Why Is Motivating Your Workforce Important?

With the ever-changing business landscape around the world, and with companies continually evolving their needs and targets, managers are now tasked with keeping their employees motivated.

Employee motivation has to do with the level of interest and commitment an individual shows towards their job. Team motivation is also an important factor in the amount of energy and willingness an employee has towards performing their duties.

Unmotivated staff are easily distracted, tend to work at a slower pace, take on less work, and are more prone to avoid important tasks. This can lead to businesses failing to reach their targets, which leads to a reduction in revenue and profit.

What Are The Benefits Of Motivated Employees?

Having a team of eager-to-work employees holds many rewards:

1. Increased levels of productivity

Staff who are eager to work and perform have higher levels of productivity. This can lead to increased sales and revenue, and higher levels of customer satisfaction. Hardworking staff also finish their tasks quicker, and produce more consistent standards of output, allowing them to take on additional work and more responsibility with less mistakes.

2. Reduced staff absenteeism

Motivated staff have a positive attitude and pitch for work every day. They are also excited about the new tasks or challenges they will have to complete or solve and are more committed to their responsibilities.

3. Increased staff retention

Workers who feel motivated are more likely to work for you longer. They are more satisfied with their job and less likely to search for other employment opportunities with your competitors. A high staff turnover leads to expensive recruitment and training costs and unnecessary interruptions to your workflow.

4. Boosts company culture

Company culture is dependent on how happy your team members are. Team motivation leads to high levels of enthusiasm which can lead to a more conducive work environment and a more connected, better communicating, and better-performing team.

Ways To Motivate Your Employees

Here are a few easy ways to motivate your team:

1. Recognise staff performance

If team members are not being recognised for their hard work, they can feel unappreciated. Remember to do regular staff appraisals and often reward staff for their commitment – this helps staff feel valued and can encourage them to work even harder.

2. Set clear goals

The business’ leadership should focus on setting clear, but achievable targets to motivate and inspire their teams. Unrealistic targets, on the other hand, cause staff to feel frustrated and stressed which causes workers to become demotivated.

3. Boost team building

Team building activities help boost and maintain motivation and staff morale. They help staff feel more connected and boost staff relationships, performance, communication, trust, and confidence among team members.

4. Offer staff development opportunities

Upskilling staff members is a great way of showing employees that their career goals are supported by the company. Employers who encourage employees to develop and enhance their skills – by taking advantage of personal development opportunities and resources – will see their team’s motivation levels increase.

5. Communicate effectively

Employees need to find it easy to talk to and engage with their team leadership and should be comfortable talking about and discussing any challenges they have. Listening to your team helps them feel valued, reduces anxiety and improves motivation levels.

6. Support staff wellbeing

Focusing on the well-being of your team enhances positive well-being and helps staff overcome challenges throughout the workplace. For example, the provision of health and wellbeing programmes can be a great way to help staff feel positive and healthy, thus enabling them to stay focused, leading to lower levels of staff sickness and absenteeism.

7. Reward staff creativity

Create platforms through which employees can voice their ideas. Allowing staff to be creative can lead to a greater sense of ownership and innovation which boosts motivation and eagerness to work on future projects.

8. Frequently review staff salaries

Regularly reviewing and negotiating staff salaries will help alleviate the financial fears that staff may experience. This also shows employees that their hard work and commitment are being rewarded.

9. Promote a better work-life balance

Providing workers with flexible schedules, and, where possible, encouraging employees to work remotely will help them spend more time with their families and hobbies. Increasing staff’s annual leave can also make them feel more valued.

10. Lead your team with vision

Openly communicating with employees about the company’s goals and where they fit in the organisation’s plans can create a sense of ownership. Involving staff in setting goals can boost motivation and their sense of feeling valued and appreciated.