How to Keep Your Employees Motivated

(Photo by: Freepik)

You can easily tell if an employee is highly motivated and engaged—they go the extra mile, are productive, don’t hold back, etc. But how do you keep them motivated?

Employees need to believe in your organization and feel the desire to be part of it—or feel connected to its primary objective — by helping them consider microlearning. Here are ways to keep your employees motivated:

Give Meaningful Feedback

Let your employees know how well they’re performing and suggest ways for better performance. Ensure their efforts do not go unrecognized; they will know you are always watching. If customers express gratitude towards such recognizable efforts, remember to forward it to the respective employees. The purpose is to share all the encouraging and positive feedback during weekly meetings.

Employees will be confident in their abilities and become demotivated. If they are also interested, you can negotiate terms for a more extended employment period.  

Recognize and Reward

Acknowledge their contributions and reward them appropriately to keep your employees motivated. Wins may involve a continuous contribution or a specific achievement. And rewards may range from small—leaving a simple note on a desk— to significant ones. Corporate gifts are encouraged to remind them of their value.

Set and publicly announce a reward program that honors an employee who exceed certain expectation. You could organize a holiday package or secret reward for the employee of the month or year.

Encourage Teamwork 

Although they’re part of your team, employees may need to focus and not respond appropriately. Encouraging teamwork makes them selfless, and they will learn to trust fellow members.

You should encourage healthy competition in the office and their contributions during decision-making. Let them feel appreciated as being part of the team. 

Fulfill Promises 

Be mindful of what promises you make to employees and fulfill them to motivate your employees fully. Failing to honor a promise is a psychological contract breach—an unwritten set of expectations that exists as a two-way exchange between a manager and an employee. In such a case, an employee can expect a range of rewards like a conference trip or a learning opportunity in exchange for their hard work. Just be careful not to give them too many expectations. Failure to fulfill some promises risks lowering their motivation as they feel betrayed and resentful. 

Set Day-To-Day Goals

Goal setting lets employees find meaning in their daily roles—it makes them 3.6 times better engaged than those working without goals.

Mention what’s expected of them by showing them how success looks and letting them know their contribution’s impact on your business. 

By helping your employees to associate their objectives with your organization’s goal, you keep them motivated. In addition, they can take more pride and be willing to get the job done, even if it implies going the extra mile.

Keeping your employees motivated ensures a positive attitude in the company. It is an ongoing task with approaches like employee recognition and reward, issuing meaningful feedback, and much more.

#Image credit: freepik