6 Smart Tactics to Motivate Employees
Recognizing the hard work and success of your employees is crucial as a manager. If a person feels that their efforts are not being noticed, their motivation to continue to do their best is going to disappear. At the same time, rewarding people for their hard work and calling attention to their successes will help to keep them motivated, and also increase employee engagement.
Here are six techniques to show your appreciation for your employees' hard work and success:
1. Write a thank you note.
Do not write an email. Your employees already receive plenty of emails and your appreciation and praise will seem less sincere. A handwritten note will offer a personal touch, which will let your employee know that you have noticed their great work and they will appreciate that you took the time to thank them specifically.
2. Listen to your team.
Oftentimes people do not like to speak directly to their bosses about their own successes or talk about how hard they have been working; many people, however, will have these conversations with their peers. Listen to what your employees are saying to each other to pick up on successes or hard work that you haven't been informed of.
3. Make sure the recognition matches the success.
While this seems like an obvious tactic, it is one that can be mistakenly forgotten. For doing hard work or achieving a small win, a handwritten thank you note or recognition during a team meeting can suffice. On the other hand, if someone accomplishes something that is truly exemplary, then they need to be rewarded in a way that is equal to their achievement, such as a bonus.
4. Hold yourself accountable.
As a manager, it is your responsibility to know how individual members of your team work and how they like to be recognized. You must take it upon yourself to learn how each person is motivated and incentivized so that you can reward them properly when it is deserved.
5. Be spontaneous.
When people know that recognition or rewards are coming, the praise becomes predictable and starts losing its sincerity. Make sure you do not fall into a routine when it comes to rewarding your employees; you want each reward to feel very personal.
6. Compensate.
If someone has been putting in extra hours for an extended period of time, reward them for their hard work with a little extra vacation time. Whether it means allowing them to leave early on a Friday or giving them an extra day off, this is a gesture that will be greatly appreciated.
Be the type of manager who knows what is happening with their employees on a day to day basis and rewards them for their hard work. Follow these tips to make sure your employees know you care about them.
