Many books and articles are devoted to issues of motivation. Why is this getting so much attention in the press? Because motivation determines how successfully your employees, and therefore your business processes, will work.
It’s no secret that money motivates specialists to some level. But as soon as he has an apartment, a car and some savings in his accounts, money begins to matter less and less. Then professionals look out the window with a bored look and, leaning on their fist, think about looking for a new job with more interesting tasks.
In this article I present 10 simple and reliable steps (according to Philip Whiteley) that will allow you to build a motivation system and ensure the retention of valuable specialists in the company.
1. Create the best team possible
Employees at every level: from ordinary performers to top managers must be involved in teamwork. It is clear that this should not be one big team - this is simply unrealistic. Teams must correspond to the level and location.
The team should not be confused with work groups, which are more bureaucratic in nature than motivational.
2. Be consistent. Be integrity.
The importance of unwritten company rules is significantly underestimated. Employee motivation will increase significantly if they understand that managers follow the same rules that they expect their subordinates to follow.
If you trust your employees, then why control the time they leave and come to work? You can read about Integrity here.
3. Don't forget about the little things
It is necessary to find the reasons for even minor discontent. This could be a dirty restroom, lack of frills, old windows, etc. No one is saying that such things should be eliminated all at once, but they need to be fought and consistently eradicated.
For managers, such inconveniences seem insignificant, but for employees they are very important. Of course, we must be reasonable in this approach, otherwise it will turn out that because of a flashing light, the sales plan will once again not be fulfilled.
4. Don’t think everyone around you is a fool
If you underestimate your employees, then this is just as bad as overestimating them. Each person is strong in his own field, why did you hire him? What problems does it solve well? Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and the manager’s task is to make the most of the strengths of employees and compensate for the weaknesses of other employees. This is the meaning of the team.
It's hard to admit, but not all employees want to participate in the implementation of the company's mission and goals, which does not make them bad employees. If you accept this, it will be easier for you to find people and effectively use their strengths.
5. Remember about money
Pay is important. There are very few motivational values that compare to overcoming hunger. If you hire professionals, then you need to pay them like professionals. Motivation is just a sail on a boat that can speed up the movement of the ship, but without a foundation you won’t go far with one sail.
Where possible, the remuneration system should be transparent and fair. Nothing is more demotivating than dissatisfaction, resentment and a sense of injustice, so giving employees at least some opportunity to influence the salary they receive will give people more confidence in the fairness of compensation.
How can an employee earn more in your company?
6. When cutting costs, don’t forget about motivation
In times of crisis we all cut bones, but it is important to remember that in times of crisis motivation plays a key role. A team that survives a downturn will ensure your company grows when times get better.
Therefore, in times of crisis, the first priority should be to retain and motivate key employees and professionals. Perhaps they should even increase salaries by laying off non-key employees.
7. Accept and consider employee personality types
If it is possible to test employees based on their personality type, then this should definitely be done. It is very important that testing is carried out by professionals, otherwise false results will lead to dire consequences.
Such tests will reveal the strengths of employees and determine their motivators. Both the company and employees benefit from testing.
8. A company is a community
The company should be considered as a community, platform or ecosystem. It is important to maintain balance in all decisions. For example, sending top managers on an internship during massive staff reductions - such an act will cause a system imbalance and affect all employees of the company.
The company’s social connections will work exactly where you least expect it.
9. Motivation works both ways
Motivation can either improve the situation or worsen it. Because This is a process of continuous improvement, so you should not expect immediate results from it. All changes take time.
Remember that the number of changes in the motivational system should be minimal so that these changes do not turn out to be counterproductive when implemented simultaneously.
10. Organize feedback
It is necessary to regularly give feedback to your subordinates, then they will be able to evaluate the correctness of their actions and change for the better. Here it is important to meet two more conditions: feedback must be constructive and feedback must be mutual. It's much more complicated.