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Magic Motivators to Boost Energy Levels In the Office

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StrategyDriven Talent Management Article |Office Culture|Magic Motivators to Boost Energy Levels In the OfficeWhen people drag their feet into work on a Monday morning it seems like there is no way to bring the energy levels back up. Of course not every office is going to be perfect but you could do a lot of things to keep your workforce happy. With regards to employee motivation, you need to start thinking creatively and get the ball rolling with some fresh ideas. Whether you subscribe to a reward scheme or you organize a team away day, this could be your recipe to higher energy in the office.

Rewards and Recognition

One of the best ways to improve the energy and motivation in the office is to show your appreciation for your employees’ hard work. Surprise HR (https://surprisehr.com) has reinvented employee recognition and rewards using the power of surprise. If you think your office could benefit from this sort of scheme then start exploring your options today. When you are able to show your employees how much you appreciate their hard work, you will be giving them a mini motivation boost every single day.

Free Fruit Day

This is a simple and low cost way to put a smile on your employees faces every now and again. Once a week you could invest in a fresh fruit delivery from a local farm shop. Not only will you be helping a local business, but you will also be encouraging your employees to be healthy. Somebody who has snacked on a banana or an apple mid afternoon is much more likely to have a productive day than a worker who hits the vending machine for a sugar hit.

Team Lunch

You should never underestimate the power of a team lunch. Not only does this give them the opportunity to let loose and chat in a relaxed environment, but it also shows them you care. Treat your star team members to lunch or even a gift voucher for a local restaurant on pay day. This regular treat will become a huge motivating factor so your workforce are more likely to do well.

Away Day Fun

Employee away days are very common in small and large businesses. It gives you time away from the office and allows everybody to get to know each other in a fresh environment. Away days can come in a variety of different forms, depending on the industry you are working in. It might be appropriate to head to a local event and listen to a guest speaker. Maybe your team could benefit from a relaxing day out together to avoid the high stresses in the office. Think of an away day that is suitable for your individual business.

Sometimes a little can go a very long way when it comes to pleasing your employees. A piece of free fruit in the middle of the week or an unexpected lunch on a Friday night just be all you need to keep your workforce happy and smiling. Rewarding your employees for their hard work will not only improve the mood in the office, but it will also help you to retain staff, saving you money in the long run.

How to Motivate Your Employees

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StrategyDriven Talent Management Article
Employees who lack motivation will only slow down the productivity and growth of your business. Yet, the responsibility to work harder is not solely their responsibility. It is an employer’s job to ensure they inspire their staff each day to maximize their performance. Find out how to motivate your employees.

Focus on Individuals

Employees can often become frustrated in their role when they feel they are simply another number in the business. If a member of staff feels undervalued or isolated in their role, you can almost guarantee they’ll have less passion for the company, and will not be willing to work as hard as they once had for the business.

Take a few moments out of your day to speak to individuals, so you can make your team feel appreciated. Remember to offer direct praise for an employee’s job well done, which could be as simple as a “thank you” or a monetary bonus. Also, if you notice an employee is unhappy or underperforming, take the team member aside to discuss how they are feeling and to find a solution, which will prove you are willing to go above and beyond to make them feel happy and comfortable at work.

Create a Relaxed Workplace

The work environment can significantly affect employee morale and productivity. If you want your office to have a positive impact on your staff’s mentality, you should review the workplace layout. For example, it might be helpful to pull down the cubicle walls to create a more open, collaborative space – or you could introduce a relaxing break room. If you are unsure where to start, contact professional office designers in London to transform a space, such as STOiCA Office.

Provide Advancement Opportunities

Many employees can become bored of the same routine month after month, or even year after year. Providing advancement opportunities will, therefore, give a member of staff a reason to work harder, while helping to grow your business. So, rather than hiring external candidates, utilize the talent and knowledge of your internal employees, who will revel in their new responsibilities and tasks. It’s an effective way to harness their passion for the industry while retaining your best employees.

Lead by Example

An employer sets the tone for values, work ethic and passion for the business. If you’re always late, you can guarantee your staff will follow in your footsteps. If you browse the internet, they’ll do the same, and so on. It is important to lead by example when running a business, as your commitment to the industry and passion for hard work can become infectious across the company. Always try to have a positive attitude to every situation, even when facing difficult challenges, which will encourage your team to mirror your actions.

