Tips to keep your staff motivated at work

July 9 2021 - Ask any business owner what they consider their company’s most valuable resource to be and, in almost all cases, you will get the same answer - the staff. Your employees are what keeps your firm ticking and generating a profit so it is essential you first assemble the right team, then find ways to keep them motivated and working at their optimum levels.

Staff turnover can be a serious drain on firms both in terms of productivity and from the point of view of the cost of finding replacement employees and a depleting Return on Investment (ROI).

Low motivation often results in high staff turnover

If you find your staff’s motivation levels are particularly low or worse, you find it difficult to retain your workers, below are a few tried and tested tips that could help you build team spirit and enthusiasm in your workplace.

Be a good manager giving support and respect

It might sound obvious but often the starting point for improving the motivation in others is to first look internally and study how you manage your team. One of the most common reasons for staff quitting a job is working for a disrespectful or overly demanding manager so you might find it useful to first take a step back and evaluate exactly how you treat your employees before just assuming the problems lie with them.

Pay a fair wage

While the majority of employees derive far more than just money from their jobs, pay is still a motivating factor for most people. It is worth remembering that your staff will likely have a clear idea of what their peers are being paid for similar roles so if you try to pay them less, it will often end up with a disillusioned workforce - one that is far more likely to look elsewhere for better opportunities. The old saying, "If you pay peanuts, expect monkeys" is as true today as ever so if you are to stand any chance of putting together a good team of motivated workers, think about what you are paying your workers and how it equates with your rivals.

Offer rewards for hard work

It is human nature to thrive on compliments and thanks. However, if you want to really motivate your team, there are few things better than offering special perks or rewards - particularly if you do so out of the blue.

If you want a great way to build team morale and enthusiasm at work, try rewarding your staff for their hard work. Also, if you pick a gift that benefits your company, you will be in a win-win situation. For example, you could try offering a salesperson a company car to help them do their jobs more efficiently. Remember too, if that seems a bit of a financial stretch for your firm, you could always purchase the car on credit, for example by approaching a company like car finance Northwich.

Give them a career ladder to aspire to

Another very common reason for employees leaving a job is the feeling that a job does not offer career progression. Unfortunately, this can be particularly challenging if you are a smaller company but there are ways around it - for example, by offering staff training (either in-house or externally) to help your team develop on a personal level.

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