Staff Motivation

Some employers think that paying their staff a good salary is enough to get the highest level of performance and some employers do not even do that.  Paying a good salary is just not enough.  Most employees still need to be motivated to increase their awareness of the status of the company, let them know what are expected of them and have them develop genuine care as to the growth and progress of the company they are working for.

Here are some ways to motivate the staff into giving their peak performance:

1.    The first step is the hiring process.  Before hiring an employee, you need to make sure that he or she is someone who can be motivated.  Some employees work only for the money.  But it would be best for the company if it has staff who work not only for the money, but for the growth of the company as well.  Rewards, bonuses and incentives are also good to get the staff to work for the betterment of the company.  Also a good staff motivation scheme is to offer profit-sharing to the employees.  This means that if the company is doing well, the staff would also be receiving a portion of the company profits.  

2.    The employer should also create a good working atmosphere for the employees.  This includes a friendly atmosphere and a well laid out and designed work space. They have to have a workplace which is conducive for productivity.  One method often used is to arrange the desks and chairs in such a way that chit chat would be difficult to do.  Each of the employees may be assigned a cubicle as their personal space.  Unfortunately however, building cubicles can cost much, but having a good desk and chair arrangement is the least expensive method to increase work productivity.

3.    Management should build and foster good rapport with the staff .  Good rapport between staff and employees will instill in the employees a genuine care for the company.  It would be to the company’s advantage if the staff are allowed to ask for advice from the management or other team members on how to perform their jobs in the most efficient way.  The company’s staff policies can also be greatly improved if the employees are allowed to participate in policy-making.  Staff appreciate being able to contribute ideas and through this , they can discuss their own beliefs on what is fair and not fair in the subject of employee-discipline and create a better working relationship with the company.

4.    The company also has to have annual activities to create friendship and harmony among its employees.  An annual Family Day, Christmas party, Team-building activities and Sports day may be included in the company’s annual itinerary.

It would also be great for the employer to acknowledge an employee’s contribution to the company by honouring him as the “Employee of the Month” and by giving him cash or other forms of incentives.  A reward system for the employees will often do wonders for the company.  Bonuses and incentives can be anything from cash, appliances, vacation packages to scholarship grants.  These will stimulate staff satisfaction and motivation.  Have these rewards written in clear black and white and posted on the company bulletin board or in conspicuous areas in the office.  That way, the employees know what rewards they can get for their accomplishments.

The company should also classify its employees into 3 different categories:

1st category: Those employees who perform efficiently and can deliver the best results.  These are those whom the company must keep and reward well.

2nd category: Those employees who have potential but are averagely efficient.  They still need to be guided and motivated some more in order to extract better productivity.  The company must weigh these employees according to their talents, potentials and degree of efficiency.  If they have more efficiency than talent, or more of the latter than efficiency, the company must then decide what would be best for its interest-- to let these employees stay, or to let them go.

3rd category: Those employees who like to waste time despite the company’s earnest efforts at motivation.  They are those who waste precious company hours.  These are the kind of employees whom the company must immediately dispose of as large amounts of money are being wasted paying these employees. These employees lack emotional involvement in the welfare of the company and do not contribute to the success of the business.  Their salaries are wasted and just go down the drain.

Staff motivation is critical to the company’s advancement so it is something that the employer must understand and practice.  The company’s development relies heavily on the kind of employees it hires.  Thus, having top employees can help propel the company into the big leagues in no time.