By
Jenny Dempsey
|
Date Published: April 01, 2014 - Last Updated August 22, 2018
|
Comments
It all begins with motivation.
If your employees are experiencing a lack of motivation in the work place, you’ll see this evident in their productivity. You’ll also see this evident in the amount of days they take off.
Developing a successful incentive program can be a challenge; you must fine tune the program to fit into your company culture, engage various personality types and overall, be seen as worth the time and effort of your team. Handing out a few extra dollar bills here and there is unlikely to keep your team inspired for the long run.
So, how do you begin? Here is some advice:
1. Talk to Your Team
Survey your team about their current levels of motivation at work. Do you find that the person who admits that they are the least motivated has the most “sick” days? If your employees are claiming that work is a downer, their probably going to take more days away, even when they are not really ill. The insight received from your team should be treated like gold; it is extremely valuable and will allow you to put the focus on motivation at the office, making necessary changes to boost productivity and morale overall. You can even throw in some fun afterward—once you’ve talked or surveyed everyone, host a lunch party or ice cream social to celebrate and continue to encourage open communication at work.
2. Be Flexible
One of the worst things is a sick employee, pretending to not be sick for fear of getting in trouble, coming to the office and sharing their germs. Yuck! While we most definitely want to limit sick days, we also don’t want everyone else to catch the bug. If you have the ability, encourage sick employees to work from the comfort of their own homes. Giving the incentive of telecommuting will take the stress and worry off of the ailing employee and still allow them to get their job done.
3. Create a Points Program
Get out your Monopoly money and gold stars! Award your employees for their good attendance. For every week that an employee is not absent, give them a token. Tokens can then be used toward the purchase of “gifts”. And, since most of us are on a budget, keep the rewards creative, such as purchasing an extra 30 minutes on their lunch break or an extra day of telecommuting. No matter what you do, appreciating your team for being in the office and having fun while you’re at it will encourage your employees to want to be at work.
In a nutshell, being real with your team and understanding what’s behind the lack of motivation is probably the most important thing you can do. It may not be easy for you to see this, as a boss, but having empathy for your employee, standing in their shoes and seeing it from their perspective will open your eyes to many ways you can improve your company, which will ultimately improve your customer base.
Want more advice on motivating your workforce? Join me at Contact Center Expo and Conference for session 401: Incentive Programs that Drive Performance.
More Resources