*MOTIVATE EMPLOYEES

Immerse yourself in discovery.

You can’t enable another person’s motivation to flourish if you don’t know what
motivates them, to begin with. As a result, a key part of effectively creating the
conditions for strong employee motivation in your team is to figure out: Well, what
motivates them?

Individualize everything.
Motivation is personal. What motivates one person might not motivate someone else.
As a result, it’s important to have nuance in the conditions you create for motivation to
grow – you need individualize those conditions as much as you can. This means
specifically aligning projects, goals, and incentives with what the other person is
motivated by, and no one else. This seems intuitive, yet we often unintentionally (or
completely unknowingly) project our own preferences and proclivities onto another
person. For example, because you find detail-oriented work very easy, you might
assume the other person does as well, and you proceed to hand off a very data-
focused, detail-oriented project to them. Then, you notice that they’re not motivated on
the project and seem to be struggling, you wonder, “Hmm why aren’t they really
stepping into it?” When you consider the individual nature of motivation, the answer
becomes obvious: It was a mismatch of aligning the project to what motivates that
person the most.

However, sometimes, there are projects that have to get done and goals that have to
get met – and you can’t customize or individualize them.

Create choice.
While you can’t always individualize and perfectly match someone’s project and goals
with what they are most motivated by, you can create positive conditions for motivation
by enabling choice in what people can do. In Edward Deci’s seminal book on human
motivation theory, Why We Do What We Do, he describes how “meaningful choice
engenders willingness” and results in higher quality of decisions, and greater motivation
and commitment to the task, all shown in research he’s done over 20 years.

For example, while someone may not be able to choose their project, you can give them
choice in how they want to approach the project. Or in another situation, instead of
assigning someone a set of goals, you can invite them to participate in the formation of
those goals and enable them to choose it. As detailed by Deci, studies have shown that
when people can actively choose their own goals, they’re more likely to follow through
on them.
Stop surveillance.
What damages the conditions for motivation the most? Surveillance has
been revealed in studies to negatively impact intrinsic motivation. Anytime you catch
yourself peeking over someone’s shoulder, making a mental note of what time they log
on or log off, or when they enter the office – you’re not helping. You’re hurting.

Additionally, consider how deadlines and imposed goals undermine intrinsic motivation
and negatively effect performance. Are you arbitrarily setting targets to create an
artificial sense of “urgency” or “accountability”? Or are you trying to create a supportive
environment that is truly helpful for a person getting to where they need to be?

Acknowledge constraints and feelings.

Sometimes you can’t create a good environment for motivation. The company is tight on
resources, or there’s a toxic person who’s dragging the team down but you don’t have
the authority to let that person go. When you know that prime conditions for strong
motivation aren’t there, recognize that. Share with your team, “Here’s why I know that
sucks” or “I so appreciate you bearing with this” and you demonstrate how much you
understand their point of view.

Deci described in his research how this sharing of rationale behind why things are
constraining or not feeling good helps to minimize the pressure that detracts from
performance. Acknowledging the bad helps clear room for someone to try to do good.

Clarify expectations.
On occasion, our team doesn’t seem motivated because their behavior doesn’t match
up with our own conception of what “highly motivated” looks like in our heads. In short,
we as leaders haven’t made clear what the real output of strong motivation looks like in
our team. Does it mean that people are moving faster? Does it mean a higher quality of
work? Once you’ve determined what the product of “stronger motivation” looks like, then
consider: How well have you communicated this to your team? Do they know and are
they aware that is the output and product they should be creating?
*METHODS INCREASE EMPLOYEE PRODUCTIVITY

1. Be Efficient
Consider how your business is currently operating, and be open to the potential
of changing the way you work. Remember that it’s equally as important to make
short-term and long-term lists as it is to prioritise tasks, especially in a small
business.

Is there a better way that staff members could structure their day to enable them
to achieve their daily goals? Provide each member of staff with a plan and
encourage each to make a list to ensure he or she completes prioritised jobs on
time and stays on task all day, resulting in efficient working.

2. Delegate
Delegation comes with an element of risk, but increased responsibility is
important for improving the morale and job satisfaction of your staff. Give
responsibilities to qualified employees that have a proven track record with
success in a certain field, and trust that they will perform the tasks well.

If you allow employees the chance to gain skills and leadership experience, it will
benefit your company and provide your employees with a sense of achievement
and direction in their own careers.

3. Reduce Distractions
Social media can be a huge productivity killer, but it isn’t practical to have a no-
phone policy. Instead, try to keep employees focused and engaged while
allowing them breathing room.

Encourage employees to turn off their mobiles but take regular breaks during
which they can be free to check their phones. This will ensure that the time spent
at their desk is more productive.
4. Have the Right Tools and Equipment
Providing employees with the right tools and equipment is important so they can
perform their duties efficiently and on time. There’s nothing more
counterproductive than spending time waiting for paperwork to print because you
haven’t got a fast printing device.

High-quality, modern programs and equipment make a massive difference not

only to the workforce but also to how your company is perceived. Save time and
effort by using equipment such as an MFP, which can work as printer, scanner,
copier and fax machine.

5. Improve workplace conditions

A comfortable working temperature is between 68 and 70 degrees F (20-21 C).
An environment that’s too hot or too cold distracts from concentration, as
employees will spend more time walking around to get their coats or an electric
fan. Ensure both heating and air-conditioning systems are in working order for
when the relevant season comes around.

6. Offer Support and Set Realistic Goals

A common problem for managers is having no clear, strong sense of whether
their employees are high-performing or not.

