Work makes up around a third of our lived; for many people, they spend more time with colleagues than they perhaps do with their families, especially when work is busy, or a demanding project is on hand. With deadlines looming, it can be easy to forget that in this heady mix of stress and more stress, there are people – your staff – who may be left slightly worse-the-wear from this latest stress-inducing project.  

It is important that staff feel cared for and motivated by the company for which they work. When staff feel listless, rudderless and put-upon they will quite often vote with their feet and move on; what can be somewhat worse is that a member of staff, bored and disgruntled, stays to tell everyone how bored and disgruntled they are… and do so over and over again.   

The time to motivate staff is NOW and ALWAYS

Motivating staff does not have to be a complicated equation or booking a paintballing session, followed by a pub crawl. Motivation is something that needs to start in work, and the first thing you need to ascertain is what could be draining staff so that they do feel disgruntled, put-upon, bored, tired, stressed and generally lacking any serious oomph to get things done.  

And so here are 7 simple, yet startlingly effective tips for motivating staff…

#1 ‘All work, no play makes jack a dull boy’…

…or so the saying goes however, falling back on the almost obligatory paint balling sessions, followed by ‘the pub’ is not the play of which we speak. Having an office night out every now and then is no bad thing, but you will find that all people want to socialise in this way.

What we are advocating here is far simpler, and yet overlooked. When work is busy, breaks and lunches are often not taken or halved. Eating at the desk is not something that should happen on a regular or daily basis.

One great way of motivating staff is ensuring that everyone has the break to which they are entitled to. Simply by having time to drink and eat reduces stress, burn out and, in the long run, stress-related absences.

So get the kettle on and take the weight off your feet for half an hour.

#2 Work on the atmosphere

It won’t happen overnight but in busy offices and sectors of work, it can be difficult to ask for help. In some cases, this is because people cannot make their voices heard or feel they cannot ask. In other cases, it is because they don’t realise they are struggling and need help.

A key motivating factor is when people feel they are important and cared about. A supervision process whereby people have regular, uninterrupted time with a senior figure within the organisation to discuss everything from workload to health & safety concerns.

Being listened to and concerns acted upon, without any backlash is key in creating an atmosphere on which people thrive and are motivated.

#3 Constructive criticism

There is a school of thought no criticism is constructive. Criticism, unlike a critique, is essentially negative; a person is being told that their way is not correct or wanted etc. and thus, by its very nature, to criticise someone is tough and receiving criticism is just as hard to swallow.

However, we don’t live in a perfect bubble; things go wrong, people go wrong and they need to be corrected. There is also another strand to constructive criticism and this is linked to motivation. In order for us to grow as people and employees, we need to know where and how we can improve.

Motivation is linked to performance too; feeding back to staff how well they are doing, as well as being trained or led in the right direction is just as important.

#4 Appreciation

Motivation – or lack of especially – is linked to appreciation. From a nod of thanks at the end of the day, to a wholehearted clap-a-thon when the deadline has been met, the project delivered and the client happy. Everyone needs to feel that what they do, regardless of how small, is appreciated.

Some firms operate an employee recognition scheme, but there can be downfalls and dips with this. Start by saying thank you and then look at a staff raffle every now and then… don’t hide being gadgets and giveaways as many people see these as false, and paying lip service rather than being genuine.

#5 Recognise low morale… and act!

Recognising when someone is ‘struggling’, or not able to ‘cope’ or may have other, far more pressing personal issues that work is only one half of the equation. Acting to help them is the second part.

Dealing with an employee who is de-motivated is a situation that requires tact and empathy. You need them at full speed, operating to the best of their ability with a high level of productivity; you are not going to get this is motivation is lacking. Find out why and act!

Motivating your workforce is not something that be done on a whim or paid scant attention to. Look at your work colleagues now – are they motivated?