HOW TO MOTIVATE EMPLOYEES IN A BUSINESS – 21 EFFECTIVE WAYS:

Employees are the backbone of any business. They are the ones who serve the customers, who manage your daily operations and provide you with the profit that has made you successful enough. In return, to their efforts, you provide them with remuneration. But is that really enough? Why would someone want to spend his or her effort for your success? How could they keep going with a limited amount of wage that they get? They definitely need something extra, which could help them stick to your business, and that is in the form of motivation. How to motivate employees in a business is definitely a complex question that would require more subjective analysis. However, over time, researchers have analyzed the behavior of people and found numerous ways for employees’ motivation.

The purpose of this article is to provide you with a better understanding of what motivation is and how can you utilize it positively for enhancing the productivity of your employees and your business. In order to know these methods, you will need to go through this article and note down the techniques that work best for you.

WHAT IS THE MOTIVATION?
According to the definition presented by the business dictionary, motivation can be defined as “Internal and external factors that stimulate desire and energy in people to be continually interested and committed to a job, role or subject, or to make an effort to attain a goal.”

With the main points presented in this definition, motivation is a force that makes individuals do certain things. You need to trigger it and pave it in the right direction to get the right results. This works for the employees working in your organization as well. You need to create a sense of workforce motivation, so the overall objective that you have set for your business would be achieved. If you need to know more about the basics of motivation, you can review this article.

We hope that the concept of motivation would be clearer now. So, now the next thing that would come to your mind would be why the employees of your organization are important. Obviously, if one or more of your employees will leave the company, you are going to hire a new one, then why to put in all the effort for motivating the employees. Well, we are going to answer this question in the next section.

IMPORTANCE OF EMPLOYEES OF ORGANIZATION:
A great employee is like a four leaf clover, hard to find and lucky to have.

Tammy Cohen
This quote very well describes the importance of good employees for a business. And this is the main reason for which you would keep the level of motivation of the existing employees higher so that they would be happy working for you and you’ll be happy with the productivity that they are bringing in for your company.

Another important reason to retain employees in the business is that the existing employees already know the culture of your organization and the ways through which the operations are to be handled. But when you are going to hire a new employee, you’ll have to train him or her. Similarly, the cost of rehiring and the time wasted in the process would influence you to know the importance of the good employees and retain them by implementing the best practices. This is how the things work in mutual benefit for you and the employees.

TYPES OF MOTIVATION:
If you are thinking that creating an external environment would create motivation in the employees, then this is only partially correct. Motivation is dependent on two factors i.e., internal and external factors. There are certain external factors that you can easily use to create motivation in your employees. These include monetary rewards and bonuses. But there are certain internal factors that create motivation for individuals too. Some of these include the opportunity to grow and develop a career, acknowledgment for a task, etc. So, basically, the division is between the factors within and outside of an individual. In different cases and situations, the level of motivation can be different. You’ll have to figure the right force of motivation to get things done.

WAYS TO MOTIVATE EMPLOYEES IN A BUSINESS:
With all the basic information, now you’ll be excited to know about the techniques through which you can motivate employees in a business. So what are you waiting for, let’s start with some of the awesome techniques that you can use for workplace motivation? Along with the techniques, we’ll also give you some tips to incorporate that technique in your business.

1. WORK ENVIRONMENT SHOULD BE FRIENDLY:
WHAT TO DO?
In the traditional work setting, employees spend around 8 – 9 hours of their day in the office or at the workplace, which makes around 1/3rd of their entire life. You can’t be expecting them to ruin 1/3rd of their life when they have ample other opportunities surrounding them. The intention to do something wonderful dies the very moment when the surrounding environment is not feasible for it. So, in order to keep the employees going, you need to provide them with a friendly environment. It would help them in enhancing their motivation level and would also force them to be at work and give their best.

HOW TO DO IT?
Creating a friendly environment needs your efforts as a CEO or manager of the business. You need to develop a culture that would trigger positivity in every sense. Additionally, negativity should be discouraged, and eventually you’ll be able to remove it from your work environment altogether.

