HR MANAGEMENT - How to Motivate and Appreciate Employees

How to Motivate and Appreciate Employees

by Janet Mulroney Clark, Demand Media

Most employees show up the first day of work full of motivation and the desire to succeed. Unfortunately for the majority of them and their employers, within six months that initial passion will wane and continue its downhill slide for years to come. According to David Sirota, Louis A. Mischkind and Michael Irwin Meltzer, writing for the Harvard Management Update, the key to motivating employees is to help them retain their initial enthusiasm.

Items you will need

• Physical rewards, such as candy bars, pizza, or T-shirts

Motivate and Appreciate Employees

Step 1

Make the work as interesting as possible. Help the employees see the value of their jobs and how others are positively impacted when they do their work well. Try to incorporate different tasks into the work. Instead of a narrow focus, arrange the workplace so employees can master a variety of tasks and thus enlarge their jobs. When possible, include the employees in the decision-making process, especially for matters that involve them directly.

Step 2

Encourage employee development. Offer quality workshops and provide useful feedback to help employees improve their performance. Start by telling them their work is satisfactory, if that’s the case, and they will be more open to constructive criticism. Be specific and clear about any changes you want, and when an employee changes a behavior in the way you have requested, let her know you noticed.

Step 3

Reward them for their efforts. Employees need fair wages and benefits. All the pizza parties in the world won’t make up for crummy pay. But in addition to the regular paycheck, reward employees for their hard work with little treats, such as candy bars, dinners out, and thank-you notes for a job well done. Note their accomplishments in the company newsletter or at the team meeting.

Step 4

Encourage positive coworker relationships. Know your employees and try to group them in compatible teams. Allow the teams to operate as independently as possible, working out their own schedules and deciding how to accomplish the job-related tasks. If an employee or team is successful in a task, have him teach the rest of the group about his methods and what worked for him. Create opportunities for coworkers to socialize outside of work, such as holiday parties where significant others are included.