It’s always a perplexing issue for most employers. Why they wonder, are they required to motivate their employees as well, if they’re already paying them a wage already, supporting their welfare.
They find it necessary, however, to reward their employees in ways which are meaningful to them. This double pronged approach appears to be the best method for their bottom line.
Business owners and managers, in order for their business to generate profit and expand, realize that this growth isn’t dictated by external economic forces, or market conditions, but rather it’s because of their most valuable resource, their employees performance.
So because of this, they hand select the best candidates, the scholars, they pick the cream of the crop, and make sure that these employees are always treated well with superior benefits, giving them adequate vacation time, good retirement plans, and above average working conditions.
All of this contributes towards building an excellent team. But to really keep the work force intact, and working completely in unison to grow their business, there are motivational tactics which they use to sustain longevity.
Employee Status At Times Is More Important Than Money
At times, motivating employee’s can be as simple as giving them more authority or granting responsibility.
If you have an employee who has excellent phone skills, for instance, and they feel that meeting their customers, face-to-face, would have a lot more impact on their sales.
They feel that meeting them in person could increase their overall productivity and performance. The employee also suggests attending more trade shows to get better opportunities, showcasing your brand, and they even develop a business plan, as well as a budget to do so.
So they being motivated by the opportunity of meeting their customers in person, you’ve made them feel a lot more important, as they become your representative at these trade shows.
Personal Growth Is More Important
The attempt should be to note the issues which your employees find interesting, as well as giving them more opportunities so they can pursue those activities.
For instance, your best or hardest worker may have expressed an interest in travel. They continuously asks for details about your latest overseas business trip, making it clear that they would one day like to go as well.
However, if their position doesn’t entail travel, but if the opportunity ever arose, send that person overseas to represent your company. If they’re qualified enough, send them in your place if it meant the opportunity would motivate them to work harder than usual.
Once overseas, they could potentially find a different or better perspective on new opportunities which can eventually help your company to develop a better presence in the market.
The true motivation however is the opportunity for them to see the world while proving to you that their capable of handling the assignment.
Offering Perks As Rewards
As your business grows, other areas will expand as well, such as the order-fulfillment staff, for instance. You’ll also need ways to motivate them as well to control potential errors while simultaneously building team work.
But unlike the sales department, where their biggest motivation is money or bonuses, the fulfillment or service staff is usually motivated by exhilarating experiences and events.
You can offer tickets to a popular sporting event, and offer them to the employee who has the best record for making the fewest errors during the entire month.
So what will be improved is the overall effort level, as well as the progress the employees makes on fewer production errors, the money you save should adequately pay for the sport tickets.
Recognition Is The Key
If you own a sales dependent company, such as a car dealership, and you have a “star” sales person who is on track to break national sales records. So during the year, when they’re on target to reach the goal, they jokingly say that once the record is broken, they want a plaque with their name on it.
So near the end of the year, once it’s obvious that the record is going to be broken, you order not one, but two plaques of recognition. One that goes on the “Hall Of Fame” wall at your company, and the other for them to display at home.
Once they hit the sales goal, you then present the award and the plaque followed by an in-house standing ovation. Not only was the employee well compensated, but the public recognition as well as the public acclaim should motivate the entire sales team to push hard towards the same records.
Making It Personal
The biggest lesson which you may learn is directly asking your employee’s, individually, what really motivates them the most. One employee may want an extra day off to explore an unfamiliar city on a business trip, or another may want to get home an hour earlier on Mondays.
It may be important to tailor your rewards to outstanding employees individually, in ways which continues to hold value, while letting them know that keeping them as motivated as possible is important to you.