2. PROVIDE ACKNOWLEDGMENT FOR EMPLOYEE’S WORK:
WHAT TO DO?
Acknowledging the efforts of the employees for the organization is one of the most important and probably the most general way of inducing motivation. If you are going to tell your employees that they are putting their effort in the organization and you appreciate them for this effort, then they are going to feel their role to be important for your business. Once they know that they are important for a venture, they would definitely tend to show better performance.

HOW TO DO IT?
You don’t need to wait for something big to acknowledge the effort of your employees. It can simply be the part of every meeting where you can explain how the efforts of employees have helped the management in reaching this stage. Additionally, the acknowledgment from the top level of management could be incorporated into the culture. It would help in creating an instant boost in the motivation level. You can imagine it for yourself to know the exact impact. Imagine recognition of your effort by a senior teacher in your school. Didn’t it boost your morale? This is how it works in the case of employees as well.

3. PROVIDING A REWARD TO THE EMPLOYEES:
WHAT TO DO?
The provision of reward to the employees results in the creation of motivation. As discussed earlier, there can be two types of rewards. These include monetary rewards and non-monetary rewards. In the monetary rewards, an extra income in the form of money, or bonus can be provided to the employees. The second type of rewards includes non-monetary rewards such as benefits in the form of reservation of a parking spot in the office.

HOW TO DO IT?
You can create a clear way out to provide the employees with the necessary rewards. It can be in the form of a reserved parking space. Similarly, there can be rewards in the form of flexible work timing. Or there can be other mutually agreed upon rewards for providing the employees with more comfort.

4. MAKE SURE TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY:
WHAT TO DO?
Communication is the key to everything. You can ensure better communication in order to motivate employees towards work. Better communication can provide a better understanding of the issue being faced by the organization. Similarly, you as part of the top-level management, can provide a better solution to problems faced by the employees.

HOW TO DO IT?
You can arrange weekly meetings with the employees to ensure effective communication. In these meetings, you can provide the employees with an opportunity to share their problems. At the same time, you can also try to provide the employees with a discussion about the issues that the organization is facing.

5. BE TRANSPARENT AND OPEN TO MOTIVATE EMPLOYEES:
WHAT TO DO?
Involving a lot of complexity regarding the business matters give rise to ambiguity and problems in the relationship between the employers and employers, leading to lack of motivation in the employees. In order to curb the negative impact of such a scenario, it is important that you should be transparent about the major issues that the organization is facing and the way through which you are expecting to handle those issues.

HOW TO DO IT?
Once again, our suggestion is to go for meetings. But this time formal ones where you’ll take the employees in confidence about all the issues.

6. COMPETITION CAN INCREASE THE MOTIVATION LEVEL:
WHAT TO DO?
The competition in the employees can enhance their motivation level. In case there is no competition in the employees working in the organization, then they would not show their full potential.

To win in the marketplace, you must first win in the workplace.

Doug Conant
So it is important that a healthy competition is instigated and thus the overall potential of the organization is increased. This is only possible through motivation.

HOW TO DO IT?
You can arrange competition in the organization regularly or can assign two teams on an important task (if possible). This will help in digging out the full potential of the employees. Additionally, the employees will also remain vigilant and provide the best ideas for the general working of the organization as well.

7. SET A CLEAR OBJECTIVE:
WHAT TO DO?
You need to set a clear objective in order to enhance the level of motivation in the employees. A clear objective can help in the presentation of a direction on which the employees need to divert their efforts. When the direction is clear, the employees will not have to put their effort into simplifying everything. They can directly manage to act upon the objective and get the results for the company. One of the motivational quote that would fit the scenario is:

People with goals succeed because they know where they are going.

Earl Nightingale
This quote highlights one of the most important ways for how to motivate employees.

HOW TO DO IT?
The vision statement of the company can be an important way through which a clear objective can be formed. It is essential that you must create a vision statement and communicate it to the employees and other stakeholders of the business. Doing it will not only give clarity to each of the parties associated with your business; rather, it will also help in enhancing the level of motivation necessary to perform the job in the organization.

