6 Employee Motivation Tricks

By Kelly A Smith

As a leader are you managing your team with metrics, standard scoring and standardized feedback? How’s that working out for you? Odds are low your employees are ready to rock if they are locked in a box full of must do’s with no escape plan to get out of the box. Lack of inspiration can be costly. According to Gallup in 2018 alone, estimates for the cost of poor management and lost productivity from employees in the U.S. who are not engaged or actively disengaged is somewhere between $960 billion and $1.2 trillion. Following are six motivational maneuvers to lower disengagement costs while raising the bar for employee productivity.

1. Train them. Whether you are onboarding a new employee or transferring an existing employee to a new department/project it is import to train them effectively. Does the employee know how to use the software? Are the project procedures highlighted in a clear and comprehensive manner? Take the time up front by making sure the employee has access to the tools, necessary passwords and contact information for reaching out to the proper manpower for assistance.

2. Provide the tools they will need to do their job effectively and efficiently. Different jobs require different tools to get the job done properly. Make sure equipment, software and resources are all up-to-date. Have additional funding available for outside training or online courses that will enhance employee knowledge.

3. Empower them. While a new hire may need oversight and guidance in the beginning, once they have their solid footing, allow them to provide input. Make sure the employee knows they have the freedom to act without getting permission to act. No one wants to be micro-managed.

4. Listen to them. Let your employee feel secure enough to voice their opinions. Team meetings should be a safe place to recommend changes, ideas or voice concerns. Not every concern or idea needs to be addressed or acted upon but the option to express oneself should always be available.

5. Consider their needs for a flexible schedule. For some employees the option to come in early so they can leave early to pick up their children from school is a huge factor in providing relief, thus allowing them to concentrate on work more completely. Allow your employee to work from home when they need to take their car in for repairs or to visit the doctor. If possible allow employees to work remotely one day a week or when weather conditions are poor.

6. Assign a mentor. A mentor is a resource the employee can feel safe reaching out to. A mentor can answer questions about how to best get the job done as well as how to strengthen one’s career path within the corporation.

Notice none of the tips require an increase in salary. Employees won’t work harder or longer just for the sake of it. There’s a quid pro quo and often it is not about money. So drop that stale performance review form and apply these tricks; you’ll see your employees jump through hoops to get the job done right, right on time.