Most employees associate work with boredom and misery, but that should not be the case. If you want to keep your employees productive and motivated, you can employ the following tips.
Start Each Day with Positive Body Language and Conversations
How does the day start at your workplace? You need to find a way to make your employees feel valued every morning when they walk into your establishment. Studies show that men smile about eight times a day while women smile about 62 times. You want to be part of the reason why both your male and female employees smile more, and you do not have to do anything major to make it happen. A warm handshake or a “Good morning!” coupled with a smile when greeting your employees in the morning should suffice.
Plan Outside-of-Work Events
It is often said that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, and you probably do not know how true that is. Staying in the same place all year creates monotony. That is when employee productivity and motivation go down. To counter that, you can plan out-of-work events where employees get to enjoy a change of environment.
A change is as good as a rest, and you would be surprised how much an occasional work trip for team building can increase your employees’ productivity. Of course, you will have to finance such events, but it will be worth your while. Consider out-of-office picnics, happy hours, and game nights.
Obtain Employee Opinions About Major Decisions
Yes, you are the proprietor of your business and you decide what happens with it. However, it would be wise of you to involve your employees when it comes to major decision-making. Anytime you are thinking about making changes as far as your business goes, you should ask for your staff input.
For example, research shows that about 93% of U.S. employees get to enjoy direct deposit benefits. Are your employees interested in something like this? What are they looking for in terms of employee benefits? Ask for their input so you can be the best boss. Doing that will make them feel valued and truly part of your organization. Needless to say, you can expect high levels of motivation and productivity, too.
Trust Your Employees
Trust is everything, especially at the workplace. By showing your employees that you trust them, you increase their motivation levels, which is the main ingredient for a successful business. Think along the lines of assigning duties without supervision or even letting different employees run the business for a day or two when you are absent. You could also trust them to make some decisions without your input. Such acts show that you trust your employees and will be beneficial for you and your business in the long run.
Bring In Gifts for Your Workplace
Gift giving is a love language, and who says that you cannot show love to your employees? In fact, your workplace could use that as a way of displaying employee appreciation. Aside from pointing out the good that your employees do and rewarding it, you can gift them occasionally.
Keep records of your employees’ birthdays and offer them gifts just to show that you care beyond what they bring to your business. Studies show that receiving flowers makes 86% of people feel special, so why not send out a bouquet with a thank you note to individual employees on their special days? You can be sure that they will appreciate it and look forward to coming to work every day.
Ultimately, it will take some effort from you to ensure that your employees are motivated and that you do not experience a high turnover rate. The tips here will certainly help you keep your organization a happy and productive place, so go ahead and make the most out of them.