8 Ways to Keep Your Employees Motivated and Engaged

As a manager, a big part of your job is keeping your employees motivated and engaged. A properly engaged employee can work to their full potential and greatly benefit their organization. Monetary compensation is only part of what motivates and engages an employee, being valued and having positive relationships with their managers are big factors in how engaged, and successful, an employee is. Here are eight ways to keep your employees motivated and engaged.

Find Out What Your Employees Need

Check in with your employees to see if they need anything; don’t just assume everything is okay. Before you try and figure what your employee needs, think about some possible goals they may have in mind. These goals may include lowering anxiety, getting a clear objective, and minimizing uncertainty. Ensure all your employees have the tools and training they need to be effective.

Make Work Fun

A touch of humor goes a long way to transforming a workplace into a place where employees can have fun while they work. Energized and happy employees are better able to engage and contribute to their organization. “You can make a big difference with something as simple as the occasional smile, showing your human side can be endearing and disarming”, - says Nicole Meehan, an HR consultant at Uktopwriters.

Effective and Positive Communication

Proper communication is the driving force behind employee motivation. A good manager must strike a balance between the dreaded micromanaging and failing to keep their finger on the pulse of their team. Keeping interactions positive with employees is a good way to keep them engaged. Communication can be written, as well as spoken, and business writing skills are important for leaders. Check out resources at StateofWriting to improve your business writing skills.

Incentives Pay Off

Encourage excellence and engagement by implementing some monetary incentives. Getting rewarded for their achievements is a huge motivator for employees. Ensure that your team is compensated well overall. People are often uncomfortable divulging dissatisfaction with their compensation, so consider doing some surveys to gauge employee satisfaction. It’s important to express your gratitude immediately when a employee excels, rather than waiting for a quarterly review. Doing this will increase morale and encourage engagement.

Focus On Attainable Goals

It’s important to set reasonable, attainable goals for your employees. You don’t want to overburden your employees with unrealistic goals, that is a recipe for their disengagement and dissatisfaction. Short term goals are good because these goals can be accomplished quickly and this success provides the employee with confidence to move on to other achievements. It’s okay for employees to fail once in a while, as long as it happens in an environment of positivity and confidence.

Define Your Long Term Vision

Help your employees understand where their work fits into the organization’s larger, long term strategy and goals. When they understand their core mission and how their work contributes to it, they become engaged in a purpose. The more people understand the big picture, the more collaboration is possible and motivation increases across the board. Communicating long term goals begins with management, they set the tone that will be taken by all employees, who now see themselves and their work as part of the greater design.

Transparency is Key

Creating an environment of transparency is paramount to effective leadership. Your employees should feel free to be honest with you and feel they can trust you. Trust is important, and transparency is a big part of creating trust between leaders and their employees. It’s important that managers are forthright, and follow through when they say something. “Actions speak louder than words, and words begin to mean not much at all if they are not followed by action. If managers set the tone with this kind of integrity, employees will respond with respect and loyalty that is earned. If employees view a manager as accessible and open, they will listen and engage when managers give instructions, to remarkable results”, - explains David Hoover, a Recruiting manager at Assignment help, and Studydemic writer.

Pay Attention to High Potential Employees

Keep your high potential employees happy. To keep them engaged, put more resources into career development. You can also try assigning them to new projects that will benefit the company, as well as keep them motivated and happy.

Conclusion

An organization can benefit greatly from ensuring its employees are motivated and engaged. Effective and positive communication, knowing what your employees need, making work fun, providing incentives, focusing on attainable goals, clearly defining your long term vision, being transparent, and paying attention to high potential employees are all ways a manager can keep their employees motivated and engaged. Employees are motivated by more than just financial incentives. Feeling they are part of a team and a larger mission, and forming positive relationships with their managers are also important ways to get the best out of your employees.

About the Author:

Freddie Tubbs is a internal communications manager at Ukwritings. Besides, he is writing Academadvisor blog for freelance writers, and is a regular blog contributor at Boomessays.