8. SUCCESSION PLANNING IS IMPORTANT:
WHAT TO DO?
Even if you are a small organization, succession planning must be an integral part of your operation plan. Succession planning provides a road map of promotion along with an emphasis on the skills necessary for the completion of the successive jobs. It helps the employee gauging their future and potential capabilities. Thus, resulting in higher motivation to give their best and achieve the particular designation in the future.

HOW TO DO IT?
Succession Planning is one of the HR issues. The HR department of the company must be directed to develop a succession plan for the employees. One important thing that can be associated with succession planning is that everyone must know about it. Only then can it create motivation in individuals. The motivation can be in the form of staying in an organization and giving the best of abilities.

9. PROVIDE EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP:
WHAT TO DO?
The role played by leadership can trigger a change in the attitudes of employees. The employees see up to the leader for the solution of the problems and unconsciously develop the longing to have the same skills and personality. Such an attitude is a motivation for most of the employees and you can easily shape it to get the benefits for your company. However, one important thing to note here is that the leadership that an employee is expected to get motivated from must be dynamic and holistic. Only then can it create the right kind of motivational impact on the employees.

HOW TO DO IT?
You, as the CEO of the company can either show your leadership skills for this purpose by polishing your abilities. Or you can even hire a charismatic leader in the top management. It will help you in getting the benefits of the potential of the new manager, along with the creation of the reason for the employees to remain motivated. However, hiring an outside manager (for leadership benefits) when you are actively taking part in your business could be detrimental as well. So, you’ll have to analyze the pros and cons of this move before you execute it.

Leadership is the ability to get extra ordinary achievement from ordinary people

Brian Tracy
10. CREATIVITY MUST BE ENCOURAGED:
WHAT TO DO?
Creative minds wander here and there for new ideas, solutions and different ways of doing things. By providing an environment that would support creative brains, you would be letting the employees explore themselves and the world. When the other basic needs of an individual are fulfilled, the needs related to self-exploration and exploration of the world becomes the necessity. So, by providing an environment where the employees could fulfill their need, you are actually motivating them.

HOW TO DO IT?
In order to create a creative environment or to support creativity, the culture of knowledge sharing and informal learning must be introduced. Studies have suggested that both these factors play an important role in enhancing creativity in the organization. By adapting to such an environment, you’ll be signaling that you value such traits and the results that you are expecting through inducting motivation in employees would be seen. Additionally, it is going to create a win-win situation for you. The propagation of creative ideas would either ease the process of doing business or create a new product or service for your venture. So, isn’t it great to support creativity and achieve multiple benefits out of it?

11. TRY TO CREATE A FUN ENVIRONMENT:
WHAT TO DO?
It is human nature that we tend to get bored from the usual routine. Once we get bored, we tend to lose interest in whatever the routine is being followed. Thus, this lack of interest or being bored can be referred to as a lack of motivation in the employees within the workplace culture. You need to break that culture, and it is possible through the creation of a fun environment.

HOW TO DO IT?
By the creation of a fun environment, we don’t mean to create a playland in the office. But the monotonous routine must definitely be ended. You can encourage different people from the team to conduct the meeting each week. Or it can be in the form of getting together or having lunch together. For all this stuff, you don’t need the extra time from the employees, but such activities can help you in uplifting their level of motivation towards the job and your organization.

Still wondering about more ways to answer how to motivate employees? This motivational quote below can give you a better answer:

When you are inspired in your work, everything seems to fall into place

Wayne Dyer
12. SHOW A WELCOMING ATTITUDE TOWARDS IDEAS IN ORDER TO MOTIVATE EMPLOYEES:
WHAT TO DO?
Not each idea could be a brilliant one. You might need to polish it, modify it or in some case shun it altogether. But there is a way of doing everything. If you are going to ignore ideas from one or two individuals or at a particular point of time, then it would discourage the employees even to present an idea and there is no chance that you can get benefit from the collective intellect. Moreover, the impact of this ignorance can also be seen on the day-to-day work done by the employees. This is why it is extremely necessary that you must provide them with an opportunity to share their ideas without creating any barriers for them.

