As every good business manager knows, a company is nothing without the passion of its employees. If the workforce is not interested in meeting the same goals as the company, progress will be sluggish. Yet, if employees are allowed to express their personalities, and enjoy an appropriate degree of influence over day to day conditions, they are more likely to personally invest in its potential.
There are a hundred different ways in which employees can be motivated to perform at their best, and they are not all associated with salary hikes. In fact, numerous studies have suggested that pay rises only boost performance for around a month, and then motivation drops back to its baseline level. If you want to motivate employees, and have them stay motivated, you need to use creative motivation ideas.
This is a guide to four creative employee motivation ideas.
Listen to New Ideas – if an employee approaches you with a new idea or a solution to a problem, it is evidence of the fact that they are emotionally invested in the company. It is not their job to usher innovation into the workplace, but they have put their respect for the business above personal gain. The way to reward this is to listen, and where possible, allow the employee to experiment with putting the new idea into action.
Start A Traveling Trophy Scheme – a traveling trophy recognition scheme is an effective and inexpensive way to encourage employees to perform to the best of their abilities. It can be a little silly and frivolous, but silly has its value within the workplace. This kind of scheme is defined by a token or ‘trophy’ which is awarded to employees who perform better than expected. In most cases, there is a bonus reward attached to winning the trophy a predefined number of times.
Celebrate the Milestones – this is something which many managers excuse away with the claim that their company is too large to pay attention to individual birthdays and engagements. This is not the case, as department heads can easily be put in charge of making sure that employee milestones are tracked, and that workers do not feel like just another cog in a wheel. The term ‘celebrate’ can mean anything from an opportunity to bring cakes into work, to something as simple as a bunch of flowers.
Recognize Personal Achievement – it may come as a surprise to find that the majority of employees would rather receive regular rewards than wait five years for a pay rise. The point to remember about work, particularly in the wake of the economic crash, is that it needs to feel consistently worthwhile. The motivation to perform well has to be apparent from the very beginning, even if it does come in the form of traveling trophies, shopping vouchers, or fancy lunches on the corporate dime. These days, employees really do need to feel recognized.
If you want to find out more about how to motivate employees, or you want to browse a range of incentive based rewards and prizes, get in touch with the experts at Successories on 1-800-535-2773. Without the right motivation, valuable employees are easily lost, and this is something best avoided.