People need motivation to have a positive outlook on life. Motivated people will be more productive because they know they are investing their time and energy in something worthwhile.
Motivated people are high achievers.
Employee motivation is a critical aspect of ensuring that a business will reach its goals. Having an unmotivated and disengaged team impacts the company’s productivity, efficiency, and profitability. Leaders and managers are responsible for keeping their team motivated and inspired.
It’s very important for management to be able to adjust the needs and direction of the team through knowing where problems and issues are occurring and address them. If triggers are due to high workload, frustrating processes, team dynamics, or even external factors (pressure from clients or possibly negative feedback) then those are incredibly important to deal with.
Here are a few tips on how to motivate your team.
Checking in with your team – are you ok?
The only way to know your team better is to have an open line of communication with them. Without communication, you will not know their concerns or issues that impact their performance and the overall organisational goal.
Regularly checking in with your team members will show that you care and value them. By scheduling regular check-ins to see how they are performing, you also motivate them to reach their goals.
The key to an effective check-in is consistency and frequency. Only having a meeting when there is an issue to discuss may start the conversation off negatively and restrict open conversations.
One suggestion is posting a poll each week to survey the team and how people are. Using a traffic light system of green = good, amber = okay, red = not good you can quickly assess the emotional state of your team and use this information to adjust your team planning for the week. If you are hitting more amber and red than you would normally expect, it may be time to have a team chat as something needs to be addressed. It may also help to phone those that identify as red to check in directly and show your support.
Provide a safe environment for your team to share their concern
To develop a high-performing team, you need to provide them with psychological safety. When workers feel they can speak their minds without fear of being punished, they are more likely to engage in healthy discussions, provide their valuable input and express their concerns.
Having a safe environment for your team to speak their mind needs no elaborate training or expensive software; all it takes is for you to allow a free exchange of ideas authentically and consistently.
Promote health and wellness to your team
If your team members are healthy, they will be more productive and efficient and do their tasks with enthusiasm and energy. When you have a healthy team, you’ll likely see less absenteeism and enhanced employee retention.
Healthy eating should be encouraged by ensuring that healthy choices are available if your company provides a canteen or cafeteria for employees. Though healthy foods may cost more, it will surely be worth it.
Another way to do this is to offer a gift card and discounts to health food stores rather than fast food restaurants. Encourage your team members to choose something green and high in protein.
It would help if you also encouraged your team members to do simple desk exercises and stretches such as the neck, shoulder and back stretches and leg lifts. You can also encourage your team members to take the stairs instead of the elevator (if appropriate) and emphasise its health benefits. Think of challenges you could implement with the team, such as step challenges or walk/bike to work with rewards.
Making wellness a priority in your team
Ensure your employees take their breaks, preferably away from their desk to have some downtime, they can then choose to take fitness classes, go for a walk, read a book, however, they like to spend their time.
Lastly, do not forget their mental health. Promote work and personal life balance by allowing your team members to take mental health days. By taking some time off, they can rest, relieve stress and recuperate so they can come back and work with more enthusiasm and vigour.
Motivation is crucial in almost all teams and organisations. It’s the key to have happy employees that produce the best work.