In a candidate tight market with less supply than there is demand for them, it is imperative to value and motivate your staff to make sure you retain the best talent in your business. Valuing and motivating your employees also instils a higher collective commitment, which in turn encourages higher work performance, team-work and long-term success. Valued and motivated employees are also less likely to leave an organisation, and in an economy that currently spend $7 billion per annum in costs relating to labour turnover, this is an expenditure you can certainly afford to miss out on. So with absolutely no cost to you and multitudes of benefits, read on for our 5 easy tips to value and motivate your employees better.
Support new ideas – it takes courage to speak up and share an idea or to recognize an issue and come up with a solution. Hear them out, and promise that you will give genuine consideration to their idea/solution (even if you are sure it won’t work). Employees feel much more valued and motivated in a workplace where they feel they are a part of the decision-making process.
Celebrate wins – from birthdays to securing a record sale or receiving a lovely piece of feedback from a client, it should all be recognised and celebrated! Try introducing new routines or traditions to celebrate wins, and get the whole team involved.
Clear Job Expectations – Nothing disengages faster than an employee who is penalised for not meeting an expectation that they were unaware of. Be clear and spell it out, employees with unclear or ambiguous role expectations are more likely to leave an organisation than those who are well-versed in the minute details of their job.
Career path – Creating a career plan and nurturing long term growth gives your employee an idea of what lies ahead for their career and gives them something to strive for. Even short term career plans help motivate and add value to an employee – for example, giving them small projects to work on autonomously and awarding them for positive results that benefit the business and their own personal development.
Be flexible – In an increasingly casualised workforce, it is imperative to be more flexible and open-minded in the structure of your workplace. With less full-time roles being advertised on SEEK, and a clear jump in casual/part-time roles on offer, employees are demanding more flexible working hours due to other pressures, so it’s time to welcome these changes and see how it can add value to your business.