Workplace motivation has changed a lot in recent years. The average employee is looking for more than just a job. They are looking for personally rewarding careers that motivate and inspire. Finding ways to inspire your team will improve employee engagement, which has real effects on productivity and retention rates.
Here are 5 surefire tips to help you drive that inspiration.
- Know your vision – Understanding the vision of your company will help attract and motivate the right talent. This vision is separate from a formal business plan. While your formal plan should analyze the strategic value of your product or services in the market, your vision should be more human centric. This will impact how your company deals with its employees and customers on a human level. It may include attitudes toward ethics, community involvement, and workplace expectations. If you do not yet have a vision, take this time to brainstorm the mission, goals, and values you want your company to uphold and write them down.
- Consider flexible schedules – As Millennial and Generation Zs take over the job force, we are seeing more emphasis on balancing home and work life. These employees want to have it all and will work just as hard for their jobs as they will to have a life outside of work. Encouraging flexible working schedules can attract and motivate these employees. Think about allowing work from home or flex hours where possible. Also consider support for working mothers like postnatal leave and accommodations for breast pumping.
- Allocate your resources effectively – The best motivation comes from the inside. Bonuses and raises are great, but intrinsic motivation far outweighs these external motivators. Make sure you understand your team members’ personal and professional goals to ensure that their positions are in alignment. Talk to your team with regular touch base meetings to understand their short-term and long-term goals. If their responsibilities don’t line up with their current position, look for ways to help transition them into different roles. The loyalty and increased productivity will be worth the work.
- Encourage education – Help your employees gain new skill sets and a growing sense of accomplishment by promoting educational opportunities. This tells them that you believe in their long-term professional well-being. Make it a company policy to support educational opportunities, whether they are classes, seminars, or a few hours a week with reading materials. Building your employees up will help you create an inspired and skilled team from the ground up.
- Lead by example – Take charge of your team by showing them what it means to be a passionate and hardworking employee. Make sure that you are not asking more of them than you are of yourself. If you can show by example that you are just as dedicated to the company, and to them, then they are more likely to step up and fill those shoes when the time comes.
Today’s workforce doesn’t need another robot, it just needs inspiration and a level of excitement. People who innovate and create provide some of the best solutions to solve today’s business problems.
