The New Year can be a great time to be at work. If you have a positive company culture built on trust, recognition and reward, your employees are likely to return to work fresh, full of ideas and motivated to reach their goals over the coming year. However, it can also be a very tricky time for your company. January is the busiest month for recruiters as demotivated employees across the UK decide that enough is enough and it’s time to look for something new.
If motivation is a problem for your workforce, it can have a hugely damaging effect on your business. However, all is not lost. If you’re committed to doing something about it, it is possible to make a few positive changes to motivate your team in 2020.
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Recognise and reward your team
Do you have an employee recognition and reward scheme in place? If not, it’s time to create one. Rewards can come in all shapes and sizes and they don’t have to be expensive. If an employee has gone over and above or delivered a piece of work that a client is delighted with, give them the afternoon off. Alternatively, if a whole team is performing well, why not treat them to something they can all benefit from such as a regular basket of fresh fruit from a provider like Fruitful Office. With health and fitness so important for many workers, you might be surprised by just how much difference such a small gesture can make.
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Be more flexible
With the flexible working revolution happening all around them, it’s hardly surprising your team are demotivated if it’s completely passing them by. Work plays an important part in everyone’s lives, but that doesn’t mean it should come at the expense of other priorities such as spending more time with their families and avoiding the rush hour traffic. Think about ways you can be more flexible and you might be surprised by how motivated your staff become.
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Give them room to grow
One common cause of demotivation in the workplace is a perceived lack of room to grow. If you don’t promote from within or offer employees the opportunity to learn new skills and develop their careers, there’s really no incentive for them to do their best work or try to impress. According to Gallup 87 percent of millennial employees say career growth and development opportunities are crucial aspects of their job. If they’re not getting those opportunities, they’ll either coast or start to look elsewhere.
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Create a positive workplace culture
Negativity is a disease that creeps into workplaces and is very hard to get rid of. While negativity can be caused by a few influential individuals, employers also have to take a long hard look at themselves. It’s very easy to be critical when things go wrong but not provide any praise when things go right. That can be an extremely demotivating approach to take. If your staff are doing a great job, make sure you tell them. Having a positive attitude and giving regular feedback can make a big difference to the culture of the business.
It’s not always easy
Motivating your team is not always easy and it can take numerous failed attempts before you strike on something that works. However, making small, incremental changes over time and simply showing your willingness to change will make a difference.
What methods have you tried to motivate your team? Were they successful? Please share your experiences in the comments below.