No matter the size, purpose, or general atmosphere of your company, your employees will sometimes experience periods of low motivation. While there are lots of reasons for this – some of them beyond your control – you’ll be happy to know that many reliable solutions are within your reach.
Building Relationships
The best way to start cultivating an energized workplace culture is to get to know your employees. Once an individual is seen and heard by their employer, he or she will begin to feel more comfortable discussing any challenges that may be negatively impacting the work environment, or otherwise offering suggestions for improvement. Additionally, this conscious recognition of each person in the office will often lead to more self-directed achievement and accountability. Knowing that an employer cares enough to pay attention to individual accomplishments can work wonders for overall company morale. Try scheduling time for one-on-one meetings with your employees on a regular basis. Get to know them as people, and ask about their satisfaction with their roles in the workplace. Establishing this kind of mutual respect and trust will show your commitment to fostering support systems for everyone on board.
Modeling Strong Leadership
In the process of building face-to-face relationships, you will want to embody the kind of worker you are hoping to inspire. Be sure to maintain a positive attitude, keep communication open, and re-orient everyone’s focus to the goals before them, if needed. Show them through your actions that you are driven by the meaningful influence your work makes. Remind them that success is about mindset, and that they will definitely notice progress if they continue to bring their best selves to the table. By modeling strong leadership, you have the opportunity to convey to your employees the power of self-determination. Simply by affirming the notion that each of your staff members is full of potential, they will start to feel more empowered to demonstrate their own leadership capabilities.
Sharing Words of Wisdom
A simple and easy way to bring enthusiasm to your team is by relaying snippets of advice from seasoned professionals. Like the driving force of a formidable role model, words of wisdom can sometimes change the entire outlook of an individual or group. People like to see themselves, and especially their best qualities, in those around them. Some hard workers can even name a person or an idea that moves them to sustained action. Start by checking out these customer service motivational quotes to find potent insights you can share with your employees. Consider posting your favorite inspirational passages in common areas, using them to start off your conference meetings, attaching them to weekly emails, or inviting all staff to print their own. Daily reminders like these are more persuasive than you may think!
Encouraging Collaboration
Sometimes a lack of motivation is a reflection of individual apathy and confusion. Perhaps pairing up some of your employees will help. Outline the big picture objectives, assign projects, and allow for organic collaboration between workers with relevant skill sets. By trusting that your staff is wholly capable of meeting deadlines accurately and efficiently – and that they can enjoy some liberty in wisely choosing who to work with – you may notice a spark of team spirit lighting up the room. For settings in which rigorous collaboration is a bit more difficult to implement, try introducing check-in stations where individuals can ask for guidance or simply vent about their frustrations with co-workers before returning to their desks. With the current pandemic a collaboration will look like a digital transformation 2021, with the use of video conferencing.
Creating Incentives
Rewards are, of course, one of the most commonly utilized motivational tools in offices, schools, and beyond. A sense of gratification at the end of a long and arduous tunnel is often enough to keep people pushing forward without losing momentum or concentration. Even if the incentive is as basic as going home early on Friday or an end-of-quarter lunch party, your staff will appreciate the levity and will maintain dedication to the what’s at hand. More complex incentive programs may be relevant to you as well. For longer-term assignments that require even greater precision and stamina, you may want to sweeten the pot with bonuses, travel packages, or randomized office upgrades. Without making things too competitive, you can incentivize your employees with bigger rewards that will keep them coming back for more favorable outcomes.
Welcoming Feedback
Naturally, you’ll want to reduce the chances of any resentment harbored by your staff members through promoting a consistently clear line of communication. If anyone feels that they cannot address their discontentment or uncertainty with you, it is possible that they will go into a mode of avoidance that could snowball into complete indifference. Welcoming honest feedback can prompt your employees to speak their minds about even the positive stuff! In turn, this will have its own motivational benefits for you, as their devoted employer.
There are hundreds of employee motivation strategies to experiment with. Regardless of what you attempt, know that your efforts alone will start to smooth out any rough edges.