HOW TO DO IT?
One of the suggestions to implement this technique is to create a specific notice board where new ideas can be coined. With the advancement of technology, this notice board can now also be shifted to the virtual world where the credit to the original idea can easily be given to the one who coined the idea. Moreover, the improvisation of the idea can also be done easily.

Another solution here is to arrange a quarterly meeting just to discuss new ideas. But make sure to give each individual a fair chance to present their idea fully along with the discussion of the benefits that their idea can bring in for the organization. The arrangement of a quarterly meeting will have an influence on the mindset of the employees all around the year. They will use their intellect to think out of the box, positive competition would be encouraged, and the reason to explore their potential would be available to them.

13. NO COMPROMISE ON RESPECT AND HONESTY SHOULD BE MADE:
WHAT TO DO?
Although, one of the ways to enhance the level of motivation suggests you to provide an open environment for communication open communication must have certain principles. These principles can be dependent on your organizational culture. But make sure to include honesty and respect as part of the principles. This is because employees would definitely want an environment where freedom to communication should be provided. But at the same time, they would also demand that the element of respect and honesty must not be compromised. Thus, providing protection for these important principles can improve workforce motivation.

HOW TO DO IT?
Honesty and respecting others should be made the part of organizational culture. No tolerance should be shown on both these principles if someone tries to violate them. A procedural action must be taken against such individuals. This will restrict the encouragement of such an attitude by all the employees, helping you set an environment where employees would be encouraged to show their full potential.

14. CAREER GROWTH IS IMPORTANT TO MOTIVATE EMPLOYEES:
WHAT TO DO?
With such a high competition in the industry, the need for career growth is ever increasing. If the employees working for you will not feel any prospect of growing up the ladder or in their skill set, then they are least likely to continue working for you. This is why you need to provide them with motivation in the form of career growth where they would learn new skills that are required in the marketplace. It will give them the security that even if they leave this job, they would be able to find a new one based on their skill level. So, this can be an important way to motivate employees.

HOW TO DO IT?
Keeping in pace with the industry trends is important to secure the future. Training can be one of the means through which you can provide the latest skills and provide career growth. Apart from that, opportunities for promotion in the organization and the trend of internal hiring at the key positions can also be used to improve the perception of employees about career development. Thus, it can be used as a method for increasing employee motivation.

15. REGULAR TRAINING MUST BE MADE PART OF THE ORGANIZATION’S POLICIES:
WHAT TO DO?
In order to keep up the employee motivation high, you need to provide them with training. Provision of regular training can increase their knowledge, skill set and enhances their potential to move up the career ladder. Similarly, training can increase the potential of their growth within and outside the organization. Even some of the employees could feel important if the employer provides them with regular training and it can create a huge impact on the motivation level of employees and the potential effort that they would put in your organization.

HOW TO DO IT?
If you are thinking about how to motivate employees using the training, then we would like you to think like an employee who is working for you. He or she has a certain skill set. With time, a newer version or better software for performing the same skills come up. If you won’t provide him or her with the latest knowledge, you won’t be able to optimize their performance. Secondly, it will also create a sense of deprivation in the employee regarding his or her importance in the organization.

16. PROVIDE FEEDBACK TO MOTIVATE EMPLOYEES:
WHAT TO DO?
Working without any indication of how you are performing until the appraisal is something that would push the employees off. Thus, for employee motivation, it is necessary that feedback about the progress and the work done is provided alongside. It will help in improving the task, benefitting the organization along with the provision of opportunities for the employee to qualify for a reward by improving the existing practices.

HOW TO DO IT?
Direct supervisors can be assigned with a duty to provide the employees with feedback regarding their performance. Triggering such a practice won’t be time taking as direct supervisors are already assigned on the rile to supervise the employee. They just need to share their observation with the employee as well. You might also want to add some recommendations in this activity for further improvement. But don’t miss the encouragement and positive factor in all this discussion because this is going to be the crucial factor in creating the most impact on the motivation level.

