Terrific Teams – 5 Foolproof Tips for Motivating Your Employees

It’s hardly a generalization to say everyone in a position of management wants positive results from their team. That said, if productivity is low, or staff turnover is high, it can sometimes be hard to find the right solutions to get the team on the right track. We’ve assembled a list below of five easy starting points that will garner results and leave you with a highly motivated, responsive team:

The Gift of Giving:

Nothing says, “I see you” like a physical reward for your efforts. Thoughtful corporate gifts are an easy way to show an employee that they aren’t flying under your radar, and it’s all the better when they are practical items that they’ll get some use out of. Pens, USBs and portable chargers are welcome, useful gifts that fill employees with a sense of pride in their performance while helping them develop a heightened sense of loyalty.

Regular Incentives:

Few alternatives can boost motivation like an incentive for a good job well done, and it doesn’t have to break your budget. Consider putting a movie tickets, a gift card, or even an extra paid day off up for grabs from time to time and see how it influences productivity in your workplace. Make sure to mix it up and not leave your team feeling like there’s a big box of gift cards that you’re trying to offload, but actually take the time to highlight good work and show your employees that you’ve been paying attention.

Keep Everyone in the Loop:

No one likes to feel isolated in the workplace, and a common complaint in many offices is a feeling of separation between upper management teams and the rank and file employees. If there’s a company or department-wide meeting between management staff, touch base with your employees afterward to keep them up to date with information that could be affecting their work. If due dates are changing or there’s a significant development with an important client, make sure to communicate these matters effectively to the team. This will help instill a feeling of unity throughout the workplace and cut away any feelings of an “us” versus”them” distinction.

Be Reliable:

If you need to cancel a scheduled meeting or activity with an employee, be careful about how you do it. Don’t flip it off and hurry away to the “more important thing,” but take the time (it will only take a minute) to check in with the employee to explain what has come up, organize a new time for the meeting, a terrific Teams – 5 Foolproof Tips for Motivating Your Employees reassure them that they are valued. If you drop your employee like an afterthought, it can easily be misinterpreted as a sign of disrespect. Once that feeling has been sent out throughout a team, it can be hard to undo.

Don’t Be a Stranger:

To expand further on that last point, you should try to be seen as “one of the team” as much as you can. Take time every day to talk with your employees personally and build rapport. Make sure you’re listening to them, and that they feel you actually know them as individuals, rather than merely as employees. This will not only help with motivation but strengthen loyalty towards both the workplace and your leadership.

With that, you should have no trouble creating a solid feeling of motivation within your team. If performance is suffering, take a look back over these points and see if there’s anything you can address.

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