Have you noticed your employees have developed low morale? They are tired, working overtime, and having a hard time keeping up. We currently work in a society where we “go-go-go”, and it is easy to get burnt out. Many businesses are looking for new ways to keep their employees motivated and keep morale up. It's a proven fact – good morale is good for business.
It is no surprise that the best way to motivate your employees is by rewarding their achievements. By doing this, you can engage your team who are treading water and allow them to take on more responsibilities and focus on career development. This is not only good for your employees but also good for your business! Below are some new strategies that will light the motivation fire in your employees again:
Focus on Career Development
If you're not already doing so, it is time to look for ways to build a career development program among your employees. Employees appreciate when the business they work for is interested in their future and is supportive of their development. It's a great way to ensure that your employees are sticking around for the long run.
See and Share the Big Picture
Does your business goals and vision matter to your team? It should, and it can, if you show them how they fit into the bigger picture, helping employees understand that their work has a purpose and fits into your goals. Show them how their efforts positively affect the company.
Celebrate ALL Milestones
Big wins aren't the only wins that should be celebrated. Setting and celebrating milestones along the way is essential to keeping your employees motivated in their day-to-day activities. In addition to quarterly and annual goals, developing short-term goals will give them quick wins that lead up to the long-term goals. Acknowledging these milestones is also about understanding the challenges your employees may be facing. Whenever a smaller goal falls short, take the opportunity to recognize what is hindering their progress and how it can be resolved.
Develop an Employee Recognition Program
There are many ways to create an employee recognition program. Get creative with how you want to recognize your employees. Instead of just having an "Employee of the Month" award, start doing an "Employee Spotlight" program where you celebrate one employee's achievements. As another idea, start a "Good Citizen" award, where an employee is recognized for showing kindness or good citizenship. This isn't something that needs to happen every month but communicating that these are possibilities is a great way to keep your employees motivated. You should also openly praise your employees, as sometimes hearing you're doing a good job is all it takes!
Offer Flexible Scheduling
Creating a customized and flexible work environment is becoming more of a "norm" these days. To keep the right talent in your company, you need to tailor their work environment and culture to your employees' needs. Doing this will make them feel more valued and appreciated, which then encourages them to be more productive. Sometimes, companies are concerned that a generous time-off policy or flexible schedule might be too expensive, when actually it can save your business money in lost productivity, low attendance, and less than optimal employee engagement.
Start implementing these strategies today and watch your "burnt out" employees become the motivated employees they once were!