17. ADAPT MANAGEMENT BY OBJECTIVES TECHNIQUE TO MOTIVATE EMPLOYEES:
WHAT TO DO?
Making decisions in isolation is the thing of the past now. You need to involve employees in making decisions so that they would take ownership of those decisions and provide you with a helping hand in implementing those decisions. Similarly, it is going to give a strong boost to the motivation level as well.

HOW TO DO IT?
While planning for each year’s goals and objectives, you should involve employees by asking for their inputs in order to reach the set vision for the company. By having such a meeting the employees will feel their importance in business, and the objective set in such a meeting would be highly acceptable by all the employees leading to better chances of accomplishing them within the set time frame.

18. SET SMART OBJECTIVES:
WHAT TO DO?
The technique of motivating highlighted in the previous section is the part of the planning process and their involvement in the planning process at a higher level. But the suggesting regarding setting SMART objective is at a lower or operation level. At the operational level, SMART techniques can create more motivation in employees. What is meant by SMART? SMART is actually an acronym for Specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. If you’ll set your goals on the basis of these guidelines, there is a higher possibility that your employees will feel encouraged.

HOW TO DO IT?
SMART objectives can be set at a functional or divisional level. The managers at each level can involve employees in setting goals that would show what is need to be done, how and by when. And the end result would be a lot of motivated employees.

19. PROVISION OF WORK-LIFE BALANCE CAN BE A GOOD MEASURE:
WHAT TO DO?
The work-life balance can provide the employees with the necessary motivation to be associated with your organization for a longer span of time. The flexible environment to complete their designated task will ensure that they can handle their personal lives along with the work. Thus, leading to lesser frustration higher productivity.

HOW TO DO IT?
You can manage virtual meetings, provide remote access to work, and allow time offs during the working hour with the compulsion of completing a specific hours work in a week. This will provide employees with more flexibility, and their motivation levels would be higher as compared to the normal working hours and the traditional setting.

20. GIVE OWNERSHIP TO EMPLOYEES IN THE BUSINESS:
WHAT TO DO?
This tactic is one of the oldest one to enhance motivation in the employees. By providing the employees with a share in the business, you are encouraging them to perform well, earn more profit, and greater more advantage in terms of better returns.

HOW TO DO IT?
This scenario can be easily implemented in the case of the companies. However, if you are running other types of business organizations, then the implementation of this model for enhancing motivation is not possible. For example, consider a sole proprietorship business. It actually means the business run by a single individual, thus you cannot include others in the profit the way it is possible in the case of a sole proprietorship business.

21. GRATITUDE CAN BE EFFECTIVE:
WHAT TO DO?
Apart from the acknowledgment of the efforts that everyone puts in for your business, thanking employees now and then can also create motivation. Again, the perception of employees that they are important kicks in, and the result is positive motivation in employees. This is why you must not wait for specific occasions to express gratitude. It would also help in enhancing your value as an individual in front of your employees.

HOW TO DO IT?
You don’t need to call in meetings, especially to say thank you. You can manage it efficiently in each interaction that you would have with your employees, and it will yield the expected benefits.

CONCLUSION:
With a detailed overview on the motivational techniques and how can you implement each of it in your organization, now you’ll be in better position to find which technique would work best for you. No particular number of methods are recommended when it comes to finding the perfect match. You can use as many ways as you want till they comply with your organizational culture and objectives. Resource availability can also be a factor while finding the answer to the question how to motivate your employees. Thus, based on resources, you can either use all of these techniques or a few of them.

However, one of the suggestions that we can give here is to use a mixture of monetary and non-monetary motivation techniques to get better results.

After the analysis of all the internal factors, you can make your choice and select the methods from the list provided above. If you are already using some methods to motivate employees, then you can share it in the comments section, so that we all can benefit from them. Even if you are new on this topic, you can contribute to the discussion by asking specific questions. This way you’ll be able to help others learn too.