How to Motivate Employees

By Adriana Noton

Do you find your employees are only doing a half-hearted job? Do you feel that job satisfaction is dropping in your business? If so, you are not alone. Many people report lack of motivation among their employees, and often wonder what to do about it. The good news is that you can motivate your employees to work hard for you again. You simply need to know how to speak their language.

Show Personal Care

In general, people work hard to please those who care about them. Why else does a small child work excessively hard to please Mom, Dad or Teacher? Take the time to show personal care to your employees, and they will stay motivated.

This requires paying attention to your employees. Is one employee dealing with a sick parent? Ask about it, and offer to make the schedule flexible so they can be away when needed. Is one employee doing a particularly good job with customers? Then give them one of your most important accounts to work, pointing to the good work you have observed.

Reward Positive Work Appropriately

Employees who are doing a good job need to be rewarded for it, nod in a public way so other employees will pay attention. However, setting everyone down so that you can hand a plaque to the employee in a public meeting may not be the most successful way to do this. Before you start rewarding your employees, get expert guidance as to the best way to do this, such as the guidance you would receive from human resources coaches found in many HR consulting agencies.

Provide Inherent Recognition

Inherent recognition is those things commonly referred to as "benefits." Health insurance, schedule flexibility, vacation hours and other parts of your benefits package are motivating. Employees who know that they have good health insurance because of their position will work hard to keep that insurance.

Sometimes balancing enough benefits to provide the right motivation with the cost of these services is difficult. In this case, the advice of a human resources consulting agency is invaluable. These companies can evaluate a business, determine what inherent recognition the employees truly desire and then make recommendations to the leadership about the best possible package to put together.

Handle Problems Quickly and Professionally

In a workplace that employs people, problems will develop. Sometimes employers are tempted to overlook those problems, but this creates a work environment that is void of motivation. The best way to keep the workforce motivated is to step in when needed and deal with problems quickly and professionally.

Many managers and executives do not know how to do this. Again, a HR consulting firm can help. These companies provide coaching about dealing with employee situations, whether interpersonal conflicts or simply performance problems, in a way that both motivates and inspires. When employees know that problems will be dealt with swiftly, they will keep working instead of living life on the lookout for their coworkers.

The bottom line is that you need a positive workplace where your employees work together, are rewarded when they work well and feel that you care for them as individuals. Human resources consulting agencies are available to help you create and maintain this type of dynamic in your business, without the expense of owning your own human resources department. - 30227

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