Lead and motivate your staff

Before you can create a motivated workforce, you need to identify if your staff are motivated or not. If your staff aren't motivated then you should take steps to understand why.

Identifying low staff motivation

Some of the indicators of poor employee motivation could be:

• high staff turnover
• low productivity
• a poor workplace atmosphere
• a lot of employee grievances
• conflict in the workplace
• high level of sickness

Low motivation among your employees could be caused by:

• monotonous work
• lack of praise
• individuals feeling ignored
• a poor reward structure
• little opportunity for promotion or advancement within the organisation

Motivation: job satisfaction

The way your employees feel about their job, the tasks they are required to complete and their workplace determines how motivated they are. There is a clear link between job satisfaction and productivity.

Job satisfaction depends partly on tangible rewards - for example, how much a person is paid and what benefits they receive. See how to set the right pay rates and implement staff incentive schemes.

However, job satisfaction also depends on the culture of an organisation. This means the things that make your business distinctive and make the people who work there proud to do so.

How to motivate your workforce

You can motivate people with:

Recognition and rewards

You should acknowledge and appreciate employees for their hard work by simply thanking them when a job is done well. You can also reward staff to further reinforce positive behaviours and actions. These can be monetary or non-monetary rewards. See recognise and reward employee contribution.

Varied and interesting tasks

Try to give your staff tasks that are interesting and varied. Doing the same tasks repeatedly will lead to boredom and disinterest.

Clear goals and expectations

Make it clear to your employees what is expected of them. Clear goals help to focus attention and effort. Set goals that are attainable but still challenging. Ensure success can be easily measured. See agreeing performance objectives with staff.

Healthy work-life balance

Help your staff to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Offering flexibility around working hours and location and supporting staff with personal commitments can help reduce stress and increase commitment and productivity. See support employee work-life balance.

Career and skills development

Provide opportunities for employees to develop their skills and abilities. Offer training, mentorship, and career development opportunities. Staff will be more motivated if they feel you are invested in their personal and professional development. See staff training and development.

Positive and inclusive work environment

A supportive and inclusive workplace can motivate staff to perform highly and collaborate with others. An open and respectful working culture can encourage problem-solving, effective teamwork, innovation, and growth. See diversity, equality and inclusion in the workplace.

Increased autonomy

Offer staff more control over how they do their job. Increased autonomy can foster a sense of ownership, making employees feel more responsible for the success of their goals.

Supportive and empathetic management

An effective manager or leader will be clear on the direction of the organisation and will make it clear how their staff contribute to this. Managers who are supportive, empathetic, and fair will help increase staff commitment and motivation. Be sympathetic to the needs of your employees. For example, you should have appropriate policies for compassionate leave and time off. See working time and time off policies.

Teamwork

Encouraging teamwork can make employees feel more engaged. When staff feel part of a cohesive team, they feel valued and are more motivated to contribute.

Two-way communication

Providing regular updates and feedback to staff keeps them informed on the progress of the organisation and prevents disruptive rumours from taking root. Employees should feel that their opinions matter. Provide opportunities where staff can offer ideas for problem-solving, improvement, and innovation. See staff feedback, ideas and forums.