Motivate Employees

[MySmallBiz]

In having a successful business how do you motivate your employees to do a great job?

[Gary Barzel]

It is human nature for people to want recognition for their input and hard work. Be sure to acknowledge the achievements of your staff members. By publishing praise in company newsletters or making such announcements at meetings, you are not only encouraging the object of your praise but his peers as well. Many companies hold contests to recognize the best employees in certain areas. Give prizes to the winners. Even something small like a gift certificate for a meal at a restaurant or a movie rental is enough to give your employee an appreciative glow.

[jamesotto]

Very well said.
But I believe it differs a lot to different level of employee in an organization.
Upper level definitely would be motivated by Recognition but similar might not be the case with lower level of employees. Monitory motivation might be their first priority.

[dowson12345]

good salary is the only good motivation for workers.

[hsvboy11]

I work for a large company in sales (800+ employees) and i can tell you one thing, a good salary doesn't always get the "best" work. I've worked at this company for around 3 years now and am now on a higher wage than when i started, however poor bi-annual bonuses for meeting targets aren't enough to motivate me- and many others to reach sales and profit targets. Don't get me wrong, we work hard, but for me personally, if I were getting some kind of sales incentive based on what I sold I would be 100% working more in my own time trying to bring in new customers and make more sales. At the moment, I feel as though I turn up to work, work flat out all day, knock off at night and that's it. If the incentive structure were different, I can guarentee I would be "on the hunt" for customers and possible sales if the rewards were there.

Having said that, I'm looking at owning a business of my own, whether I buy or start my own, I enjoy the business and finance side of things and that would give me a good balance of what i enjoy. For me personally, I would have the motivation and drive to "move forward" as the money is going into my pocket rather than a big company which pays a flat wage.

[PromotionalGuy]

Here's an area I know quite a bit about. I've been in the position of motivating employees 1000's of times over the years.

I've tried all sorts of suggestions money, praise, working along side, public recognition & so on. It all fades away in a very short time.

The #1 best way to get employees motivated is have an employee performance system in place and have fun with them.

Every worker knows what's expected of him when you hire them. If not then you need to train them and set them up to evaluate them within the first 30 days, then 90 days, then 6 months, then 12 months and then once every quarter there after.

Also listening to them and if they have insight better then you admit it and then implement their recommendations. They see you value them and their opinion. For your goal is not to motivate but to make them loyal to your company for many years. Turnover is expensive.

That way they can see for themselves if what they suggested worked and profited the business or not and so you can measure their innovation skills.

Every worker wants a fair shake in business. A fair wage and are willing to give you 8-10 hours a day. In exchange all they ask is that you take them serious.

Some of the best innovations in business come from within. Sadly to many owners or managers stifle their workers thinking they couldn't possibly have any legitimate insight.

Peace and Success to you

[hsvboy11]

Well said promotional guy, I agree!

[trade-show-diva]

I remember reading a few years ago a study that said it wasn't money that really motivates people, it is recognition.
Of course one should pay employees a fair wage, but I think the real key is giving credit were credit is do. If someone does a great job or has a great idea, then GIVE THEM CREDIT FOR IT! Of course, sometimes determining who actually had the idea can be a challenge.
Anyway, don't make the mistake of thinking it is all about money.
People want recognition and credit, IMHO.

[TylerHutchinson]

This is a blog post I wrote a while back about this subject:

http://fullcirclebusinessconsulting....-positive.html

[cfoservices]

One of the best ways to motivate all employees collectively is to establish productivity games within the workplace where all employees participate to win a productivity game as a team. Once the team hits the productivity target they all win. Just like in a team sport when someone is not pulling their weight team members work to motivate those employees not keeping up. Ted Castle at Rhino Foods in Burlington Vermont actually puts this plan in place and is tremendously successful at motivating employees using team games.