5 Employee Motivation Techniques to Implement in Your Business
Do you want to improve company performance? Start with employee motivation.
According to one Gallup poll, employee engagement is strongly connected to productivity, profitability, and customer engagement. Companies with 90% employee engagement experienced 147% higher earnings per share compared with the average company. However, 70% of the employees surveyed didn’t feel engaged.
That’s a lot of room for the kinds of improvements that can turn a company around.
Read on to learn about five employee motivation techniques.
1. Compensation
When employees receive fair compensation, they’re more invested in the company and able to do their best work. But many employees are underpaid: in 2019, 28% of Americans said they’d be unable to pay their monthly bills if faced with a $400 emergency expense, while 25% skipped medical and dental care because they were unable to pay the cost. Another survey found that 45% of employees changed jobs because of mediocre compensation.
When a company pays its employees well, employees become more motivated and productive. Reducing turnover also saves companies thousands of dollars in hiring and training costs. If you can’t raise employee compensation, try other creative ways to reward your employees, such as employee share schemes, paid holidays, parental leave, sick days, and flexible schedules.
2. Make the Work Meaningful
Employees who feel that their work is meaningful become more invested in the company. One method for motivating employees is to involve them in goal setting; employees who contribute to company goal setting are 3.6 times more likely to be engaged than those who don’t. These sessions can help establish what’s expected of employees and how their role contributes to success.
Employees also feel more motivated working for a company whose mission aligns with their own values and goals.
3. Show Appreciation
Show appreciation for good work. Employees need to see that their work matters, and that they’re contributing to the company’s success. You can show your thanks by rewarding employees, writing thank-you notes, giving awards, or celebrating milestones.
Try to find specific feedback for your praise. For instance, instead of remarking that you liked an employee’s presentation, you might give that person-specific examples of what you appreciated.
4. Encourage Growth
Employees search for ways to grow in their careers. A different Gallup poll showed that over 40% of Gen Xers and baby boomers look for opportunities to learn and grow when applying for jobs, while 87% of Millennials highlighted the importance of professional or career growth when looking for jobs. To help your employees feel motivated, provide employee training, look for ways to promote within your company, and allow employees to explore options.
5. Allow Autonomy
Because micromanagement can kill creativity and motivation, look for ways to help your employees manage themselves and have autonomy. Employees who have more control over their decisions and direction can work more effectively. It’s especially important to encourage responsibility and autonomy when much of your workforce has to work from home.
Choose Your Employee Motivation Techniques
When you focus on how to take care of your employees, working on salaries, appreciation, and opportunities are only some of the methods you can try. Use employee motivation techniques to make your company a great place to work, and your employees will give you great work.
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