Are your employees dragging their feet? Giving you less than you know they have got?
If you think your employees are caught in a motivational slump, it is your job as their manager to inspire your employees, keep them happy and fuelled to be the best they can be in their job.
Take a look at these five tips on how to help your employees feel happier at work.
1. Show Your Appreciation
Don’t automatically assume that more money or holiday bonuses can motivate employees; very often small, more thoughtful perks can go a long way in boosting morale.
Consider the following to show your appreciation to your employees and to make them feel valued in the workplace:
- Offer flexible working hours, where employees can work from home one day a week
- Casual Fridays
- Catered lunches or order pizza for late work nights
On a simpler level, find out your employee’s favourite restaurant and treat them to lunch.
2. Set Clear Expectations
Clarity is the pathway to solid results and your employees should understand:
- What they are expected to do
- How they are expected to do it
- How they will be judged
Without goals or expectations, employees will naturally feel aimless. Outlining clear expectations with employees is one of the basic fundamentals of management, and communicating overall company goals makes employees feel that they are an important part of the team.
3. Reward Achievements
Never underestimate the power of recognition, provided it is used in moderation and at the right time. By rewarding employees and recognising their achievements, you show them that they matter to your company.
If you are worried about saving on costs, or perhaps you don’t have the budget for raises or bonuses, there are quite a few ways that you can reward employees without adding to your overheads. Consider the following when trying to make your employees feel recognised:
- Reward employees who go above and beyond with a day off or if is not an option, perhaps ley your employees choose between arriving a couple of hours late, or leaving a couple of hours early.
- Free food can be a great incentive for a job well done. Either take your employee out for lunch to celebrate their achievement, or if it is the whole team, a pizza lunch party will make everyone feel appreciated.
- Rotational spot prizes are also a great way to recognise employee achievements. Consider gift cards, scratch cards or dress-down days; combine these rewards with an announcement of that employee’s achievement during a team meeting or via email and you will have one happy member of staff.
4. Make Meetings Actionable
Meetings, meetings and more meetings. Often an employee’s day can be filled with endless meetings about meetings, which can leave them feeling annoyed and frustrated.
Instead of having meetings for the sake of meetings, try organising one structured get together a week. Employees will then be able to think more thoroughly about what to contribute to the conversation. In addition, ensure attendees leave with actionable tasks; this will add practical value to your meetings.
5. Create Socialising Opportunities
The majority of people choose to separate their personal and professional lives, however, this does not mean that your employees shouldn’t be able to converse and get along with each other outside a normal work environment.
These can be simple gatherings such as group lunches, which encourage people to let their hair down and casually talk to each other. These small socialising opportunities help build bonds among employees and will make work seem less robotic and more like an organic team effort.
May 14, 2016
By Florence Kenefick
