Every team – no matter how dynamic – can experience lulls in motivation now and then. It’s an issue that every manager faces at some point, and it can involve some shifts to bring the spark back. Drops in motivation can happen for various reasons and whether it’s because of a big project coming to an end or simply cold, dark days, it’s important to work through it.
A passionate, excited team that looks forward to coming to work each day will produce much better outcomes – so how do you achieve that? Here are six tips to try.
The most important way to make sure your employees look forward to coming to work is through making them feel valued. This can simply be by offering praise frequently and recognising their good work. Alternatively, little boosts such as meals out or a bottle of wine to reward extra effort or additional holiday days for someone going above and beyond will make your staff feel appreciated.
It’s important for you to set the example here. When a team fosters negativity, it can stem work. Conflict also makes a working environment uncomfortable. Lead from the front by allowing your team to bond and have fun, whilst also having a platform to allow team members to come to you for open and frank discussions when things aren’t working.
This is a big one, and it needs to be nurtured. Your team need to feel trusted to do their jobs proficiently in order to feel comfortable and confident in their roles. They need to be able to trust you too – this means delivering on promises and being an advocate for your team members.
The potential for promotion, increased responsibility or a change of direction should be a frequent conversation topic with your employees. Even if that promotion may be a little way off at the moment, they should have concrete goals to aim towards which will give them a great sense of achievement when they reach them.
It’s tempting to leave pay discussions until yearly reviews or conversations are prompted by employees, but with the cost of living rising it’s important to make sure that your team are being paid what they are worth. It can be demoralising for staff to see similar roles being advertised elsewhere for a higher rate.
If you’ve noticed a dip in motivation, be sure to ask your team members what would help them. Don’t leave it all up to them to provide the answers, but do ensure that their voices are being heard and act on their feedback.
For further information and to discuss your recruiting and development needs, please contact us today.