Do your employees need an incentive to stay on track? Help them by offering

goals that are achievable. Provide clear direction to supervisors and employees
to help clarify expectations. This will help to increase their productivity, as they
will have a clear focus and clear goals.

7. Practice Positive Reinforcement

Encourage, motivate and reward. Tell employees they are doing a good job and
give constructive criticism. Most importantly, offer personal incentives for doing
the job well – could they get a free holiday or a free takeout coffee for performing
above and beyond their roles?
You should clearly indicate success of one employee to other staff to cultivate a
sense of fulfilment to motivate others. When you motivate your employees to
work harder and receive rewards in return, they’re more likely to put increased
productivity high up on their to-do list.

8. Ensure Employees Are Happy

A stressful workplace will not yield results. Workers that constantly operate under
highly stressful conditions are found to be less productive and have higher levels
of disengagement and absenteeism … They need to be happy!

Showing employees how much the company appreciates, respects and values
them on a personal level is gratifying – and often overlooked.

*MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN IMPROVING EMPLOYEE PRODUCTIVITY

1. Relax on Internet restrictions.

Too often, employers overly restrict the use of the Internet. This may be out of fear that
company-owned computers might be misused. However, with the amount of resources available
online, the truth is that most tasks can be completed more efficiently if employees are allowed to
roam freely online in ways not anticipated by the employer.

A perfect example is the growing use of social media, which often times has a legitimate
business purpose. Marketing on social media is becoming increasingly important to help
businesses and employees grow, and social media can be useful in keeping up to date with
competitors’ latest moves.

Yet, there are many employers today who simply do not allow employees to use social platforms
at work. It's not always about Facebook; people can have zero productivity without even opening
it. On the other hand, some employees can be super-productive social networking gurus.
2. Consistently measure overall employee activity and
productivity.
In a way, measuring productivity to increase ROI is similar to sales and marketing data. In order
to increase number of leads, you have to start counting those leads. If you want to increase sales,
understanding the source of current sales is imperative. Breaking an entire process of working
with customers in to steps, measuring every step and experimenting with improvements can lead
to an increase in ROI.

3. Set goals and use results to help employees grow.

When establishing a measurement system, managers should understand what their company's
current state is and then set up rules and expectations. For example, if someone is spending seven
hours on email and office applications, and one hour on personal sites per day, he or she could be
considered acceptably productive. Or not. It really depends on the management, which is why
these guidelines need to be set within each department or the company as a whole.

Managers should have regular check-ins about goals and progress, just like any other critical
KPI. For example, goals could include a 10 percent increase in sales, a 10 percent satisfaction in
support and 5 percent less time spent on entertainment websites. There should also be a plan in
place for counseling employees who may be falling behind due to unproductivity. An
employee’s unproductive hours may result from spending too much time on non-work related
sites or too many distractions in the workplace, whether in a traditional or home office. By
identifying the areas where an employee is struggling, employers can work to help the individual
reach their full potential and grow as a professional rather than letting them go (and paying the
cost of turnover).

Furthermore, with certain services, employees are able to keep track of their own individual
performance and hold themselves accountable for fixing any problems. When they are able to
visualize where wasted time comes from, it becomes much easier to focus on eliminating those
distractions. It can also create a gamification effect of sorts – "how productive was I today, and
did I beat yesterday’s measurement?"

4. Account for brain breaks.

Although understanding and monitoring employee productivity is critical to the overall health of
a company, it is important for managers to acknowledge that everyone is human, and we all need
a break from time to time. Short breaks (and vacations) have been proven to help the brain
function better. As such, it is perfectly reasonable to allow employees some latitude in
conducting personal business while on a work computer.

Companies today want to improve their employee’s productivity but, how often do they examine
their own practices to attain the same? Research has shown that many non-management
employees are disengaged and not working at their full productive capacity. People also think that
improving productivity is only possible with incurring additional cost. But that is not true. Below
mentioned are the steps which will help you increase employee productivity without incurring any
additional cost.

 Design an economic incentive:

A general economic incentive for the entire organization can help the employees of all the levels
take the benefit. If you want your employee to be vigorously committed to your organization than
you would not wish to neglect the incentives for the bottom level. Obviously, this will lead to incur to
your costs, but the structure has to be carefully drawn so that the additional pay-outs reflect clearly
defined revenue & earnings targets.

 Provide meaningful feedback:

It is necessary to provide meaning full and constructive feedback on a regular basis. Feedback is a
foundational skill of management. The ability to provide helpful feedback which could be positive or
negative in such a way that it encourages and not discourages the employee. It could be simply an
encouragement for the job like well done, or the correction if needed.

 Don’t be anti-emotional:

Management won’t get anything by withholding praise and recognition when it is needed. A recent
study showed that recognition is more powerful than monetary incentives. Well, this may not make
much of sense at senior level as financial rewards escalate but, the focus should be
on employee productivity at an organizational level to make the broadest gains.

 Ensure senior leadership model:

Employees of all levels should be treated with respect. Employees get highly demoralized by
seeing their senior leaders when they act in a way that they do not respect their team members.
Leaders are always being watched and judged continuously. The employees have keen eyes and
are keen data sharers! When leadership is “walking the talk,” it will be quickly noted – but so will
“talking the walk” without walking it.

Employee engagement is a vital factor to boost organizational productivity. Most of the times,
employees would admire being part of a team where they are respected and empowered and are
not just a member of an organization. Developing and maintaining a consistent management
approach is a key towards improving productivity.