15 February 2019
I doubt there’s many people who would say that they’ve consistently worked in companies that have perfect management or a perfect environment that suits them. Even the best of the best are bound to have organisational hiccups and this can cause, amongst other things, employee morale to drop. When this happens it’s important to resolve it right away.
A recent study found that nearly a third of employees claimed that they were not motivated at work. This statistic becomes alarming when you put apply it to an SME with 100 employees.
Your employees should always be one of your top priorities when it comes to running a successful business – after all, they are the business.
How are your employees feeling?
Every employee is different and motivated by different things in life. As a result, you need to be approachable and understanding of their concerns and issues. Never dismiss any problems they raise, even if you don’t agree with them. Find solutions you can both agree on and continue building solid relationships with your employees. It really can make all the difference to their work ethic.
• Ask for their opinions on the things that will matter to them. Whether that’s potential new clients, or a change in office/building. Your employees will feel valued and part of the team if they feel their opinions are being heard.
• Ensure you have regular one-to-one meetings. These meetings can be vital to employees in order to discuss their concerns with you privately – make them a priority.
• Never encourage your employees to work outside of office hours. It’s the easiest way to burn them out and make their work suffer – a work life balance is absolutely key.
Do you have a positive working environment?
Communication will always be key, and ensuring that internal communication is clear and concise can make a difference in the number of people you have queuing up at your office to ask questions.
Even if you’re frustrated, never give your employees a reason to be worried or stressed. Passing on frustrations to your workforce will only end badly.
Do they feel rewarded for their time and productivity?
This should be the enjoyable part of the job. Recognition culture should be fun to be part of – it’s also an easy way to spot employees who might not be feeling motivated or working less productively than the rest of the team.
A simple ‘thank you’ can make all the difference to how an employee works. It’s easy to forget, especially when you’ve got a million things to do at once but they will notice that you don’t thank them for their time and effort, especially for tasks you might need them to do last minute for you.
The consequences of a lack of motivational strategies
It can be easy for your workplace to fall into a ‘toxic’ state if you’re not keeping a careful eye on how everything is looking and how people are feeling. Employees who might choose to leave are just as much as part of your brand image – they use word of mouth to convey their animosities. Leave them with a good impression, a reason to stay and if not, a reason to say only positive things about the business.
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