How To Improve Motivation In The Office

The winter months are certainly here, it’s getting colder outside and it’s getting dark when you wake up and when you come home. In these months, people just don’t want to be in the office, they want to be working in the comfort of their own home where it is warm. With this being said, it can be hard to keep your employees motivated in the office.  Motivation can be a powerful tool that drives your employees as it can help with your productivity and the overall mood of the office. There are many different forms of motivation and not one tactic fits everyone so it is important to know your employees and find out what drives them to come to work in the morning.

By setting achievable goals, clear expectations and giving constructive feedback can all be great contributors. In this short article, we will go through some simple ways on how you can improve the motivation of your employees in the office.

Learn What People Want

Motivation is different for each and every person and people have different motivations for coming to work in the mornings. Some may be after a raise to afford that bigger house and some may come to work to feel a science of achievement or to progress through the ranks. Whatever it is, we all work because we get something that we need from work. That thing is what drives our motivation. Learning what your employees want and finding out what motivates them can save you money and time later on as you may be offering something that doesn’t really appeal to them.  An example of this is you don’t want to be bringing in a biscuit selection to those who want a pay rise or progression.

Set Small, Measurable Goals

Ever had one of those projects that don’t seem to end? Did you lose your motivation after a while or got stuck in a rut? Course you did, that is why you should be scrapping long projects and breaking them down into smaller, more measurable goals for your employees. This will then give them short bursts of achievements which in turn keeps them motivated for longer. You can extend this motivation by actually celebrating your achievements. This could be an end of project meal or something simple back at the office.

Have A Positive Attitude

This one can be tricky if you are not the most positive person in the world but having a positive attitude can get you a lot. Smile and the whole world smiles at you as the old saying goes. You could either give your employees negative treatment or you can highlight the positives within a situation. Which way to go you decide, but they can result in completely different reactions. If you can help your employees find the positives, you will have a much happier workforce and you will also get respect from your workers as you are leading them through the tough times rather than moaning through it which helps nobody.

Use Training And Development For Motivation

Are you worried that you aren’t keeping your employees motivated enough and are worried that you are going to be able to keep them for much longer? Then resort to something that you should always be doing, help them to progress within themselves and their career prospects. Offer them a clear and structured training program to show them where they are and where they need to get to for their promotion. If there is little scope for progression then you can help them with relevant training on what they are interested in, you never know when their topic may come in useful. By helping them with development or progression, you will find your employees are much more motivated as they have something to work to and get that raise or promotion they need.

Prioritise Employee Wellbeing

There is nothing worse than having an illness go round the office and you can see it coming to get you. By keeping your workforce healthy and happy, you will be able to prevent major illnesses and will also keep them motivated. You can also do this by ensuring that your employees are getting enough downtime and also keeping fit and healthy. You can keep them healthy by offering things like a cycle to work scheme, a gym membership or a half day so they can get some exercise. All these will help you to achieve a motivated team.