Team motivation is integral to keeping employees engaged and happy at your company. You might think that motivation only comes from one thing: salary increases. That’s not the case, however. While raises are an important part of employee happiness, there are other ways to motivating your team throughout the year.
Studies have even shown that happy employees are 12 percent more productive. As a leader, it’s up to you to keep your employees engaged. While large companies may have more lucrative perks, small businesses can find motivation boosters, as well.
Here are five low-cost tactics you can implement right away to create a more positive work environment:
- Define company goals.
From day one, let employees know exactly how their position and work contributes to attaining the company’s main goal. If all team members understand that they have the same goal, they will be more motivated to work together. Having a clear understanding will also give employees a better sense of purpose in their team. - Give simple rewards.
Every team is a little different. Some are motivated by donuts; others are motivated by half-days. When a team reaches a milestone, bring in coffee and donuts or announce that the next Friday will end at lunchtime. These small actions let your employees know you care about their happiness and notice their successes. - Build honest relationships.
Many managers will only have frank discussions with their employees during evaluations or when issues arise. In order to catch problems ahead of time and receive employee feedback, schedule a private meeting with them once or twice a year. Think of it simply as a check-in, not a review. Ask how they feel about working there if there’s anything they notice could be improved in their working environments. - Say “thank you.”
A simple “thank you” can go a long way. Always acknowledge the actions and behaviors you want to see repeated. The trick is to be specific and timely. Acknowledge the extra time, effort or simply the enthusiasm they showed for a project. Just be specific about what impressed you and provide that “thank you” as close to the actual action as possible. - Encourage positivity.
Encourage a positive and fun workspace. If you can, choose an office space with both offices and common areas to foster group work. This also means making your office a place employees really want to be, providing comfortable office chairs and other spaces they might need.
These are only a few of the ways you can motivate your team. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more team building and corporate culture articles and whitepapers.