10 Ways to Motivate Your Staff

It is hard to be cheery and chipper when you’ve been told you’re no longer needed in your current position, or your hours or wages have been cut. As unemployment rises and the job market becomes even more competitive, those who still have their jobs are looking to keep them. This may mean staying in a job that you hate. All of us have those days when we wish we weren’t in the office, but when those days turn into weeks and months, and with the job market in a downward spiral, it’s only natural to feel trapped. While there are plenty of things that you can do to help pass the time until you can find a new job, there’s a lot an employer can do to reengage their staff and help motivate them.
Below are some things management can do if they want to keep their staff motivated and on task:

1. Don’t be a hypocrite. If you’re all on the same team that means the rules that apply to your staff should also apply to you. If you’re down staff members and request that others not take vacation that means you shouldn’t either. You’re the captain of the ship and your mates depend on your for guidance and direction – the best way to provide this is to lead by example.

2. Don’t micro-manage your staff. This doesn’t mean assigning a task and walking away, but it does mean providing clear instructions and expectations when delegating work.

3. Give credit when credit is due. This is one of the best ways to motivate your staff. If they’ve worked hard and done great work, make sure they get recognized for it.

4. Don’t be overly demanding. I understand that deadlines are still deadlines, but if you’ve known about one for over a week and inform your staff a few days before the due date, be ready to reward them when they meet it. Apologize if you have to and make sure they understand why this is important to you and the business.

5. Give genuine feedback. Constructive criticism is the best way to give feedback – be sure to note what they did well first, follow-up with a critique and end on a positive note. Make sure that your staff knows that they did a great job, but could improve in one or more areas.

6. Don’t take advantage of your staff. This begins with respecting that your staff has work-life balance choices to make. Find out if they carpool or if they ride a certain bus that only comes at a certain time and if you’re in a meeting that runs late respect that they may need to go.

7. Don’t be a perfectionist. This may be one of the hardest things to overcome but it’s extremely important. Once you’ve delegated an assignment, it’s out of your hands until it’s finished. Be sure to communicate expectations and so long as things are completed satisfactorily and on time, it should be a job well done. It really de-motivates staff when they feel like they can never meet your high expectations.

8. Don’t have favorites. If your staff sees that X employee always gets the best assignments, they’ll be less likely to devote extra time to their work. Divide responsibilities evenly and make sure that each staff member has at least one thing that they really enjoy doing.

9. Be sincere. There’s nothing worse than sarcasm when you’re in a bad mood. It’s also easily misunderstood and can increase conflict in the workplace.

10. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate. I can’t say this enough; communication is key to so many things – a happy friendship, marriage, relationship, etc. It’s also the key to a happy work environment. Open and honest dialogue helps staff share their comments, concerns or praises. Be sure to have an open mind and take action if there’s some constructive criticism. No one is perfect but they only way we can make improvements is if we hear what’s working and what’s not.