Best ways to motivate your employees

Many companies have failed or shut down due to the sudden fall or lack of productivity within their ranks. This is a general problem for all business owners, and yes – that does include your moving company as well. What happens when employees are not happy or working in a negative environment? Well, first the frustration begins, then it starts affecting work, and next things you know – mistakes are made. And as time goes by, mistakes continue to occur and you start losing customers because of it. The good news is that you can easily resolve all this with some internal development of your moving business. And by that, I am referring to proper ways to motivate your employees and create a productive working environment.

What is your role as a manager when looking to motivate your employees?

What is it that you as a manager can do to motivate your employees? The thing to understand is that your movers are already motivated to begin with. The challenge you have is to figure out how to use that basic motivation to better accomplish business goals. The good news for movers is that the manager holds the keys to influencing motivation. It’s just a matter of controlling several environmental factors that are needed to boost working conditions.

One such factor, for example, is the relationship you have with each of your employees. Another one to consider is the establishment of a work environment and organizational culture. Both of these conditions significantly influence the amount of motivation and engagement that your workers have. So here are some useful guidelines to help you better understand and ultimately motivate your employees:

1. Present the work as meaningful and beneficial

It is always hard to do any work just for the sake of the work. We tend to ask for reason or purpose as to why someone is asking us to do what we do. So it is your job as a manager to ensure that the work you delegate is meaningful in the eyes of your movers. Not that it will lead to world peace or curing hunger or anything absurd as that. Instead, you should explain to them how the work they do is beneficial for the success and growth of the company. When they understand that they are making a difference and feel needed, it leads to more energy and enthusiasm in return.

Otherwise, you end up with workers that feel unappreciated and thus disregard giving their maximum effort. This is something every leader has to deal with discretely, in order to minimize lack of interest and maximize the efficiency and quality of work.

Any job can be meaningful – it’s just a matter of perspective. Making sure work is meaningful is the best form of job security a leader can give a team.

2. Show that you value high performers

Employees that are high performers tend to be self-motivated for the most part. And once you have such a team, they feed of each other in terms of motivation. The bar is raised with each achievement and result, which leads to an increase in energy level. It might lean towards competitiveness, but it in fact improves overall teamwork and lowers tolerance of errors. Bad performers, on the other hand, can basically infect the entire team like a disease. So you need to cure it as soon as you notice it before it spreads too much and sets a low standard. So in order to motivate your employees in the best way, you should focus on giving value to high performance and excellent results.

3. Motivate your employees by giving them space

No one likes to have his/her manager breathing down his/her neck. It’s counter-productive actually, as it drives employees crazy and they can’t focus. So instead of resorting to micro-management, simply demonstrate to your workers that you are interested in what they do and how they do it. But that’s where you should draw the line. Allow them to make their own decisions and develop their opinion and then discuss additional solutions.

4. Promote your satisfaction with the results of your team

As a manager, you need to include the position of employee’s PR agent as one of your tasks. You need to ensure that the work they do is recognized and promoted as an example to others. And if you’re worried about over-promoting your team, don’t be. But make sure that you give credit where credit is due and not focus on yourself. After all, the goal here is to motivate your employees, not boost your ego.

5. Rules and bureaucracy are there to be adjusted

If you already have meaningful work and high performance covered, you might as well cut your team some slack. Give them some flexibility when it comes to working hours, approve vacation days or sick leave when they need it. Bend some minor rules to help them and they will be grateful – what better way to motivate your employees?

6. Motivate your employees by showing them respect

Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Too many leaders and business owners nowadays believe in the concept of management through fear and intimidation. It creates a hostile workplace, where people will only work as long as you yell or scream at them. So if you truly want to motivate your employees in a proper way, treat them with the respect they deserve.

7. Know your employees in order to motivate your employees

This advice is especially all the more important for local business owners or startups. It’s simply a matter of getting to know your employees – what their goals are, personal interests, hobbies etc. This is a way to demonstrate that you not only care for the work, but also for your employees. And as a result, you are better equipped to motivate them individually, as well as on a wider scale.