It’s natural for managers of teams to want to recognise and reward their employees when they achieve success. Companies that provide generous employee recognition have a 31% lower voluntary turnover rate than companies that don’t, according to a study by Bersin and Associates. Additionally, other studies have indicated thatemployees who are recognised for good behaviour, or performance, are more likely to repeat that behaviour and those actions, and that in the long run will build a stronger business.
Unfortunately it’s not always easy to do: in some organisations managers may find that their ability to hand out rewards, such as bonuses or time off, is hampered by the lack of a formal recognition scheme and/or red tape.
How can you motivate your staff without a formal recognition scheme?
There are other ways you could try in order to motivate your staff. You could put up inspirational posters, give everyone a company mug or fleece, or perhaps organise a pep rally – or perhaps not! Over the years I’ve seen these motivational techniques tried, and they’ve all failed. Because at the end of the day employees see them for what they are: a stupid waste of money.
The secret
If you really want to know the secret to motivating your staff then here’s what you need to do:
Communicate the vision
Every organisation should have a vision: their big idea. It’s the big ideas that get people excited, for example President John F. Kennedy’s vision for the space program, “We choose to go to the moon . . . not because it is easy, but because it is hard.” By communicating the vision, you are enabling employees to take ownership and help make it happen. By doing so they become invested in the organisation and its success.
Set high standards
Almost every employee wants to do their best in their role, which is why it’s important to not only set high standards, but to also stick to them. High standards encourage employees to try and attain them, and it sets high expectations, but if you revised your standards down, and back off your activity goals or performance levels, you are sending a message that they were unachievable to begin with, and employees will lower their expectations and motivation levels will fall.
Empower your employees
Create a working environment where your employees feel willing to show initiative, step up, and take on a task, you’ll motivate them, and your organisation can benefit from new ideas and initiatives. To empower employees, make sure that you don’t play the blame game if it doesn’t work out, encourage open two-way communication, don’t micro-manage, clearly define their role and accountability, and support their independence.
Assign responsibility
By assigning responsibility to an employee, you’re giving them the accountability to undertake a task properly, which is a major motivating factor for some employees. When you’re giving your employee responsibility, provide plenty of context and feedback for them. They need to understand the consequences of failure to the business, and they need to know if they are meeting expectations or if they’re not.
Recognise a great job
Finally, don’t forget to say thank you for their hard work and effort. Almost every employee want to feel that their manager appreciates their contribution and effort, so show that you do appreciate them. It doesn’t have to be complicated, but be sure to be specific when you say thank you. For example, “Robert, I really appreciate all the effort you’ve put in to make the project successful. Without you working late to get all the data into the spreadsheet we wouldn’t have had the detail the tech team needed. Thanks to you we’ve brought the project in on time and on budget. Well done!”
