No business can sustain itself without qualified and well-trained employees who are motivated to perform their jobs. Managers are always looking for ways to retain their best employees and keep them motivated. Employees leave employers behind for better opportunities when they feel under-valued, under-compensated, or unappreciated. As a manager, it is your job to make sure your best employees are happy at their jobs and will not want to leave. Here are ten tips for motivating your employees and preventing employee dissatisfaction.
1. Allow Creative Expression
Employees have a need to be able to creatively express themselves in performing their job duties. It fulfills an inner need for self-worth. Employees want to contribute their own suggestions to projects and feel a sense of satisfaction when they see their ideas implemented by the company. Do not stifle employee creativity. Instead, allow creative expression to reign in your workplace.
2. Provide Educational Incentives
Many employees have dreams of furthering their education. Sponsoring an employee who wants to obtain a college degree and paying for a portion of the educational expenses is a win-win situation for the employer. You are allowing employees to become better qualified in performing their jobs, which benefits your organization in the long-run. If an employee feels you care about his educational aspirations, he will be reluctant to leave your company.
3. Recognize Employee Achievements
Many of your employees are socially active in the community. Perhaps they have obtained recognition for work in a charitable organization or for some other activity outside of work. Why not recognize these achievements? One great way of recognizing employee achievements is through a company newsletter. There is no better way to motivate an employee than to recognize his worth not only to the company, but to the community as well.
4. Open-Door Policy to Management
If there is a problem in the workplace, an employee has to be able to feel he can approach management with the issue. Nothing is more frustrating than feeling like no one cares about or will listen to your concerns. Encourage employees to approach management about any issues they have in the workplace. This can also include lending an ear to an employee who wants to discuss a personal issue that is affecting his job performance. All such discussions between an employee and his manager should be kept confidential.
5. Pay Incentives
It goes without saying that all employees want to be fairly compensated for the job they perform. Are your wages in line with industry standards? If not, you cannot expect your best employees to stay. Also, you should have some type of pay incentive based on employee performance. Most companies conduct employee evaluations at least on a yearly basis. If an employee performs exceptionally during the year, he should expect to receive a pay raise commensurate to his efforts for the company.
6. Provide Proper Training
No employee can perform a job well if he is not trained in the position. Have you ever been expected to do a job without any instructions? It is not an easy task to accomplish. By providing proper training for any job you ask your employees to do, you are arming them with the tools needed to perform the job in an exemplary manner. If the employee knows he is doing a good job, it will help to keep him motivated.
7. Reduce Employee Workloads
If an employee continually must stay late or come in early just to keep up with a workload, the employee has too much on his plate. Distribute workloads fairly and do not overwork your employees. Overwork leads to stress and employee burnout, and may send your employees looking for another job. It may be necessary to hire additional employees to reduce employee workloads.
8. Provide Employee Amenities
Employee amenities such as gyms, cafeterias, or an employee daycare center will allow employees to take care of personal needs so they can concentrate on doing their jobs. Without the distraction of trying to find childcare, a place to eat lunch, or time to workout; your employees’ productivity is bound to increase.
9. Keep Work Stations Efficient and Comfortable
Keeping employees comfortable at their workstations will increase productivity levels. All workstations should have adequate lighting and there should be room to move around freely. Also, try to position employees away from areas with high noise levels, as this can distract them from performing their jobs. Make sure chairs are comfortable and provide enough support to avoid back strain and injuries.
10. Extracurricular Activities
Extracurricular activities allow employees the opportunity to socialize with their co-workers. Employee functions such as picnics, after-work parties, and employee birthday dinners are examples of ways to show employee appreciation.
While following all of these tips to keep your employees motivated will not guarantee that your employees will not leave, it is a step in the right direction. You will increase your employee retention rate and keep your employees motivated to perform their job duties.