The workplace is fast becoming a bit of a cut throat environment, with millions of people all grasping for the same jobs and wanting to get ahead, especially in today's economic times, and it can be difficult at times to see the way to motivating staff without showing apparent favouritism or unfair judgement to individuals. It is important to motivate your whole team; coining a popular phrase, "birds of a feather, flock together", and with this in mind, making all members of staff feel valued will result in increased productivity, well-being, and a happier workplace all round.
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Methods of Motivation
So how to start going about this? Well, start by talking to your staff, about their likes, dislikes, preferences and methods of working. Once you get an idea of which members in a team work similarly, you can then look to group them together, so like-minded individuals will feel happier working with people who value the same methods of learning and working.
Doing this will also allow you to get more of an idea of their life outside of the office doors. If you feel your overall staff mentality is one of community, why not this look at sponsoring local events and charities - after all, this is THEIR community and families, and working towards rewarding the local area produces a feel good vibe that's hard to beat!
Monetary Rewards
Of course, everyone likes a bonus or recognition of hard work, and money is something we all need. An employee of the month award is a great way of doing this, as long as the goals are clearly outlined, and a monetary reward given yearly at Christmas is something for everyone to strive towards.
Doing this can also link to charity work as above; one option is to given a donation either in lieu of or in addition to a bonus scheme to your employee of the year's chosen charity; this works especially well if they hold a cause dear to their hearts, and recognition for this will always be picked up by local newspapers and websites.
Progression Targets
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For many people, noted progress in their chosen career is a reward in itself, and this is where monthly or quarterly reviews are beneficial. Giving set targets to work towards are really helpful in progressing employees on in their job role, and rewards such as pay increases, higher stature in the company and recognition of these facts are great incentives for hard work. You don't want your employees to be like those in the picture opposite though, so be sure to be fair in everything you do, as resentment over job roles and progression between employees is one of the biggest causes of dissatisfaction in the workplace!
However you choose to motivate your staff, remember to remain impartial, be fair, and keep a close eye on the "office floor", as it were. Disputes between staff don't always make the attention of the director's office, but can cause a lot of hassle and bad feeling, so keep your eyes and ears open at all times for this, and work with all parties involved to resolve issues where possible.
About the Author: Jo Geraghty is a director at Culture Consultancy. For twelve years she has been leading teams in a variety of cities all over the world. Jo has an impressive skill of bringing change to deliver performance improvement, staff motivation and starting up new operations. Jo is motivated by seeing leaders excel in their careers.