Get Your Employees to Do What You Want Them to Do. Today.
Posted on Friday, November 13, 2009 by Bethany MarzewskiEver have those moments at work when you feel like you just aren’t getting through to your employees? The morale may seem a bit lower, people may be responding sluggishly or the quality of work may be faltering.
It could just be a preemptive case of the winter blues. (And if that’s the case, I’d suggest buying a couple of these light therapy lamps for your workplace. We just bought a couple of them for our office, and they do wonders for your mood!) But if you think it’s something a little deeper than seasonal sadness, maybe you need to do something to recharge the energy at work.
We asked Philadelphia area workers about their favorite strategies for boosting workplace morale. Here’s what they said.
Build relationships with your coworkers
“I’d suggest a team outing to get people together,” said Greg, a data consultant. “Then it seems like we’re all working toward a common goal.”
Play to the strengths of your employees
Tom, an owner of a train station café, explained that he chooses jobs for his employees based on their strengths, letting the more extroverted employees work at the cash register while the more introverted ones work behind the scenes.
“You don’t want to put people in a position where they’re going to fail,” Tom said. “If you’re a smart supervisor, you find what people do best and you have them do that.”
Tell your employees what they’re doing right
“I like positive reinforcement, even if there’s something I can do better,” said Nick, a computer installer. “It’s better for my state of mind.”
Use money as an incentive…
“We get rewarded if you get a credit card application,” said Angela, who works as a customer service associate at a retail store. Angela said that top performers are rewarded with items from their store catalog, which includes things like coffee pots and blenders. “I really don’t like the job, but the rewards make it better.”
…but don’t be afraid to get a little creative
“We don’t have a big budget for monetary rewards, so we’ll use a non-monetary rewards system, like getting a day off or extra time for you lunch break, if you perform in the top 10 percent,” said Andy, an underwriting manager.
Work toward one collective goal
“We haven’t had any turnover [in five years], so we really don’t have to worry about morale,” said Shane, who works as an inspections leader for his organization. “I think that’s because everybody just firmly believes in the mission.”
What do you think of their ideas? Have any more to add? Join the conversation to let us know what works—and what doesn’t—to encourage workplace motivation.
Paul Hebert
Nov 13th, 2009
You know where I’m going with this… most of the ideas listed are great – except the “use money as an incentive.”
Time and time again – when you ask employees what they want in an incentive they will say money – yet they also tell survey takers that recognition and connection with management is more of a motivator. We’re into the predictable irrationality of most of our human behavior.
I’d avoid the “money as an incentive” in almost every case – unless the core function of the job is directly connected to a “sales event” and the expectation is that the job is “commission” based.
The keys are: communicate the mission/values, recognize the behaviors that drive that, challenge the folks, and most importantly – give them control on the “how” to get the job done. Nothing is worse than telling me where to go – AND telling me how to get there. If that’s the case – get a robot.
Seacrest out.
Frank Roche
Nov 13th, 2009
Great piece of journalism, Bethany. I like the reporting angle here.
Wally Bock
Nov 13th, 2009
We know that people are most productive and have the highest morale in teams where they do interesting and important work with people they like and for which they feel they are fairly compensated. So make sure your pay is fair and make sure you have good team leaders who can influence the rest. It won’t happen today.
Bill Strahan
Nov 13th, 2009
Use a little humor – most work places go a lot better when the boss can make people laugh, or at least support someone else who can make folks bust a gut once in a while.
Sarah Chambers
Nov 14th, 2009
@Bill — I totally agree. Fun is worth a ton!
Employee Motivator
Nov 23rd, 2009
Paul, I totally agree. Money is a very impersonal motivator. It’s great for direct incentives (i.e. “sell x amount and earn x amount”) but not as much as a reward for positive work. Instead, figure out what each employee personally wants (which if you’re communicating regularly, shouldn’t be an issue) and try to cater to their tastes. Even little things help and will mean a lot more to every individual.