10 ways to motivate your team

There are many different ways to motivate your employees without throwing money at them. Treating your workforce fairly and letting them know they are valued often have a bigger impact on employee motivation than salary, as our top ten tips show.

1. Communicate. To truly feel part of the team, employees need to be kept up-to-date with company objectives and developments. Issuing orders or making changes without proper notification can lead to rumours and make workers worry about their job security. Hold regular team meetings to discuss progress, explain changes and answer questions. Use newsletters and bulletins to keep employees abreast of new developments and to celebrate company and individual achievements.
    
2. Give praise. You don’t have to wait for official appraisals to let your workers know when they are doing a good job: demonstrate your appreciation on an ongoing basis. Saying “well done” or “thank you” may seem unimportant to you, but acknowledgements like these are extremely important to employees. There’s nothing worse than plugging away at a job, not knowing whether your work is appreciated.
    
3. Invest in training. Workforce development not only improves a business’ productivity, it shows employees that you value them. Training also improves retention: the more opportunity open to employees within your company, the less likely they are to look elsewhere. Identify individuals’ goals and ambitions and agree a programme of personal development. Alternatively, coaching, mentoring and guided reading can also achieve results. What matters is your interest in the individual and your willingness to offer support.
    
4. Involve your workforce. It is always better to consult with employees and involve them in the issues that are likely to affect them. This can be at company level, such as the introduction of new policies, or at an individual level, such as the setting of personal targets and objectives. When people have been involved with a decision, they have a vested interest in a successful outcome.
    
5. Provide a comfortable working environment. The physical space people work in can have a major impact on their motivation and productivity. It needn’t involve plush furniture or expensive technology. Make sure working areas are safe, well lit and as comfortable as possible. As well as being covered by legislation, the need to provide adequate refreshment, toilet and rest facilities shows basic respect for your employees. Where practical, allow employees to personalise their workspaces, e.g. by displaying photos or plants.
    
6. Give more autonomy and responsibility. Everybody likes to feel they can exercise some degree of control over their working environment. Employees who feel they are not trusted to make decisions by themselves are unlikely to feel valued or motivated. If workers know they are accountable for their decisions and actions, they are likely to invest more effort in them.
    
7. Be inspirational. Successful business leaders need to inspire enthusiasm, confidence and respect in their teams. Clear standards, ethics and integrity are all important characteristics to display. An enthusiastic and motivated leader will lead to an enthusiastic and motivated workforce. Train your managers to understand how their behaviour can affect the motivation of their teams and help them to acquire the skills they need.
    
8. Offer bonus schemes. While material rewards are not always the most important factor affecting motivation, financial gain is clearly an incentive. Rewarding workers for achieving goals for sales, productivity and punctuality can improve individual and team performance. This also helps to clarify targets and company objectives. However, bonuses on top of salary need not be large to be effective, and need not be financial.
    
9. Offer flexible working. In today’s workplace, the emphasis is very much on a work-life balance, particularly for those with families. Varying working hours, offering home working and making allowances for workers’ personal circumstances reduces stress and increases motivation. Being flexible bends both ways: show respect for your workforce, and they will show respect for you.
    
10. Listen to employee concerns. An employee who feels that their worries are being ignored will feel resentful and demotivated. A manager who bullies, dismisses concerns or fails to listen to their team will drain enthusiasm. If you don’t care about your workers, why should they care about your company? Be visible, approachable and open with information.

This leadership article..
was prepared for participants on our acclaimed 10/10 leadership development and mentoring programme. Whether you are a first-time manager or an experienced leader, straightforward, practical advice on best practice is hard to find. Until now. To find out how you and your team can benefit, please contact us.

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