Managers constantly struggle to motivate their employees – and with the twenty-first century distractions that are caused by social media applications and electronic gadgets, it’s even more difficult to keep workers inspired than ever before. An environment full of motivational messages might take effort and time in order to establish, but it can bring huge financial benefits to your team. And, the motivation can provide a big boost for the health and wellness of your workers as it lessens workplace tensions and keeps stress at bay.
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Keeping in Control: Managing your Employee Manual
The biggest cause of your workplace’s problems is certainly communication: often unaware of their full set of responsibilities and guessing about the rules and regulations that govern your office, employees often find themselves in trouble with their co-workers and even upper-level management. Make sure that you have important clauses regarding equality for all employees, so that your workers know they are all on an equal playing field. They will be less worried about unfair treatment, and will be less competitive with one another, when they know there is no discrimination in the office. Once you gain the trust of your employees, it will be easier to motivate them in the future, especially during times of crisis in the office, or financial hardship within your branch.
Raising the Bar: Boosts to your Employees’ Salaries
Furthermore, create a section in your employee manual to outline and design a program that recognizes the achievements and professional developments of your workers. When your company can afford it, it is definitely worth it to implement a series of raises to those who meet their personal goals while fulfilling company aims. Working with human resources, you will need to establish when it would be appropriate (or legally necessary) to provide increases in salary and benefits, and you will also need to be sure all programs such as maternity leave, continuing education, and adequate health care are in place to keep your employees and their families happy and healthy, thus motivated to continue working for your company. Awards, bonuses, and additional benefits should be granted to those who meet or exceed office standards on a quarterly basis, and other employee appreciation programs should be instituted whenever it is deserved.
Decorations for Inspiration: Motivation through Design
An important method for setting a motivational environment within your workspace is through art and design elements that inspire your employees. Motivational quotes can really drive a team forward through difficult times – but your decorations do not need to include trite phrasing or cliche phrases to be effective. Try to strike a balance between geeky and cool. Don’t settle for the cheap-looking posters that you order through a motivational catalogue: instead, look into ordering something of higher quality and artistic value, such as motivational prints on wood. By printing in high-quality, brilliant inks on textured wood, you will have fantastic art for your office. Bring that same design to the rest of your office with a brighter color pallet, and be sure to boost the lighting in your office to seem more natural. Take advantage of windows, and use window treatments that allow lots of natural light through to boost the mood of your employees. Also, have live plants in the office to freshen the atmosphere of your workspace, and to bring fresh oxygen into the stuffy air.
Creation of a motivated office environment won’t happen overnight. But with continual effort over the course of several months, you will definitely notice a change in the atmosphere of your workspace. Through an updated employee manual that emphasizes innovation and productivity and an implementation of raises when they are due for great work, you will have your employees feeling motivated to do great work and boost profits, all within a productive atmosphere.
