New Year’s Resolutions: Five ways to motivate your employees
If your New Year's resolution is to keep your employees motivated, then our tips can help.
A recent study on Talent Attraction by Indeed found that people look for a new job opportunity when they:
- see posts about an interesting company or job - 21%
- feel dissatisfied with their current job - 20%
- feel discouraged about their current job situation - 19%
Follow these five tips to keep your team motivated and engaged throughout 2016.
1. Provide positive feedback
As a manager, the single most important thing you can do to motivate and encourage your employees is to give them positive feedback about their work and to do this regularly. Constructive feedback is important in order to improve ourselves, but it is equally as important to hear when we have done something particularly well. Communication expert Bob Ferguson suggests celebrating small successes on a regular basis, perhaps when your team member reaches a key goal or important deadline.
2. Create a vision they can believe in
The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to remind everyone about your organisation's vision and what the goals and objectives for their department or work area are. To feel motivated, people need to understand how they fit into the bigger picture, and the part they will play in helping reach the goals that have been set for the team.
Giving some direction will ensure that employees are excited and inspired by their work instead of feeling lost and uninspired. As Lorna Jack, CEO of the Law Society of Scotland, recently said: "The CEO is the upholder and the keeper of whatever the corporate values are. You need to be the person who is consistently talking about them.”
3. Ensure roles are clear
Make sure everybody understands their roles and responsibilities. When one part of the team gets swamped with tasks while the rest is feeling they could achieve more, this can lead to unnecessary frustration. Encourage your team to regularly talk about their projects and communicate with each other to avoid problems. Our partner BPP offers an online course on Communication skills if you feel your team might need some support in this area.
4. Give them ownership
Instead of micro-managing your employees, try to include them in the decision-making processes wherever possible. Everyone likes to know that their input is being taken seriously and that they can contribute to the company. Overall your employees will thank you by being more motivated and productive.
5. Help your team to grow
Another good way of motivating your team is to provide them with opportunities to develop their skills and grown professionally. You will find that employees find it very rewarding being able to not only do their day-to-day job but also to work on areas of particular interest.
Remember that ICAS offers a wide range of professional development opportunities for members at all levels of their career. As Brian Souter said in his popular leadership secrets series: “Great leaders give their people four gifts – responsibility, recognition, personal development and fulfilment.”
Join the conversation
How do you keep your employees motivated? Share your tips with us @ICASaccounting using the hashtag #CAjobs. If you need more employees to cope with your workload in the New Year, advertise with CA Jobs to find you next CA.
