Sometimes employers seem to forget that their workers aren’t machines. They are human beings, just like them! It would be silly to expect people to do their work for several hours each day and not feel bored, disenfranchised or annoyed at some point.
The question is, as an employer, how are you dealing with that problem? You might think the onus is on your employees to motivate themselves. However, as their boss, it’s YOUR job to do that! Otherwise, they’ll either end up leaving or you end up firing them for some reason. Of course, either of those scenarios are things you don’t want to happen.
You want to have a happy and productive workforce; one that enjoys their work and doesn’t force themselves to leave home and go to your workplace each day! Do you feel that your staff could do with a motivational boost every now and then? And are you unsure of the best ways to do that? Don’t worry because the following ten motivational hacks will help you fix lack of motivation in your teams:
- Take the time to find out what your employees do
A common problem with many business leaders is they are quite detached from the daily processes of their companies. They tend to focus more on high-level strategies to increase profit rather than making sure their firms are still well-oiled machines.
As a result, they pile on extra work to their staff without knowing what they are doing. Those employees because somewhat annoyed and stressed out because of those actions. Learning more about what your employees do each day will help you to evaluate their workloads. If they’re doing too much, lightening their work will make them more productive assets to your business.
- Don’t be a lazy boss
One gripe staff have with their bosses is when they work hard while their superiors appear to be doing little work. It doesn’t motivate staff if their managers aren’t doing anything productive. They will wonder why they should be working flat-out while their bosses are surfing the Web and reading the sports news or going on Facebook, for example! You know the saying, “lead by example”? Well, that’s quite relevant here!
- Organize team building events
Let’s face it; you spend most of your life at work. Your staff is like your second family, and you have to get on with them. One way to learn more about what makes each person on your team tick is to organize team building events. Companies like Museum Hack can help you organize fun days out. Or, you could set something up yourself, such as a day out go-kart racing or playing some fun outdoor sports!
- Boost the self-esteem of your staff
Are you one of those people that spend most of their time pointing out faults in others? If so, you need to rethink your strategy. Why? Because being so negative will damage the self-esteem of your staff. They’ll soon think nothing they do is ever good enough for you, and will just go and work for someone else! Occasionally telling your team how they’ve done a good job with something is beneficial both to them AND you!
- Go to work bearing gifts
Imagine the look on your team’s faces when they get into work one morning and find you’ve laid out a buffet spread fit for a king! Or handing them their payslips and watching their faces as they discover you’ve given them a generous bonus in their pay that month just for being so good at what they do! Give the gift of giving to your staff, and they’ll hold you in high regard.
- Carry out monthly performance reviews
Spending some one-on-one time with your team members each month will help you and them in several ways. For a start, you can find out if they have any work issues that need resolving. Perhaps they need training in a particular area? Or they might feel they can take on higher volumes of work? Regular performance reviews also enable you to set targets and goals to challenge your staff and keep them motivated
- Re imagine your office design
You might not think it, but the way your workplace looks has a massive effect on how creative and inspired your staff will feel! Forget about the traditional grays, whites, and browns in your office color scheme. Instead, consider using vibrant colors to accentuate lighter tones. Soon, your staff will tell people they work somewhere “cool”!
- Ditch the penguin suits
Some people will tell you that people are more productive if they are wearing a uniform or a suit. But, times are changing, and it’s no longer necessary to be so formal in the office!
Many companies have adopted a casual approach to dress codes; even in retail stores! For example, Apple store employees wear a branded T-shirt, but everything else they were is casual. Your staff will feel more comfortable wearing their own clothes to work than a uniform.
- Host a monthly event with your team and invite guest speakers
Sometimes it’s great to be at work and not actually do any work! Why not give your staff some time out and let them have a relaxing day by creating a monthly event.
It could be an extended lunch break with a food buffet laid out for your team. Plus, you could hire motivational guest speakers to help inspire them and bring out the best of their abilities. Take a look at the APB Speakers website to find out more.
- Run a regular charity raffle
We all love to win stuff, right? Why not inspire your colleagues to be charitable and win the chance of a cool prize by hosting a regular charity raffle? You could give away prizes like discount coupons or even a “free” day off work that is outside of their normal entitlement?
