Employee motivation is an important aspect of business development and without it, businesses would lack the drive needed for substantial productivity.

1.  Collaborate Goals

Working with employees to help set and develop work-based goals is an invaluable motive.  Individual goals differ and each person has their own interpretation of what it is to reach self-actualisation.  This is not just restricted to our personal hobbies, interests and goals but it also includes our work-based lifestyle.  Many of us are driven by some kind of incentive each day and in a work sense, this may be financial, social or anything else, which we may benefit from.

2.  Listen

Listening is another important factor.  Many of us have ideas and our own perspective adds an interesting dimension on how things could be done.  It would be a shame to waste the opportunity to gain these insights, especially when ideas grow substantially in group situations. Employers should make time to listen to new ideas, irrespective of what position an employee holds, for example, an intern.

If there is not enough time in the day then get your employees to write down their thoughts on a mood board and review it frequently.  Additionally, you can revert to traditional measures,  such meetings and appraisals.

3.  Show Appreciation

Employees often seek a certain level of respect, recognition and reward to help them give their best.  It’s not just about showing you care, it’s about actually caring by having an appreciation for how the workforce is an essential part of your business.  With this understanding, you will find that going that extra mile to help your employees comes naturally and they will acknowledge this.

4.  Adapt Leadership Style

It’s been said that the difference between managers and leaders is that “managers do it right and leader’s do the right thing”.  Creating a balance between the two may prove difficult as it may relate to personality but there will be a positive outcome if this is achieved.  Learning how to manage profit margins while motivating employees would be a key tactic for increasing employee and ultimately business performance.

If you feel that your management style is a bit on the bureaucratic side then maybe consider doing a short course on leadership styles.  We have not yet come to the stage where employees are being swapped out for robots, so I would say that empathy still plays a pretty important role in establishing employee relationships.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of how to increase employee productivity but it should help.