A business is only ever as good as the people who put their blood, sweat and tears into it, but sometimes it’s a little hard to keep those people awake and wanting to work. Fortunately for you there’s a few easy tricks to help that’s a little more effective than some motivational posters around the office. Here’s a few ways to make the ol’ hustle and grind a little easier…
Embrace the differences…
Each one of your employees are different. They think and process differently and are driven by different things. Your first step should be to find out what exactly these things are. Are they creatively driven? Or do they prefer structure and a set routine? Try conducting a team meeting, or even one-on-one meetings and brainstorm with them. What do they like and dislike about work? What can be done better? Use their answers to all these questions to come up with ways to reinforce the positives and while some negatives can truly be eliminated (sometimes things just need to get done whether we like them or not!) there are ways to make them more bearable. Use this as an opportunity to take on some suggestions from the team as well – maybe not the one about replacing the water in the water cooler with wine, but using their ideas lets your team know they’re being listened to.
Find the carrot…
Introduce some incentive – you have to give a little to get a little. Give your employees something to look forward to, maybe a gift card or an afternoon off when they’ve kicked some goals. This will be different depending on your business, whether the reward comes when a certain project is completed, KPI’s are met, or someone’s just been putting in that extra bit of effort lately. Like we said before, each employee is different, so you have to find their “carrot”, that thing you dangle in front of them to keep them moving. If an employee doesn’t feel appreciated, then they’re hardly likely going to come in each day with the mind-set of making the boss lady more money! If your team knows that the harder they work, the more productive they are, and the more goals they hit, they could be financially rewarded, who knows? Your business could really boom!
All about the ambiance…
Make sure you’re providing a safe and happy place to work. Nothing kills motivation faster than an unhappy employee. You want your workplace to be somewhere that your employees wake up in the morning and look forward to going to. This could involve anything from making the office a little more aesthetically pleasing or playing some upbeat music during the day (even take the time to make a playlist that your team can contribute to so there’s a little something to satisfy everyone’s ears). In saying this, also understand that everyone has their off days, and that’s ok! On these days, sometimes it’s best to assign a room or job to them so they can focus on their work rather than being caught up in the hustle and bustle of the work day.
Teamwork makes the Dream work…
Yes, you’re all individuals that work in unique ways, and while you should embrace these differences and cater to them to provide optimum work output, ultimately, you’re here as a team. Organise some outside of work activities, dinner and drinks, a day at the salon, maybe even a day at the races. Creating that personal bond and trust between you and your team can open doors in the work place. They’re more likely to feel confident enough to express new ideas and it’s a much more positive environment to work in when everyone gets along. Just try not to have one too many drinks and embarrass yourself!
