The most challenging part of any new business venture is
finding and most importantly, keeping, good employees. No successful business exists in a vacuum –
it takes teamwork and group effort. Find
people to work for you who want to succeed and success will follow but
oftentimes it’s hard to keep even the most driven people motivated. So how to do that?
First off, ask your employees what’s important to them. Making them an integral part of the working
environment is key. If you keep them
happy, they’re more likely to stay motivated.
If you make them feel involved in the process, even better. Conduct company surveys. Listen to your employees. Consider holding weekly meetings for each
department or monthly meetings for the whole company. You may even want to set up a suggestion
box. Have an open door policy where your
employees feel the freedom to come into your office and tell you what’s on
their minds.
Pay
your employees well. I know this can be
tough as you start up a new business and funds are tight. But investing in your employees is indeed a
wise investment. To keep the best
people, your offer to them is going to have to remain competitive. Make sure your pay scale is in line with the
competition. If you can’t afford raises
all the time, give them perks like discounted gym membership or other easy
benefits. Have a strong health plan and
401K matching program.
Provide
for your employees. Make your work
environment as friendly as possible.
Consider end of the month office parties. Give fair vacation time. Set up company outings.
Support
your employees’ goals. Set up mentoring
programs. Provide them with networking
opportunities. Bring in experts once a
month to run workshops. Give your
employees a leg up and every opportunity to succeed.
Show
your employees a future with the company.
Provide internal growth as well as future change. Promote from within. Give your employees every chance to grow with
your company and not beyond it. Give
them reasons to stay.
Reward
your employees. Give them bonuses or
gifts for excellence achieved. The gifts
don’t have to be extravagant – just a little token of appreciation (a gift
card, free tickets to the movies, etc.)
Treat them to lunch if need be.
Let them know at every opportunity that they are valued. Go above and beyond. Come up with fun contests or
employee-of-the-month benefits.
Commend
your employees. Bring their successes to
the attention of the whole team. Write
about them in your company news letter.
Meet with them one-on-one to commend their successes, achievements and
accomplishments.
Thank
your employees from time to time – show them that their efforts are
appreciated. Make note of birthdays or
special anniversaries. Pay special
visits to your employees at their cubicles or offices and let them know what a
great job they’re doing.
Challenge
your employees. While not all may agree
as this might seem isolating to others, you could also keep a report board by
the numbers to show who is succeeding the most and challenge others to live up
to that success, meet and exceed it.
Friendly competition motivates.
Teach employees to set goals for themselves that they can meet in a
timely, realistic fashion.
Empower your employees.
Remind them to try new things but don’t expect them to be perfect. Let them know that failure is all part of the
process that leads to success. Give them
opportunities to grow.
All
the ideas listed above are great ways to motivate your employees to succeed so
keep some of them in mind as your business grows because, in essence, it can’t
grow without successful, motivated employees.
Here
are some articles you might want to check out about keeping your employees
motivated in business:
“Motivating
Your Employees”: http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/motivating-employees-30185.html
“How
to Motivate Your Employees”: http://smallbusiness.foxbusiness.com/sbc/2012/05/10/how-to-motivate-your-employees/
“20
Ways to Motivate Your Employees”: http://www.biztrain.com/motivation/stories/20ways.htm
Until next time...
No comments:
Post a Comment