5 Ways to Motivate Employees

Finding the right people can be a feat for any employer, but more important is – once you’ve found them, how do you keep them? While money and good benefits are important, this study found they’re not the most important; things like peer motivation and feeling encouraged and recognized, ranked higher. 

Whether you’re enticing employees to stay long-term or return for seasonal work, focus on these five areas to help them stay happy and motivated. 

1.   Offer room to grow

No one wants to feel stagnant in their career for any length of time. The opportunity to advance is a huge motivator and it doesn’t always have to come in the form of a promotion. Increased responsibility and feeling trusted and respected can be worth more than a few extra dollars on a paycheck. Consider how you could help employees learn new skills, take ownership, spearhead a new initiative, or carve-out an action plan to a new role. When you reward your best employees with growth, it helps shift their mindset from viewing the job as a steppingstone, to a long-term career. 

2.   Share positive feedback

One of the greatest feelings work can offer is fulfillment. Satisfaction can be gained in a variety of ways – from delivering a perfectly made latte, to going the extra mile to accommodate a special request. When customers express appreciation, make sure the compliment gets back to the employee who made it happen. Taking the time to share positive feedback and acknowledge a job well done makes employees feel good and build a deeper connection your business.

3.   Be transparent

The days of sharing key information with upper management only are a thing of the past. Employees not only want more internal communication, they expect it. Implement regular meetings or a newsletter to communicate things like sales, targets, organizational changes, challenges and wins. This will make employees feel like an important part of the business and help them identify areas to improve.   

4.   Be flexible with scheduling

There’s no doubt about it – technology has changed the way we do business. It’s reasonable for employees to want some sort of flexibility with their schedule, especially if they’re expected to check email from a personal cell phone or use a work laptop to complete a project from home. In fact, Forbes reported that 46 per cent of participants listed flexibility as their most important factor in job searching. The key is to identify a structure that makes sense for your business. Whether it’s a set amount of work-from-home days or flextime to accommodate appointments, you need to offer something in order to be progressive and attract good talent. 

5.   Ask employees what they want

This is a big one that many employers miss – what’s appealing to one person may not be to another. Blanket perks that are intended to motivate can potentially have the opposite effect. LinkedIn sensation #GaryVaynerchuk shared that he takes the time to sit down with each employee and ask what’s important to them. Whereas a new parent may prefer a short lunch so they can leave early to get to daycare on time, shifting the workday by a half hour could mean the world to someone with a long commute. These are small accommodations for an employer that can make a huge difference to an employee’s work-life balance and happiness.   

While there’s no quick-fix when it comes to motivation—and many would argue it’s an inside job—by paying attention, keeping an open mind, and creating a positive, comfortable environment, you’ll be well on your way to building long-term success and employee loyalty.