Of course, it is not always easy to know how employees are motivated in the best way, but studies clearly show that when managers and HR managers use unfavorable techniques for employee motivation, it can backfire. Favorably, there is no shortage of advantageous ways to motivate their employees.

Let’s take a closer look at the seven keys and tips for how you can motivate your employees.

1. Make sure the business is a nice place to be

No one wants to work in a noisy, dark space for hours on end. Having an aesthetically pleasing, well-lit, functional, and pleasant space makes the work much more pleasant. And the first step is to make sure that the work environment is well maintained and that you have updated, well-functioning equipment. It also means that the work environment is kept both clean and orderly.

Decorating your work and living spaces does not have to be expensive. Try picking up interesting furniture at a flea market, or from the second-hand market.

2. Respectful, honest, and supportive managers and managers

This may seem obvious, but poor leadership is one of the main reasons why employees leave the business. Respect, honesty, support, and clear communication are the basis for maintaining motivated and committed employees.

But there is much more you can do to become a good leader or mentor.

If you are new to HR or leadership, it can be good to either update yourself with a course or read some books on how to motivate and engage employees. Effective and supportive leadership and HR work, just like any other skill, requires both knowledge and practice.

Why not check out Amazon’s bestsellers in areas such as HR, management, and organization, or check out what universities read for literature. Both business administration and psychology departments deal with the subject so that you get both evidence-based and current knowledge.

3. Offer your employees fair remuneration & more

Your employees will most likely stay in the business when they are appreciated for the work they do, while at the same time receiving a well-deserved remuneration for their work. So if you want to keep employees and keep them motivated, it’s well worth starting some form of an incentive program. Maybe a monthly or quarterly bonus.

Also, review whether there is any other commission structure to implement that is better suited for your particular business. Also, do not miss the opportunity to ask your employees what they want for the compensation model. Here you can gain valuable knowledge that you would otherwise miss. And there are good examples that when employees receive a share of the profit, not only motivation is created but also a sense of ownership and belonging that is difficult to achieve in other ways.

4. Give your employees plenty of space to grow, learn and advance

When people are given space to grow, learn and advance in the business, a psychological advantage is created by feeling trusted and respected for their work. And if there is an employee who does a particularly good job in any area, consider letting that person take greater responsibility for the area. When you give the staff growth opportunities by learning new things, growing, and advancing, it creates good conditions for a long-term commitment.

5. Share positive feedback

It’s great to feel satisfied with your work. In fact, it is one of the most important factors for job satisfaction. Letting employees know that they have done someone’s day creates well-being and joy, while at the same time providing a deeper connection to their own business.

In addition, it is important for a manager and HR staff to build a positive feedback climate where open feedback conversations are the norm. With a positive feedback culture, motivated and committed employees are created.

6. Be transparent

Having insight into how your business is doing makes your employees more invested. So make sure to openly share information with your employees regularly. Having access to important business information not only makes employees feel that they are an important part of the business, but also helps to identify areas where things may need to be improved.

7. Offer hybrid work and a flexible scheduling

Today, hybrid work and a flexible schedule have become increasingly common and in demand. Many companies, therefore, offer this in order to attract the best talent and to be able to be competitive in the long-term labor market. In addition, technology has changed and created other and new conditions for how we work today. And there are studies that show that one of the most in-demand factors today when it comes to looking for new work is precisely flexibility and hybrid work in some form.

So regardless of whether there is an opportunity to work from home or that you offer some form of flexitime, an alternative can be to offer different scheduling options if you want to be seen as a modern employer and attract top talent.

We conclude

As we have shown in this post, there are several different factors that affect employees’ motivation and commitment. And we have chosen to focus on the most common. Other factors that are important in terms of motivation and commitment are to also take into account that everyone is different and has different views and experiences of what motivates and engages. Therefore, make sure to capture this in different types of follow-up and feedback interviews, as well as in the employee survey. In this way, you get a good basis for what works and does not work, motivating and engaging in your particular business.

Another important aspect is to be able to gather around a common purpose or a common mission. In companies where employees feel that there is a purpose to work towards, they feel a greater sense of belonging to their work and thus become naturally motivated and engaged. An example of this could be working to create increased customer value by reducing its climate footprint. Another example could be to make fundraisers for the needy, e.g. donate equipment or products, or do some non-profit work.

Regardless of what applies to your business, one thing is clear and that is that when people get recognition for a job well done and when the well-being is high in the teams and among the employees, motivated and committed employees are created. Learn more about expert HR management with Heartbace, book a demo!