Top tips for keeping your staff motivated

As a HR professional or manager, one of the biggest obstacles you’ll face is retaining staff. After all of the effort of searching, interviewing and filling your posts with the right people, you don’t want to lose them along the way to other jobs, or worse because they are dis-satisfied/unmotivated by the job.

Fortunately, there are a range of online HR courses you can try, which can teach you ways to keep this talent interested. However, to help get you started, here are some top tips for elevating motivation. You see… whilst cash and work benefits are certain to keep them incentivised, long term you want to achieve each of the following:

• Create a pleasant and friendly workplace

The reality is – your employees will spend as much time in the office as they do at home. For that reason, they don’t want to spend their days somewhere that is grim, dreary or packed with tension. Instead, they want to feel safe, and work in an environment that is homely, friendly and aesthetically pleasing.

Visually, you can introduce artwork, statues, etc. into the workplace, and paint your walls with (NOTE: make sure to use colours they won’t find distracting). Likewise, you can adopt an open plan layout so everyone feels connected and part of a team.

• Be respectful and honest

This might seem like an obvious one, but you’d be surprised by how much of a difference being courteous, reliable and honest will have on your employees motivation levels. Yet, by simply ensuring that all of your staff know you have got their back and want what’s best for them, as well as being respectful and honest with your feedback all of this will ensure that they view you as a great leader.

Tip: if you need more advice on how to manage people, take advantage one of our online management courses.

• Introduce employee rewards

If you don’t already do this, then we strongly recommend that you give them a try. Offering regular and constant recognition through rewards for their work will go a long way to keeping them motivated and inspired to work hard.

The key is to clearly demonstrate their value and worth, and to show them how much they are appreciated by the business.

Tip: alongside the obvious rewards of gift vouchers, outings, extra days off, etc. you can also offer rewards such as: private health care or the option to pay for additional training/qualifications (if that is what they want).

• Create opportunities for career growth

To prevent stagnation and feelings of repetition, try creating opportunities for career growth. The fact that you believe they are capable of acquiring new skills/qualifications and that you want them to progress within the business, will inspire loyalty and a continued interest to work for your business. Likewise, offering extra responsibilities to anyone who shows promise will again encourage them to see you as a career and not just a job.

• Spot the good

It is only natural as a business to keep looking for ways for your staff to get better. However, it is also important to step back and acknowledge how far your employees have come. Have there been any instances where your employees have gone above and beyond their job description? If they have, recognise this and supply them with positive feedback and praise.

In truth, there are many tricks you can try to keep your staff motivated and loyal to your business. So if you are looking for ways to improve employee retention, why not give these a try today or consider enrolling onto one of our HR courses?  With the right strategies you can turn your business into a family…