Motivated, enthusiastic and satisfied employees are critical to business success. It’s important that business owners and managers understand what it takes to keep employees motivated and happy. Understanding the need to invest in staff and show them they are valued and appreciated is also essential.
Organisations such as Predictable Success offer workshops, programs and a model for leadership and organisational development. Central to the education and guidance offered is the importance of motivated, satisfied employees who take pride in their work and are eager to achieve success. If you are serious about improving employee engagement and attitude toward your business, being better educated in how to successfully nurture and grow your workforce is an investment that pays dividends.
So what does it take to keep your employees motivated? Implement these five simple approaches in your workplace.
1. A Shared Vision
There is immense value in defining and sharing the organisation’s vision with your employees. This vision should serve as a roadmap for all staff, so that all members of the organisation understand the direction of the business and the issues expected along the way. This vision should be shared in the new hire onboarding process so that new employees know from the start what direction the business is wanting to go in – this will help ensure new employees are perfect for the role!
2. Take Personal Interest in Your Employees
It is perilous to assume that all employees come to you with the training, support and resources they need to do their job well. Keep your employees motivated and satisfied by meeting with them to find out what they need and how they are travelling. The personal interest that you take and the actions that can come from these conversations can make all the difference to how an employee feels about their job and your organisation.
3. Commit to Excellent Communication
Capitalise on all opportunities to share your vision with employees and invite their feedback. Take full advantage of training sessions, scheduled and impromptu meetings, newsletters, memos and other communications to share information with your employees and create opportunities for them to ask questions. If feedback from your employees indicates they are confused or minimally invested, it’s a good idea to change the way information is presented.
4. Communicate to Share Goals
Arguably, the most critical aspect of a manager’s job is effective communication. This really can make the difference between having highly motivated, satisfied employees and being a workplace of unhappy drones who apathetically go through the motions of their role. Creating a culture of clear and respectful communication where employees and management share vision and goals can significantly increase your company’s productivity and longevity. Always be clear about your purpose when you meet with your employees.
5. Engage Your Employees
There is significant benefit in engaging all of your employees in planning and decision-making processes and, if you are serious about motivating and retaining great employees, this must be done in a genuine manner. The great advantage in involving and engaging your employees is that they feel connected with and responsible for their work tasks. Essentially, their work becomes a source of great pride and they feel invested in the achievement of business goals.
Motivated employees are a wonderful asset to any business. By taking some simple and logical steps to promote employee satisfaction, a positive workplace culture is created that enables your business to experience greater prosperity.
