5 Most Effective Ways to Motivate Employees

Happy workers mean productive workers. But, how does a company motivate their employees to work hard and be a part of the success of the business? Literally, motivating employees doesn’t need a lot of resources. It can be a simple gesture of saying “hi” to your staff.

How To Motivate Your Employees

Neither should motivating workers be a competition or a challenge. One of the greatest ways to motivate your workers is by making them feel excited to go to work each day and to spend time with their co-workers.

Empower your employees

Each worker in a company contributes to the success of a company, whether big or small. Empowering each worker to excel in their respective role, can certainly start a sense of priority that will ignite the worker to work harder to meet and exceed goals. In addition, a company may ask workers on how they can continuously improve their day-to-day performance. Monthly reviews with regard to worker performance can be done to identify certain areas of improvement and pinpoint factors affecting the success of each individual. This can easily be coupled with monthly award programs to reinforce the contributions individuals make.

Communicate better with your employees

One of the most important aspects of meeting goals that is often neglected is communication. The importance of communication in a workplace is overlooked many times. It’s funny how the easiest thing a worker can do is often overlooked in so many ways.

Communication should be frequent among workers and management. Talking and listening to worker sentiments to ideas should be valued to keep them working efficiently. It should be noted that communication is one way of showing appreciation for a job well done.

Offer employee rewards for accomplishments

Rewards are always a fun way to boost motivation for workers. Even a single pat on the back or a high five can be one way of appreciating accomplished work. But what makes it more rewarding is offering incentives, whether monetary, gift cards or a simple note to remind the worker that, indeed a job was well done. This is also one way of showing appreciation for the time and effort shown by a worker.

Be a role model for your employee

Don’t expect your workers to work hard every day if you don’t lead by example. If you want your workers to behave the way you want them, be a role model. Help them realize the importance of their roles to the achievement of company success.

Offer opportunities for advancement

Most workers are motivated when they know they are working hard for something. If they learn that there’s no opportunity for a career development or advancement, they won’t be motivated to work efficiently. Who wants to work for a dead end job? Nobody. So, motivate by offering responsible workers a career training or seminar to improve their skills in order to advance to a higher position.

5 Intrinsic Rewards That Motivate Employees

There is no denying that motivated employees are usually more productive, efficient, and effective than their unmotivated counterparts. In the past employees were often motivated by the thought of extrinsic rewards, but today, it is becoming more and more common for employees in the workplace to be motivated by intrinsic rewards. As an employer, it is an important to have a clear understanding of what intrinsic rewards are motivate employees. Let’s look at them.

  1. A sense of purpose: This reward means that your employee feels that that he or she has a chance to accomplish something with a real value, or something that actually matters in the grand scheme of things. Give your employee purpose. In other words, they believe that the job they are doing has a real purpose in life and is worth devoting their time, attention, and energy to achieving.
  2. A sense of recognition: For some of your employees, the intrinsic motivation that comes with being recognized as a valued member of the company is far more important than any tangible prize they may receive. While it is great to receive a gift as part of an employee recognition program, many employees often find more motivation and feel more pride simply by seeing themselves recognized as one of the company’s top employees. This will frequently inspire him or her to work harder in order to attain a certain level of recognition.
  3. A sense of accomplishment: The intrinsic motivation that comes with having a sense of accomplishment is often very strong. For example, a nurse may feel immense pride and achievement when assisting a patient, while the manager of a boutique may feel a sense of success after helping a woman find an outfit that she looks and feels great in. Sometimes a quick “thank you” or “good job” can be a very powerful reward. If possible, remind employees of their achievements via a company wide email or newsletter.
  4. A sense of competence: Some employees are extremely motivated simply by the knowledge that the level of work he or she is doing meets or exceeds company standards, as well as their personal standards. The strong sense of pride and satisfaction that comes with a job really well done often only motivates the employee to work even harder.
  5. A sense of choice: When an employee feels that he or she has the ability to choose how to complete their work, they feel a sense of ownership regarding their work. Giving an employee the ability to complete their work in a way that makes the most sense to them indicates that you have confidence in their abilities. This is an intrinsic reward that employees truly appreciate.

If you have an employee that deserves an extrinsic employee rewards, as well as an intrinsic reward, Successories has a wide selection of employee gifts to choose from. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us at 1-800-535-2773.

