A recent study found that employees who are not pushed to their limits stay at the company longer—keeping them engaged and happy promises a healthier bottom line for employers. You’re going to need personnel sooner or later. If you want to build a considerable business, you’ll have no option but to recruit people to assist you. Although employing staff may seem to be an easy task, you’ll shortly discover that no one cares as much about your business as you do, nor will they work as hard as you do. You could sometimes find some rock star talent to assist you, but that won’t be the case for the bulk of the folks on your squad. So, how can you motivate them to put in long hours? To keep people motivated, you must push them to their limits. Otherwise, they will burn out and quit.
Strategies to apply to push staff to their limits while maintaining their motivation:
1. Both encourage and discourage.
Every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, I often emphasize how workers can work more effectively, highlight other things they can do for the firm, and remind them that they need to set more aggressive sales objectives. Over the years, I’ve found that criticizing individuals four days a week motivates them to work harder, which may also lead to their quitting. So, every Friday, I make sure to congratulate them on a job well done and express my gratitude for the opportunity to work with them. I also do the same thing over the weekend through text messages and emails, making them delighted and eager to go back to work on Monday. Fridays are the days I select to commend since it’s generally a deadline day when everyone is attempting to meet their weekly objectives. As a result, telling them how effectively they accomplished their work demonstrates your appreciation and provides them a feeling of achievement.
2. Dangle a carrot.
I find that dangling a carrot in front of my staff motivates them to work hard while also keeping them pleased. You’ll have to determine which carrots appeal to which team. If you’re having trouble figuring out what will appeal to them, start by dangling money since most individuals desire to advance in their jobs and earn more money. For example, I know my assistant wants to make more money, so she receives a nice incentive every month to help me clinch two big sales. This is effective because it forces her to consider which firms I may sell major contracts to and my company’s financial well-being. Another of my employees is a watch enthusiast. I’ve promised to purchase him a nice watch if he can obtain my firm an additional one hundred qualifying leads every day, which would significantly boost our profits. Finally, make sure your employee is emotionally tied to whatever bait you choose to dangle. It’s acceptable to toy with reasoning, but dangling temptations that appeal to emotions are more successful.
3. Make sure they’re correctly fed.
Everyone must consume food! Why not feed your staff, who aren’t an exception? Google and Facebook are just two examples of firms that provide free meals to their staff, and it seems to work well. Employees will not have to leave work to fetch feeds, increasing productivity. You may not give the same level of food services like Google or Facebook when you first start, but that doesn’t mean you can’t treat your staff to a good lunch once a month. You may even link meals to particular organizational goals. For example, if you know your staff has met their weekly targets, you may buy them lunch on Fridays. You don’t have to choose the most expensive eateries to feed your team. Simply select a distinctive location with a good mood. I’ve discovered that these sorts of establishments are far more appreciated than stuffy restaurants where you must dress up to dine.
4. Spontaneity.
Changing the setting in which your employee’s work is one of the simplest methods to increase their productivity. You can change the atmosphere by doing things like shifting office furniture, but I like to be spontaneous. For instance, I have weekly brainstorming sessions with two of my marketers, which I have at my apartment. We decided to brainstorm last week while taking a stroll along the waterfront since the weather seemed pleasant. The best part was that my team could come up with some fantastic marketing concepts while not feeling like they were working. Instead, they felt like they were unwinding by the ocean after a long day at work. Being spontaneous requires you to do things that your workers would not anticipate. On the other hand, it may be straightforward and cost you nothing, like in the example above.
5. Give them a voice.
Someone is not your “bitch” just because they work for you. They are there to assist you in growing your company and doing what is best for it. They are not there to serve as your servants. People want to be heard, and everyone has sentiments. Solicit feedback from your staff while you’re in meetings or making business choices. You don’t have to heed their advice all of the time, but it’s always a good idea to ask what they think since they could have an idea or point of view that you haven’t considered. This will also encourage kids to think beyond the box. They could even start making choices for you one day to concentrate on the big picture.
6. Your purpose should be to assist them in achieving their objectives.
I ask each new employee their five most significant personal objectives before working for me. These objectives cannot be linked to a specific job. They must be entirely subjective. After they’ve listed their dreams, I tell them the ones I can assist them with. I can solve four out of every five goals that a new employee presents to me in most circumstances. Over each year, as individuals continue to work with me, I gradually assist them in crossing off each of their objectives. I reviewed their dreams at the end of the year to see whether they were satisfied with their achievements. At the same time, I go through their new 12-month goals with them and assist them in achieving them. Because it will affect their professional life, you want to help them in their personal lives. It makes no difference whether they keep the two worlds apart. People have a predisposition to blend their professional and personal life.
7. Don’t give up.
Bonuses, increases, and promotions have a propensity to be linked to how well employees do in their positions and how much they learn. So, before my staff has an opportunity to ask for a raise or a promotion, I tell them what I expect of them and what it will take for them to advance. By doing so, I am pressuring my staff to work more, and I will continue to press them until they retaliate. They may resent me for it, but they’re usually pleased with their development when they look back on what they’ve achieved and learned.
Conclusion
Using the strategies I stated above is a good start, but it’s not enough to keep your staff happy while pushing them to their limits. As an entrepreneur for the last ten years, I’ve learned one crucial lesson: it’s the little things that make a huge impact. Learn about your staff, form bonds with them, and discover what makes them happy. You’ll immediately see that if you treat them like you would your wife, spouse, kid, or brother, they’ll not only work hard for you, but they’ll be glad to do it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you keep employees happy and motivated?
A: A few different strategies you could take to keep your employees happy and motivated. These include providing them with clear performance reviews, giving bonuses for achieving their goals, offering training opportunities, or even having regular team meetings where everyone can hear one another’s thoughts on the company culture. The key is finding what works best for your specific work environment.
What would you implement to keep your employees happy?
A: It’s not easy to keep your employees happy, especially if you’re in a business that requires long hours and hard work. However, here are some tips on staying positive during those tough times.
First off- realize that this isn’t the only job out there! I know it can be not easy at first when you start working with someone but remember that they’ve chosen this career too so they must enjoy their job as much as yours.
Second- pay attention to what makes them feel like their day has been good or bad and let them talk about it without judgment. Sometimes people need someone open-minded enough to listen even for just five minutes; sometimes, talking through problems does help!
Lastly- always show appreciation for everything from the minor tasks until big projects and never stop telling them how much of an impact they have made on your life throughout these years since finding a company might seem impossible or like nothing, but praise feels fantastic!