Develop a Transparent Environment

Employees will fail to trust their employer if they believe the business is keeping secrets from them. You can guarantee they will respect you as a leader if you are open and transparent about the company and any upcoming changes. The more transparent you are, the more comfortable they will feel when approaching you with an idea or problem, too. Introduce an open-door policy to ensure every team member feels their voice is being heard and that their opinions are valued.

You Could Be The Key To Employee Motivation

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Maybe you can see that your employees aren’t motivated, or you’re just wondering how you can add a little extra oomph to their working day to make them feel like they can conquer whatever is on their plate. Do you realize that you could be the key to employee motivation? That’s right – the things you say and do could either psyche your employees up or make them feel demotivated.

Here are some key points that should help you motivate your employees:

Build Relationships With Your Employees

When you build better relationships with your employees, they will automatically want to work harder for you. If they think that they are just another face or number in your business, they are going to become demotivated eventually. Talk to them, tell them stories about when you were making your way up the ladder –  help them see that you’re like them. Don’t sit in your big office chair having somebody else carry your bags for you.

Praise Your Employees Regularly

Make sure you make an effort to genuinely praise your employees both together and separately. Let them know that you notice the hard work they’re putting in. Put it in emails, say it to their faces, put it on a noticeboard…find all kinds of creative ways to make them feel appreciated. This will give them an incentive to continue.

Make Employees Lives Easier

Do what you can to make their lives easier. For example, investing in a new program to help them save time. It not only makes their lives easier, it shows you care. If you don’t care for your employees, don’t be surprised if you end up with some of the following.


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The Four Vs of Employee Motivation: Velocity, Visibility, Value, and Valor

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A recent Gallup poll revealed that only 30 percent of employees are actively engaged at work, and 18 percent are actually actively disengaged. Disengaged and distracted employees cost businesses money as they ‘sleepwalk’ through their workday, bringing little energy or passion to the table. Making matters worse, actively disengaged employees are more than unhappy at work—they act out their unhappiness by undermining what their engaged colleagues accomplish on a daily basis. For businesses that want to continually innovate and grow, engaged employees who work with passion and feel a profound connection to their company are required.

According to Gallup’s 2013 State of the American Workplace report, “engagement makes a difference to the bottom line,” which can have an impact on productivity, profitability, customer service, turnover, and absenteeism. Incentivizing can also make a big difference, according to a study by the International Society of Performance Improvement. The study showed a 27 percent performance increase when an incentive was offered for persistence toward a company goal.

Not all encouragement, engagement and incentive programs are created equal, however. It’s important to utilize whichever approach is best for driving your desired action. By 2001, the Incentive Federation’s biannual study found prepaid cards to be the most popular rewards for employees, consumers, and partners (dealers), but there’s more to an incentive program than just finding the right reward. Try sticking with the 4 Vs of employee engagement when you implement an employee recognition and motivation program.

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About the Author

David Jones currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of CardLab, a pioneer in the prepaid industry. The first to offer businesses the ability to customize a Visa Incentive Card with a company logo, the Dallas based company was founded in 2004. Visa Incentive Card is issued by The Bancorp Bank pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. and may be used wherever Visa debit cards are accepted. The Bancorp Bank; Member FDIC.

Why Your Employees Count as Much as Your Clients

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Success in business begins with your people. The model is actually quite simplistic although not always easy to execute. What effective managers and leaders must recognize is that it begins with caring about the people who drive your business. But what distinguishes success is the recognition that businesses are driven not just by customers but by employees as well. Developing a culture of caring within your organization to engage your employees is vital to the strategy to drive success to your business.

Building a Customer Focused Environment

As customer expectations are constantly changing, it is ever more critical that businesses are in tune with those trends. It seems that every day expectations are rising rapidly with every transaction and interaction. In order to leverage the power of customer care in your business, it must be integrated into all aspects of your business by recognising your internal and external customers. Superior customer care can become a powerful business driver that is not centered on major investments but simply an awareness of how you do business. Ultimately, the more that you increase engagement with your customers and focus on taking a routine interaction and making it something memorable, the better chance you will have of creating an improved customer experience. But the process must begin with your employees, also known as your internal customers.

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About the Author

Julie Bowen is a freelance writer and full-time mom. After graduating college, she put a lot of effort into her career as a businesswoman with several successful enterprises, but when motherhood came along, she decided it was time to pull back and take up her other passion, writing. Now she writes about business and finance and finds her work-life balance far more enjoyable. When not working and caring for her children, she likes to go for long walks with her dogs, though she is considering using Rollerblades so they can pull her.