Having motivated employees is key to having a successful business. Employees who aren’t motivated usually are less productive, which ultimately hurts your companies chances of reaching important goals.
Employee motivation doesn’t come easy. No one will be more motivated for your business to succeed than you. However, as a leader, it is essential to help your employees gain motivation to help better themselves, which will ultimately help your business and improve office wellbeing.
Why motivating employees is so important?
Have you ever had an off day at work where all of your motivation was gone? We all have. The next day, usually, you gain your motivation back and are able to outperform yourself from the day prior. However, imagine having an off day every day. An employee with no motivation will work slower, spend more time doing non-work-related tasks, and become a distraction at the office.
Motivated employees are more productive, engaged, and better co-workers. It is estimated that almost $1 trillion is wasted each year due to lost productivity, which is why companies with motivated employees are usually more successful than those that do not have motivated employees.
Also, an article by Harvard Business Review reported that highly motivated employees stay longer on the job compared to their counterparts. Employee retention saves you time from having to search for a new hire, training that new hire, and motivating that new hire so you don’t have to start the hiring process all over again.
The average cost of an employee turnover is 30% of their salary, according to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), so it’s important that you don’t lose valuable workers who leave your company because of lost motivation.
Ways to Motivate Your Employees
Some ways to motivate your employees include setting smaller weekly goals, incentivizing their work, and radiating positivity to them by being supportive. This will not only help your employees thrive at work, but help them be more optimistic about life.
Weekly Goals
Smaller weekly goals are important because they make an employee see the real impact of what they are doing to help the business. If you only have long-term goals, it can be easy for an employee to get overwhelmed and demotivated.
Incentivizing Their Work
Incentivizing your employees’ work is also another great way to get them motivated to perform even better. You could offer discounts after they complete one of their goals or give bonuses to an employee that accomplishes a significant milestone.
Congratulate Employees
Radiating positivity can be as simple as congratulating your employees whenever they have a significant accomplishment. Some accomplishments include completing a sale, getting featured in the news, and more!
When happiness and satisfaction are spread throughout the workplace, it tends to make more of an impact than you would think. Employees want to be around others who are happy and positive, which will help inspire and motivate them to continue their success.
Be Supportive
If none of these methods are for you, it’s always possible to motivate your employees by simply being supportive. This means being there when they need help, congratulating them when they do something great, listening to their concerns, and never letting them feel like they aren’t important.
In Conclusion
Motivation is a key factor in being successful. It has been proven time and time again that motivation can affect an employee’s productivity. The list of ways to motivate employees is endless, but the most important thing to remember is that you need to find what works best for your business and stick with it. Doing this will increase morale, which will ultimately help your company succeed.
Gallup’s research study found that thirteen percent of U.S. workers are actively disengaged… The cost of this kind of worker to the U.S economy is $450 billion in lost productivity every year. Do not lose out on your companies profits because of poorly motivated employees. Follow these tips to motivate your employees!