3 Essential Ways to Motivate Staff and Improve Morale

Want to lead a happy and productive workforce? When it comes to improving staff morale, you need to focus on three key factors. 

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As a leader, you have several concerns and major responsibilities that all need your attention. This means you must be able to focus on the big picture: if you constantly have to look over the shoulders of your employees, it is going to be difficult for you to manage the larger matters that can affect the success of your organisation.

You may worry that employees will have trouble staying on task and meeting goals if you are not there to supervise. While keeping your team motivated is important, you don’t have the resources to hand out huge bonuses and you don’t want to try to rule your business through fear.

The answer to this problem is to build a culture of accountability: express the value of accountability and integrity in the workplace, have time to communicate with your employees, and make sure that you are giving regular performance reviews to let your employees know that you value their contributions.

Trust is Better Than Fear

Fear can seem like an effective tool for getting more out of your employees. It is common for some leaders to believe that they need employees to fear the potential outcome of a mistake. The problem is that fear does not build authentic motivation. The person is not performing because they want to, but rather in order to avoid an unfavorable reaction.

If you want to inspire true motivation, you need to build trust with your employees. Much of this trust building comes from open communication. In a survey of 1,000 US workers, 91 per cent said that communication issues can negatively impact the effectiveness of a leader. This includes things like not giving clear directions and not having time to meet with employees.

As a leader, you need to make sure there is time to communicate with your employees. Make sure they understand their responsibilities, ask them questions about their work, and encourage them to talk about their successes.

Set an Example

You want your employees to be responsible and to act with integrity, but these values have to come from the top. If leadership does not demonstrate these values in their work, it is going to be difficult to get employees to accept them as their own.

Furthermore, as a leader, you have to be willing to admit when you made a mistake. If something fails on your end, you can’t pass the blame onto those who work for you. If employees see their leaders are unwilling to hold themselves accountable, they are not going to accept responsibility either.

Promote the Positives

Since fear is not a good motivator, you should look to the positive side of work as a source of inspiration for your employees. According to a study from the Boston Consulting Group, appreciation for the work done is the top factor that affects employee happiness.

Let your employees know that you appreciate the work they do. You should even give compliments for minor accomplishments–employees perform better when they know they are appreciated. The simple act of showing recognition can increase happiness, motivation, and productivity in the workplace.

You don’t need to give out extravagant perks to motivate your employees. By promoting the right values and communicating with employees in the right way, you can motivate people without having to resort to punitive measures or handing out bonuses that you can’t afford.

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This article was written by Rae Steinbach. Rae is a graduate of Tufts University with a combined International Relations and Chinese degree. After spending time living and working abroad in China, she returned to NYC to pursue her career and continue curating quality content.