Work is a complicated beast. Everyone needs to hold a job in order to make a living in the modern world, but almost no one wants to do the job at hand. This is natural, and people tend to rise to the occasion out of necessity, but they also tend to do so to the smallest extent possible for obvious reasons. This means that one good way to improve your business’s productivity is to incentivize better performance by offering employees something extra for their hard work. Here are a few examples.
Company Insurance
Insurance can be hard to come by for many, as it can often cost just enough to be prohibitively expensive for the average person. However, everyone needs insurance when they can get it, and one way to motivate your employees to work harder is by offering access to free or discounted insurance. This has long been customary in some industries, but it could be extended to more businesses fairly easily. Begin by finding the best insurance quotes online to save on this expense where you can, but the added cost will pay for itself by inspiring an increase in productivity, as well as company loyalty. This applies largely to medical insurance, but it’s worth noting that dental and vision insurance are equally important, if less necessary, but these are fairly rare outside of being offered by a person’s workplace.
Competition
Competition has long since been a powerful motivator, but it can be difficult for people to feel competitive at work. After all, team members don’t typically compete with each other in most areas, and nobody necessarily wants to be at work to begin with. However, an incentive offered to the most productive members of your staff can be compelling enough to motivate people to aim for that number one spot. The reward for doing so can be anything from simple accolades to something more tangible like extra vacation time or a small bonus to their pay. Most importantly, there needs to be a public record of everyone’s performance, or at least the shortlist of top competitors, meaning that a leaderboard is an effective way to keep employees interested in trying to be the best.
An Engaging Environment
One sure fire way to improve morale and productivity is to make the atmosphere of your business more inviting and engaging. There are numerous ways to accomplish this, one of which is lifting some of the more arbitrary rules around the office. For example, Walmart made its dress code more casual a couple years ago to great success. Considering that retail employees can be recognizable with the use of accessories, uniforms and strict dress codes are largely arbitrary, meaning that casual Friday could become a more casual dress code in general for a more effective incentive. While this may seem small, it’s worth considering the flavor that a person’s unique fashion sense can add to a work environment, as people tend to dress in a way that says something about themselves when given the choice. This can create a more open social atmosphere, as well, meaning that workplace friendships can more easily form, thereby creating an additional incentive with no additional change to the structure of the company.
Flexible Scheduling
The eight hour work day has come under scrutiny recently and been found wanting. That being said, an eight hour work day can be the right fit for some people, but it likely isn’t for most. Instead, an employer can offer some scheduling options in order to offer employees the ability to choose the best shifts for their own unique needs that still totals the appropriate amount of man hours for the company and for the individual’s wages. For example, some workers may prefer an eight hour shift worth of work, but with shorter or no breaks to spend less time on the premises. Another person may want to work fewer shifts that are longer, or they may prefer a more varied schedule with which they can have a more dynamic personal life. There truly is no one size fits all work schedule, but experts tend to agree that the eight hour work day is insufficient.
Keeping employees motivated can be tricky when they would rather be anywhere but work. However, doing is far from optional, as motivated employees work harder, and that same motivation can mean the difference between a job that feels like a slog and one that the employee can be proud of. Using these examples, you’re sure to find the right incentives to keep your employees motivated and productive.
