Techniques for Motivating Employees

If there exists any successful mantra for extracting the desired output from employees, then it is 'motivation'. Yes, motivation can do wonders for boosting the morale of your employees. A good management team knows how to keep their employees motivated and encourage them to perform better. Motivation is an adhesive that keeps the employees and management together and increases their collective strength. Here are some motivational techniques often implemented by HR and OD consultants, that will not only help you to enhance the performance of your employees but will also strengthen their relationship with you. 

 

Communicating Your Expectations

It is a great idea to align your organization's goals with personal goals of an employee. An employee must have a clear understanding regarding what is exactly expected out of her. This will eliminate ambiguities that might result due to miscommunication and the employee will be able to direct her efforts only where they are required. 

Understanding the Motivational Needs of Employees

While there is no doubt that every employee needs motivation, the means of motivation may differ for each employee. One employee may just need recognition for her work in form of words while other employee may get motivated if you help her achieve work-life balance. Nonetheless, all employees derive encouragement, if their efforts are rewarded in some form.    

Performance Incentives  

Who doesn't like to be rewarded whenever they accomplish something? Rewards or incentives are a great way to keep your employees motivated and help them achieve bigger goals. However, it is important to make sure that the employee should be intrinsically motivated; meaning the sense of accomplishment must come from deep inside. The employee must not be motivated to perform, just because there is a reward in the end. 

Develop Mutual Trust

Mutual trust is of utmost importance when it comes to motivating employees. Employees must never doubt your intentions whenever you assign them a responsibility. They must feel assured that when you assign a job to them, they are going to contribute to an organization's development in some way.  

Create a Common Ground for Everyone to Perform          

The employees will only feel motivated whenever they are assured that their performance is being measured by a fair, transparent system. To achieve this, it is important to identify core competencies of every employee and create a ground to suit their respective competencies. Although tedious, this is the best means to achieve a fair and transparent system to monitor their performance and reward them. 

Managers are often considered as a role model for their employees. The employees tend to scrutinize their manager's behavior and mimic it. Hence, it is imperative that the managers themselves stay motivated and exhibit great leadership skills.