Keep Employees Motivated

There are a hundred different reasons why an employee might not be 100% focused on the task at hand, and the vast majority of them have nothing to do with a disdain for its importance. The fact of the matter is that employees are people too. They have lives, families, commitments, and challenges to face outside the workplace.

In order to be a good manager, it is essential first to realize this, and then to understand that a lack of focus cannot ordinarily be fixed with negative reinforcement. As such, this is a guide to three ways in which a manager can encourage employee motivation.

Show Interest in the Individual

It can be discouraging to feel like just another cog in a wheel, like nothing more than a number working at a company to fill space and time. This is precisely the opposite of what you want your employees to experience, because there is no faster way to take their minds firmly off the job. For a workforce which confronts each new goal with vigor, passion, and determination, you need to make its members feel valued. In fact, something as simple as a one-to-one catch up meeting with employees twice a month can make the world of difference to motivation levels.

Pay Attention to the Little Things

For a manager, it is not always easy to spend time around employees, just listening to their concerns, particularly if they are not work related. In all industries, time is of the essence, and it generally does not feel like a good use of time to be sat chatting with the workforce about the inter-departmental go-karting trip planned for the weekend. Yet, the first step to being a good superior, who inspires respect and motivation from employees, is interaction as an equal. Yes, it is important to make sure that people do their job, but you also want employees to feel like they could get along with you, if you were both down the pub with mates.

Work towards the Same Goals

At times, making sure that employees are moving towards the same objectives as the company can be tricky. However, it is essential if both parties are to feel fulfilled and happy. One of the most effective ways to do achieve this is with the use of a management incentive scheme. These reward based frameworks, which give staff members at all levels the opportunity to benefit from great performance, are ideal for giving the workforce a sustained boost. Plus, with the help of an employee rewards provider like Successories, finding the right incentives is easy.

For more information on how you can set up a great employee incentive program, get in touch with the experts at Successories today, on 1-800-535-2773. The manager who is not afraid to show a little appreciation is the manager with a dedicated and reliable workforce.

5 Extrinsic Rewards to Reinforce Employee Motivation

Keeping your employees motivated can take many forms, but why not have some fun with it? Check out this small assortment of gift ideas for employee recognition and continue to keep them motivated in a fun, lighthearted way:

The “Aim High” Basketball Hoop

If you’ve got an employee who’s a basketball fan, this is a great little gift idea that will provide some entertainment value and be a welcome cubicle or office decoration. The message on the backstop reads: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take!” Wise words.

The Bendy Pen Set

These fun and colorful “bendy pens” are both eye-catching and a guaranteed conversation starter. Give them as a set, or dole them out to a collaborative team.

The Teamwork Magnetic Clips

This one’s a bit more expensive, so best saved for special occasions or a star performer. It’s fantastic though, and beautifully constructed. A great way to show a valued member of your team how much you appreciate them, and another guaranteed conversation starter.

Thanks For Being Awesome Jellybean Canister

While there might be a few scattered people who aren’t fond of jellybeans, there aren’t many. In many ways, they’re the perfect candy and great for sharing. The canister comes emblazoned with the message “Thanks for being Awesome!” and is a fun, lighthearted way to both show your appreciation for all the recipients hard work and effort, and satisfy their sweet tooth at the same time. What’s not to like about that?

The “You Rock” Stress Ball

Okay, so it’s not exactly a ball, but its function is the same, and let’s face it, the modern work environment can be stressful at times. This is a great little stress relief tool that comes emblazoned with the phrase “You Rock” to help boost an employee’s spirits, just when he or she needs it the most.

“High Five” Praise Pad Sticky Notes

Sticky notes are ubiquitous in most office environments, being almost as common as paperclips, but why settle for ordinary, when you can have an extraordinary sticky note?

These pads are not only handy, they’re also a great way to turn something mundane into something fun and whimsical, while showing your appreciation.

See? Keeping your employees motivated doesn’t have to be serious business. There are plenty of ways to do it that are also quite a lot of fun. Mostly, it’s a matter of knowing where to look. The best part is, most of these items are incredibly inexpensive, and can easily fit into even the most modest of budgets. Don’t worry, if none of the ideas mentioned above are good fits for your staff, there are plenty of other options to choose from!