Great teams are how most companies get important work done. The combined skills, acumen, and energy of a motivated group of people can accomplish anything they set their minds to. Your employees are the lifeblood of your company, but if they lose the motivation to work hard, it’s unlikely that they’ll achieve their true potential. If you feel like your employees are losing their enthusiasm for their jobs, here’s how you can steer them in a clear direction and keep them productive and engaged.
Acknowledge Employees’ Achievement
Nobody wants to go above and beyond for an organization and work day in and day out if they are never appreciated or rewarded. As a leader, your need to recognize a job well done, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant it may seem. If you are wondering how recognition will motivate your employees, remember that recognition creates an emotional connection between employer and employee which is the key to establishing employee engagement. Recognition quenches an employee’s basic need of esteem and belonging within a group. People crave recognition since it confirms you’re doing the right thing and encourages you to keep doing it. Always remember to give credit when credit is due. No wonder Managers and HR pros these days are seen incorporating recognition programs at their companies.
Provide Opportunities for Development
The monotony of daily drudgery can drain your employees’ motivation to work hard. Team members feel more valuable and inspired to work harder when they are learning and enhancing their skills. To instigate your team to work harder and achieve results, remember to provide them with ample opportunities for professional growth and development. Provide your team with the training and resources they need to become knowledgeable about the most up and coming technologies and industry news and advance in their careers. Make sure to tailor these opportunities according to the needs of different employees. These opportunities could be in the form of on-the-job training, setting challenging targets, mentoring somebody yourself, allowing an employee to work in a different department, or inviting an employee to shadow you. As a leader, your ultimate goal should be to teach your team transferable skills that could enhance their worth as a professional, as well as open up new doors for them.
Give Them More Responsibility
Following the same routine and performing the same tasks day in day out is a guaranteed productivity killer. Employees who are made to perform the same chores over and over again, run the run of losing passion for their job, and ultimately any desire to work hard. The only solution to this is to provide them with new and challenging tasks that allow them to step outside of their comfort zone and explore new horizons. Giving your employees more responsibilities or entrusting them with important tasks helps them become more confident in their abilities, which is the key to keeping them engaged. After all, if your employees feel good about themselves and their jobs, they will be more likely to perform better. Be it putting an employee in charge of training new staff members, leading a pitch for a prospective client, or giving a big presentation, give them a chance to shine and claim their moment in the limelight.
Eliminate Dissatisfaction
Experts say that you can motivate your team by eliminating elements of job dissatisfaction and creating an environment where employees feel content. Employees often feel disgruntled with their jobs due to lack of job security, intrusive supervision, micromanagement, irritating company policies, or feeling burned out. If you don’t address these issues, you will find it a tough nut to crack to motivate your employees and get them to work harder for you. Look for ways to eliminate these elements of frustration and provide a level of job satisfaction to your employees, for instance by instilling in them a sense of purpose, launching training and development programs, increasing sense of responsibility, providing clear opportunities for advancement/promotion, and creating a transparent, honest, and trusting work environment.
Share your Passion with your Employees
I had a boss once who looked as if he was simply going through the motions, without the least care for anything they did! It seemed as if he simply came to work every day because he had to pay the bills, but he didn’t really care for his work. I won’t be exaggerating if I say that it was nothing short of an uphill battle to be productive when your leader wasn’t pulling their weight and showing passion or interest for their role.
Researchers say that leaders who exude passion and enthusiasm for their work are more energizing to be around. You as a leader need to get in touch with what makes your job meaningful to you if you want your subordinates to pick up on your fervor. Be sure to share your goals and excitement with your employees, let them in on what your company stands for, what are your goals for the organization, what projects are you planning to take on, and so on. The goal is to make your employees feel included and a part of the company by explaining the “why and how” behind everything you do. This is the secret to keeping employees involved.
