Every employer wants the golden answer to how to get the most out of their employees. In meeting rooms up and down the country business owners and their top people will be creating strategies and motivations to encourage their employees. Unfortunately, productivity is something that comes in waves, and each person has their own peaks and troughs. Yet, why do some people perform consistently while others never need to hit a target? Anyway, we have a few ideas to get you thinking:
Weekly briefings
It may be a good idea to have weekly meetings with the team. Make this a feedback session where the staff are encouraged to join in the conversation. Try and get them to enjoy the session. You could discuss the future vision of the company and ask for advice on certain processes and procedures. The staff will be aware of a vast range of issues you as a business owner won’t, as they deal with the day to day running. You could make some changs off the back of the session and advise the team. If the staff are more emotionally involved, then they may feel more inclined to produce more.
Make a healthy environment
If staff are working in a bright office that is inviting and nice to be in, it will improve productivity. Think about natural light, the temperature, is it ambient, how about things such as a fragrance, or the color of the walls. Did you know that colors can affect mood, blue, for example, induces productivity? You could add some potted plants, they are a mood enhancer and naturally detoxify the air. Ensure there are water stations, and you could provide coffee and tea too if you don’t already. Having pleasant toilets is a mood enhancer too. A private cubicle, with doors and side to the ceilings and floor. There are other health benefits you could give employees too, such as vision benefits by employers. In an office, it can be all the small things that make a huge difference. So, think about making the place as comfortable and work stimulating as you possibly can.
Reward schemes
You can create as many of these as you like and reward staff however you see fit. One obvious one is an incentive on productivity. Where those you always hit target receive a gift, pay rise, shares, or something else. Why not create a culture of innovation where the person who came up with the idea that got implemented is rewarded? It could be where a member of staff gets excellent feedback from a customer and is rewarded for it too. There are many and various ways to get the staff to involve themselves in a little healthy competition.
Lead from the top
If you want the staff to perform, it is up to you to encourage them. Get to know their names, listen to them, say hello. Never stop learning and trying to find new ways to motivate them. Perhaps put your staff through new training, invest in the staff, and they will invest in you.
