, perhaps it is time to set them aside for a talk. By listening to their concerns, and in turn, outlining their job responsibilities, you and your employees can have a better understanding of each other’s roles and expectations.
Find out the cause of substandard output.
The failure to meet deadlines and submission of insufficient work are signs of low employee motivation. Get to the root cause of the problem by asking what your worker needs to perform better. Is it a lack of guidance? Or a difficulty working with other team members? A good employer is an intuitive one, knowing when and how to mediate to ease workflow.
Initiate communication.
Because most Asian cultures include a reluctance to speak out, try making the first move in communicating with your workers. Schedule one-on-one or small-group meetings to catch up on internal matters. Maybe it would even help to hold these check-ins on neutral ground outside the office. Over a cup of coffee in a casual setting, your employees are bound to feel more relaxed and to let their guard down, allowing them to converse in a frank and honest manner.
Make them feel appreciated.
Realise that your staff have lives outside the office. Their personal problems, coupled with workplace stress, can take a toll on their energy and enthusiasm. Though most of their personal affairs are beyond your power and responsibility, you can contribute to their sense of happiness in the workplace. Boost their drive by taking the time to recognise their efforts and achievements. Remembering their birthdays and giving them tokens of appreciation on special occasions can do wonders in enhancing employee relations.
Act swiftly.
At the first sign of dissatisfaction among employees, it is best to address it right away. If you wait too long, discontent will only grow, ultimately leading to a resignation letter in your inbox. Time is of the essence; use it wisely in quickly identifying and resolving workplaces issues. Your swiftness in setting things right will make your employees feel valued and heard, inspiring them to work and be better.
Skilled and dependable employees are your most valuable assets. By focusing on their wellbeing, you also contribute to the health and development of your business. Letting them grow with the company is beneficial on both ends, providing a foundation of security and trust for plans—both personal and business-related—to flourish and find fulfilment.
