10 PSYCHOLOGICAL TIPS TO BETTER MOTIVATE EMPLOYEES
- Create a supportive work environment. Many people prefer to work in a particular organization because they feel good in that job, even if the salary benefits are lower compared to other similar jobs.
- Value each employee. Show everyone that they are important to the organization and that their work really matters. People like to know they are useful.
- Be positive in your dealings with employees. You can point out to someone that they made a mistake or that they should have worked better to achieve their goal without explicitly criticizing them, especially in front of others. In this way, you can tell the employee that they have potential that they have done some good things, but that they are far/near the level of performance expected of them. Most people will understand and mobilize to do better things for the organization.
- Promote meritocracy. Discourage favoritism, gossip and unprincipled comments. Transparently set realistic and pragmatic performance standards. Objectively evaluates employees’ work. Anyone who does not live up to the standards may ultimately leave the organization.
- Appreciates employees’ work financially and appropriately. The financial side is a pretty strong motivator for most people. Don’t neglect it. Every employee has personal goals to achieve, which can only be met with enough money.
- Offer special facilities to employees. Employee loyalty can also be achieved by offering special amenities: gym memberships, health or life insurance, psychological counseling, a work phone, a company car, a modernly equipped office, business cards, business attire, a library subscription, a theatre or film show/month, the organization’s coat of arms, etc.
- Create a formal reward system within the organization. This may include presenting the most deserving in meetings or in front of the whole staff, giving plaques, medals, honorary tokens, diplomas, financial bonuses, etc.
- Ensure career advancement of employees. People value careers and therefore remain loyal to an organization.
- Communicate openly with employees. Employees’ communication with bosses is highly valued by people. Employees feel the need to bring to the attention of bosses all kinds of work or personal issues that, although seem insignificant to management, are important to people. Listen to them carefully and respond positively especially to employees’ personal issues. People’s lives continue outside the organization.
- Conduct regular, anonymous surveys. These help to find out the mood/organizational climate/employee morale. Under the cloak of anonymity, employees can state the things that bother them. It matters a lot to them. Show them that you read the research reports resulting from the survey and that you are concerned about resolving the issues rose.
