One of the keys to any successful business, regardless of its scope of practice or sector of operations is to have a highly motivated workforce. Put simply, motivated staff will routinely “go the extra mile” when undertaking projects or routine work and will strive to achieve high levels of productivity and quality in all their tasks. Conversely, companies with a largely demotivated workforce will encounter various problems that impact their overall efficiency.
Demotivated staff will be more likely to leave their positions and pursue other job opportunities. This can lead to higher recruitment costs and the loss of highly skilled and knowledgeable workers. In addition, low motivation at work may lead to the development of toxic working cultures where practices such as silo working, and a lack of teamwork can directly impact the ongoing success of a business.
Every business leader and manager should strive to create a working culture that promotes high levels of motivation in the workforce, although finding ways to achieve this may be challenging. Thankfully, in this article, some key top tips will be described. They may help a wider variety of businesses to improve employee motivation levels and benefit from a more productive and engaged workforce.
Hold annual awards ceremonies
Companies need to demonstrate their value on hard work and staff who are constantly striving to innovate within the firm. Recognizing staff who achieve high levels of output, work to the highest standards of quality, and support other team members is a key way to improve motivation and create a positive working culture. Holding an annual staff awards ceremony can be a fun and exciting way to demonstrate the value of high-performing staff and encourage other workers to work harder.
Ideally, such ceremonies should be held at a venue such as a hotel where an informal and friendly environment can be created during the evening to highlight success stories from the workforce. There should be multiple categories of awards that recognize individuals and teams who have contributed to the business’s success. Prizes can be awarded in specific categories or winning staff members can receive trophies that serve as mementos to mark their exceptional efforts at work.
Create a pleasant working environment
An often overlooked aspect of work that affects employee motivation is the working environment. A pleasant, spacious, and comfortable workplace will encourage staff to work harder and focus on their tasks more effectively during the working day. Conversely, cramped offices, and poorly ventilated, heated, or air-conditioned rooms will lead to lower levels of morale and problems working efficiently during long periods. One key way in which the working environment can be improved and made more pleasant is to buy HVLS fans.
These air conditioning devices are excellent in larger office spaces, as their low speed and larger design can effectively move and circulate higher volumes of air than traditional fans. This is crucial when seeking to create a pleasant working environment and can help regulate office temperatures and air quality levels. In short, stuffy offices can make it harder to focus or work comfortably for extended periods. Regulate the office environment in terms of its temperature and air quality, and you will be taking a key step to allowing your staff to work more productively.
Seek staff views and feedback
Your staff can be a vital source of information for service improvement ideas that can improve working practices and shape the future direction of your firm. Actively listening and acting on their views and feedback can also help motivate the workforce as this practice demonstrates the value the organization places on their ideas, thoughts, and opinions.
Seeking staff feedback can be easily achieved through the use of a staff survey platform such as SurveyMonkey. Send the surveys out by email and offer staff a mix of questions that seek specific feedback and space to write general ideas or comments that can drive service improvement. In addition, you may seek to offer an incentive for survey completion by providing a small prize to a lucky respondent chosen at random from the returned forms.
Team away days
As a brief final point, holding a team away day can be a superb way to boost motivation and encourage teamwork between individuals and other departments. Ideally, pick a venue where some fun team-building activities can take place during the day that involves working as a group outdoors to solve problems.
If your venue is situated near a lake, a classic activity is to split your workforce into teams and task them with building a raft from barrels, pallets, and rope. This can be a fun and competitive activity that helps to promote clear communication and collaboration in each group. Split your staff into teams that include a range of different departments. This can be a key way to encourage communication between staff members who may not normally need to work together during normal business operations.