5 Tips for Motivating Unproductive Employees
The hiring process can be expensive and disruptive to current employees and customers. For this reason, it is worthwhile motivating unproductive employees rather than hiring new staff.
Here are five useful ways to drive unproductive employees towards efficiency:
- Restructure jobs:
Job flexibility is a great motivator of employees. If you recognise a talent that isn’t being used, offer that employee the chance to work on something new that uses that skill. Job-sharing and cross-training is a beneficial way for you to keep the work of your employees fresh on a daily basis. Productivity will increase and your employees will be happier.
- Focus on relationships:
If job flexibility isn’t possible, consider the effects relationships with colleagues and management have on your staff. Ensure your workplace is a fun, welcoming place. Small things such as going to lunch together or Friday happy hours can break the monotony of going to work and be refreshing for the employee.
- Make it meaningful:
If employees feel as though they don’t matter in your business, take them to the end product. Take your team to conferences, client meetings, and product launches and show them they are a part of the whole entity. A closer understanding of their role will refresh their sense of worth in your business.
- Set goals and offer regular recognition:
Your staff can only aspire to success with a clearly defined goal. Make sure you set regular tasks and challenges for staff. Once they have completed it, celebrate their victory!
On a smaller scale, offer regular recognition of your employees’ work either verbally, with an email or with a note. The key is to do it frequently – not just at your annual Christmas review time.
- Treat them like adults:
Trust your employees; autonomy in the workplace is a powerful motivator for employees.
Give your staff the freedom to complete tasks by themselves. They do their jobs day in and out and are likely to know more about the job than their supervisors.
Secondly, rather than being prohibitive, create policies that empower your employees to succeed. For example, one policy could be ‘use good judgement in all circumstances’. Giving your staff freedom to do their jobs will let you focus on strategy and developing others.
If you would like more information, please don’t hesitate to call Butlers Business and Law on (02) 4929 7002, and our professional solicitors can help you.
