Top tips on keeping staff motivated

When it comes to this time of year, many of us can start to feel a little lacklustre. With the nights drawing in and seemingly so much to fit in before the end of the year, feelings of tiredness can start to creep up on us.

By Karen Credie, KMCHR.

The problem can be exacerbated as we head closer to Christmas at which time a ‘winding down’ mentality can develop; therefore making the task of keeping productivity at normal levels an uphill struggle.

So how can you keep staff motivated? Here are some tips on staff motivation relevant not only to the festive period but the whole year through.

Understand your staff

Before you can begin to motivate your employees, you need to understand what makes them tick. For example, some people in your team will be driven by having a clear vision of their role, contribution and future in the business. Others will be more heavily influenced by what they don’t have and might be motivated by a fear of not being able to progress to where they want to be. People all have different triggers and by understanding what these are, you will be able to ensure your management presses the right buttons.

The power of competition

If you’re keen to reinvigorate your team, there’s nothing like a good competition to spur them into action. Whether you have individual staff members all competing against each other or else set team targets, perhaps in competition with other teams, when done correctly and inclusively, setting goals can be great for productivity and comradery. This tactic is particularly useful where you are anticipating a period of low productivity, such as the run up to Christmas. Setting a goal or team target to be achieved within a relatively short period, such as a month, can really help to get and keep employees focussed.

Celebrate successes

Everybody likes a pat on the back once in a while and being sure to highlight the successes of an individual or team can go a long way to boost morale. Furthermore success breeds success – either with the same person / people wanting to do and achieve more or else others wanting their share of the limelight. Saying ‘thank you’ costs nothing and goes a long way.

Don’t be a miser

Whilst you may want to get the best work out of your staff, being seen as a grumpy, moody or a slave driver is almost certainly not the way to go about it. Hard work should be rewarded, so once in a while why not show your appreciation. Treating employees to an unexpected surprise, such as cakes one Friday afternoon or finishing an hour early, is generally very well received. Just be sure not to make any treats habitual or else they will become expected, and could therefore be counterproductive should you not be there to implement the treat one week.