Five Ways to Motivate Employees

Motivating employees can be a challenge for any business. Some of the most effective ways to motivate employees can be through recognition, opportunities for growth, a transparent work environment, gamification, and avenues for feedback.

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Companies have been looking for ways to motivate employees since there have been companies, trying everything from expensive rewards to exploring gamification software. This article will look at some of the simple ways business can increase motivation without breaking the bank.

The Value of Motivation

Employee motivation has a host of benefits to companies: higher engagement, decreased likelihood of leaving to work somewhere else, and increased productivity in the workplace. However, it’s important to remember that motivation in employees is fostered by making the employees happy.

Recognition

As we move through this list, you’ll see that many of the things companies can do to increase motivation are simple. This speaks volumes about how common negative workplaces are, as a little can go a long way.

One of the smallest steps a business can make is acknowledging the contributions and successes of its employees. Knowing that the company you work for cares about what you do and the time and effort it takes you to meet their goals can be transformative for people. It’s also important this is done–at least at times–publicly, so employees can see their work recognized by coworkers.

Career Development Opportunities

The possibility for advancement is not only a strong motivator, it’s one of the best ways to increase employee engagement. For some employees, this means a path to higher-paying management positions, but that isn’t all it has to be.

Businesses looking to motivate employees should offer opportunities for their workers to develop skills and grow in their current role. This can manifest as mentorship, training programs, or company-funded certifications.

Gamification

Gamification is the process of turning something into a game. Made popular in recent times by apps aimed at helping people follow through on all kinds of life tasks, from dieting to meditating, gamification can also be used at all kinds of jobs.

A few ways to gamify a workplace is to introduce specific goals that are rewarded when met, creating a system of points or badges employees can earn and then apply to benefits, such as being enrolled in a lottery, or posting public leaderboards so employees can measure themselves or their team in relation to the company and be rewarded for their ranking at the end of certain periods.

Transparency

Another avenue of building motivation that is simple but rarely employed is building a transparent work environment. One of the parts of motivating employees is making sure they understand what their work is doing, what it is building, and how it connects to the larger picture.

Understanding this can help workers connect their individual tasks to those of their coworkers and the company as a whole. Transparency also means management admitting when they’re wrong or see a need to adjust a strategy–and not just saying, “Because I say so,” but giving employees a lens through which they can understand shifting assignments and workloads.

Accept Feedback

Part of creating a transparent workplace is accepting feedback. Employees are more motivated if they believe their work matters and if they feel as if they are valued.

One of the best ways to accomplish both of these things is by accepting employee feedback. When someone is heard and their concerns and ideas are taken seriously, their connection to their workplace deepens, and so does their motivation to engage their work.

Employees are more likely to disconnect from their jobs if they don’t believe their work experience matters to anyone but them. It’s management’s responsibility to create an avenue for feedback however. It’s not enough to just accept it–it needs to be actively solicited from employees.

Moving Forward

Motivation among employees is an important measure for companies of every size. If your employees are motivated, their work will suffer, tasks might go uncompleted, affecting other departments, and, ultimately, your workers will go to look for a job that engages them. You can avoid all these things by creating development opportunities, recognizing employees’ hard work, building a transparent work environment, gamifying work, and establishing avenues for feedback.

If you’re looking for expert guidance in these adjustments and more, check out Centrical. We can help you make sure both your company and your employees are getting everything they need to succeed!