8 Ways to Motivate Your Employees

Motivation plays a critical role in helping employees perform at their best. But almost 70% of workers want their employers to do more to motivate them, and just 13% claim their boss is “inspiring”. 

The top three reasons employees feel demotivated are:

• A lack of recognition
• Feeling undervalued 
• Poor management 

Research shows that many employers need to do more to keep teams motivated, whether working in the office or remotely. But why does motivation matter? And what can you do to inspire your team? 

This post will explore the negative impact that poor motivation can have on employees and eight simple tips for you to try.

Watch the clip from our recent webinar on how to engage employees remotely.👇

Why Is It so Important to Motivate Employees?

Research reveals that a lack of motivation causes:

• Worsening mood (for 62% of employees)
• Reduced productivity (for 46% of employees)
• Reduced quality of work (for 37% of employees)
• Mental health effects (for 45% of employees)
• Diet disruptions (for 29% of employees)

These effects can contribute to an unpleasant working environment, leave employees reluctant to show up each day, and ultimately detract from workers’ overall quality of life. 

It’s also likely that unhappy employees will look elsewhere, creating the possibility of high staff turnover. And that’s a massive problem when it can cost employers 33% of a worker’s annual salary to hire their replacement. 

Implementing a strategy to motivate your employees could improve their mood, productivity, overall work experience and save you money. 

8 Ways to Motivate Your Employees 

Employers who neglect motivation are missing an opportunity to drive their team to success. But it’s not easy if you’ve never had a plan in place to motivate your workforce before. 

Here are eight ideas to help you get started:

Create an Attractive, Comfortable Workplace for All Employees

An office with a flat design and a lack of character can affect workers’ moods. 

You may not realize how important the right color scheme is in the workplace. Yes, your choice of color may reflect your branding, which limits your options, but consider how certain hues can affect employees’ mental and emotional state:

• Green can improve creativity, have a calming effect (due to its connotations with nature), and increase motivation.
• Orange is often associated with excitement, energy, warmth, and fall.
• Blue is generally viewed as a non-threatening color capable of inspiring serenity and productivity.

But creating a comfortable workplace is about more than just color. Take it a little further: 

• Hang art on the wall to create more visual texture. 
• Provide employees with breakout areas to relax during breaks, with couches, video games, or board games
• Bring plants into the office (they can boost productivity by up to 15%).

Recognize Workers’ Achievements Publicly and Privately

Our research found that only 21% of workers feel strongly valued. You can motivate your workers by recognizing their achievements in front of their colleagues and providing them with a private gesture of gratitude. 

For example, updating staff on the latest positive developments with a specific client presents an ideal opportunity to highlight employees who contributed to the outcome. Do this during a company meeting or via an email sent to everyone in the business. 

Send an email or a TINYpulse “cheers” to the relevant employees. Tell them how much you appreciate their hard work and how their efforts benefit the company. Or tell them in person. Either way, even a brief word of thanks can make workers feel valued and motivate them to keep performing at their best. 

Implement a Reward Scheme to Offer Tangible Incentives 

Reward schemes have become increasingly popular with businesses, thanks mainly to the proliferation of employee recognition platforms. You can use these programs to provide workers with a range of possible rewards covering various categories, such as: 

• Gadgets
• Gift cards
• Discounts on goods
• Tickets to sporting events

Employees can work towards fixed rewards that appeal to their interests based on specific KPIs. Reward schemes may incur some expense, but they can motivate team members by offering tangible achievements for their hard work. 

Set Clear Goals to Inspire Teamwork and Camaraderie

Our research has found that “camaraderie and peer motivation” is a top motivator in the workplace. 

You can inspire a sense of camaraderie by establishing goals for each employee or team to achieve within a specific period (weekly, monthly, etc.). For example, you could set your sales team a target of winning a particular number of new clients by the end of one week. 

Employees can work together to hit milestones, encourage one another, and celebrate together when they reach their shared goals. 

Any goal you assign should be realistic and achievable within the timeframe. There’s a difference between challenging employees as a motivational technique and overwhelming them with an impossible task. Too much pressure could leave workers stressed, angry, and hopelessly unmotivated. 

Provide Flexible Work Schedules to Suit Diverse Needs 

COVID-19 transformed how millions of people worldwide live and work. Seventy percent of Americans started to work from home by April 2020, though this dropped to below 60% by the following September. 

54% of employees would like to keep working from home after the pandemic ends, which may be for several reasons, such as:

• Better work-life balance
• More flexibility in schedule 
• Easier to balance work and family responsibilities 

The majority of workers want more flexibility in their working habits and hours. Online communication tools and project management platforms empower employees to work from almost anywhere. They may be able to do everything they would in the office at home, without the expense of commuting.

If you offer employees the option to work on a part- or full-time basis (if possible), it could make them feel more valued, happier, and motivated to do their best. 

Enable Employees to Grow and Develop Beyond Their Initial Roles

Some workers may be satisfied in their current position and hope to stay with the business for the foreseeable future. But others will have goals beyond their current title and employer.

You can motivate employees by providing them with the support and opportunities to advance (if that’s important). Make sure they realize that promotions are available for workers who prove themselves suitable for a more senior position. 

Also, provide training to help employees hone their existing skillset and develop new ones. They’ll appreciate the opportunity to grow and might be more motivated to perform to the best of their abilities if they could improve their prospects.  

Utilize the Latest Communication Tools to Foster a Tighter Bond

We discovered that a sense of camaraderie is a crucial motivator for many employees. That’s just one reason it’s so important to encourage teams to bond and develop strong working relationships.

Quality communication software plays a vital part in healthy team dynamics, whether teams are composed of in-house or remote workers or a hybrid of both. 

The best communication tools provide employees with a centralized space to discuss ideas, strategies, challenges, and more. They’re more convenient and efficient than email: threads can spiral out of control when dozens of people become involved in conversations. 

It helps build trust and create a culture of transparency and accountability if employees and managers stay connected online. Everyone will feel part of a team and can motivate one another through real-time support and peer-to-peer recognition.

Collect Feedback to Make Employees Feel Heard 

How do you know how your employees feel about their work unless you ask?

Workers want to feel valued by employers. They want to know that managers understand what they like about their job, what they dislike, and what changes should be made. 

Feedback provides employees with a chance to have their opinions heard, vent their frustrations, and facilitate necessary change in the workplace. It empowers them to make an impact on their role, their tasks, their working environment, and more. 

Fortunately, it’s easier than ever to collect employee feedback. You can discover when and why your workers are frustrated, happy, or burnt out with direct insights. It’s also a fantastic way to identify why employees decide to stay or find work elsewhere. 

TINYpulse Coach allows you to create a happier, more engaged team through tailored one-to-one support. Help workers establish goals, hit targets, and develop their skillsets for the future.

Conclusion

Effective employee motivation is essential in any thriving business. Without opportunities to grow or incentives, workers who feel undervalued are highly unlikely to unlock their full potential. 

Take steps to show your employees how much you value their contribution, whether that involves providing a more comfortable environment, offering flexible schedules, or any other actions covered above. 

Remember: communication and feedback are two essential elements of a motivating workplace. And TINYpulse handles both. 

TINYpulse streamlines internal communication and feedback collection to create a company culture of trust and transparency. Book your demo today to find out how TINYpulse can take your employee motivation to the next level!