6 Ways to Motivate Employees 

Motivating employees is an important part of cultivating a productive and positive work environment. Learn about how you can motivate your employees by implementing these 6 easy tips.

How do you motivate employees in the workplace? 

Finding good employees is hard, and motivating them to stay with your company is even harder, especially in a world fueled by competition. Your competitors may offer more competitive salaries, better benefit plans, or overall better incentives. 

Thus, employee motivation is one of the biggest challenges human resource professionals encounter. From time to time, every manager struggles to keep employees motivated. Great managers know that your employees are the key to your company's overall success.

Consider these ways to boost employee morale to cultivate a more positive workplace environment, all which translate to increased performance and a more robust bottom line. 

Not all methods will work for all employees. It's important to experiment and find out what works best for your team. 

1. Establish a Reward and Recognition Program

A reward and recognition program is the easiest way to achieve a motivated, productive workforce. By rewarding employees, they will feel valued, appreciated, which in turn will boost employee motivation.

Group or Team Awards

Give an entire group, department, or team credit for their hard work or a task they achieved. It is important to recognize departments or teams who have gone above and beyond the call of the duty- not just individuals.

Individual Awards

Do you have an individual on your team who has made special contributions to your organization’s success? Some employees require individual recognition- not just praise as a group. Give praise and recognize individual employee achievements for example:

• Employee of the Quarter Awards
• Employee of the Month Awards
• Recognition during a company meeting 
• Recognition in a department-wide email

Our Reward Program:

Here at TPI Staffing, we recognize a quarterly winner and the selected employee(s) receive an award and monetary bonus, at no extra cost to our client companies. It is our pleasure to identify quality candidates to join your team and it is our hope that they continue to make a positive impact and add value to your organization. 

2. Stop Micromanaging

It's important to understand how your employees best flourish. Give your employees the opportunity to work independently and get the job done without constant micromanagement. Some may work their best while being micromanaged while others shut down and become frustrated.

• Create balance
• Allow employees to work independently
• Give a greater sense of responsibility and control to your employees
• Lead by example
• Cultivate a sense of partnership among employees

When managers spend more time micromanaging rather than developing an employees skills and goal-setting, you can expect high turnover rates and reduced employee engagement. As a manager, it's critical to lead by example. Take steps toward cultivating a partnership among employees and you'll expect to see better results, all translating to increased performance and a more robust bottom line.

3. Provide Challenge

Repetition can become autonomous. Encourage employees to try more, rather than bore them to create a sense of motivation. Consider implementing monthly incentives or challenges in various areas of their job duties. This creates a sense of new challenge and responsibility that your team can benefit from.

Example for managers to motivate employees:

If you are the Call Center Manager, create an incentive to close the sale at a 20% increased phone call average.  Ask employees to pick a new job-related topic to learn and teach the rest of their co-workers.

If you are the Human Resources Manager, ask your fellow HR Team to pick a topic and ask them to teach your team.

Topic Ideas

4. Establish a Continuous Learning Program

Implementing a continuous learning program in the workplace is an important, effective way to show your employees you care about their future. 

Support career development

Learning and development should compliment your business strategy and efforts to help employees explore their right career path. This essentially opens the door for employees to reap the rewards and take advantage of new learning opportunities that can prepare them for upward internal mobility.

Update skills

Focus on areas that need improvement first, as well as hone the skills of the areas that employees master. We all can use a refresher course in some aspect of our job, and it's important to be ahead of the curve to keep your skills up-to-date. There's nothing more detrimental to the morale of your team than unmotivated employees.

Align learning and business objectives

Getting your employees and management team to buy in on a continuous learning program starts with setting expectations and laying out the benefits of how the program will provide opportunities for your business and get the most value out of the investment.

All in all, the skills we learn and absorb will help employees move forward and establish the mindset of continuous learning. If companies don't make training a priority they are at risk of falling behind.

5. Take Input and Listen

When employees feel heard, they become more willing to take part in your business goals. The feeling of being heard is invigorating to the individual, and the long-term impact to the company can include a wide range of benefits.

• Regularly ask your employees for their input and ideas.
• Be available to listen to employees.
• Don't close your door and lock yourself in an office where employees aren't able to reach you. 

6. Create a Fun Workplace Environment

Are you creating a workplace environment that your employees enjoy? Cliche, but having fun is one of the most important aspects contributing to organizational success. 

Evaluate your "fun-meter":

• Do you have "Casual Fridays" that allow your employees to wear jeans to work?
• Do you often celebrate work anniversaries and birthdays?
• Do you decorate offices or cubicles? 
• Do you congratulate for reaching goals
• Do you regularly host lunches for employees to attend?
• Do you have pizza parties, dessert parties, potluck lunches, or bring in catering to the office?
• During meetings do you play any games or raffles?

View our Comprehensive Guide to Staffing Agencies in Texas or download our FREE Employers Guide to Staffing to learn more about the world of staffing and employment agencies. 

Give TPI Staffing a call at (855) 855-4473 or or connect with us to discuss the ways we have helped our clients and find out how we can help your company!

TPI Staffing has been serving the Houston area for more than 30 years, showing we have helped local businesses since 1988. If you are in need of filling your open positions with the right job candidates, contact our team of recruiters today to work with one of the best temporary staffing agencies in Texas.