Motivational Ideas for Colleagues

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With new growth everywhere, Spring is the perfect time to consider if your company is fulfilling its full potential. Govender and Parumasur’s 2010 study showed there is a significant correlation between employee motivation and job involvement. Understanding this is key to the success of any company and then, more importantly, knowing how to tackle dipping morale to improve employee engagement. However, it isn’t as simple as putting up motivational posters around the office. Sometimes it’s vital to understand why your employees are flagging and how to remedy it before it impacts performance.

How To Motivate Employees And Colleagues

At Inconnection we know how important motivation is for companies, so we have put together a list of ideas on how to keep your employees motivated for the year ahead and how we can help along the way. Here are our suggestions on how to battle signs of low morale and motivate colleagues to ensure your company is running at maximum productivity.

Create A Friendly Working Environment

A friendly working environment goes deeper than making the office look pleasant. It’s about letting your employees know they are valued within the company and keeping them in the loop about the business’s goals.

It’s important to keep staff at all levels included in the company’s performance and both short- and long-term goals, how they play a part in the business’s plan, and how it is relevant to them within their roles. A great way to do this is to host a conference to keep employees in the loop about the future of the company. It can also be used for senior management to voice their commitments to supporting employees going forward, helping them feel acknowledged by the business.

Another idea is to have a company rewards programme. Company bonuses and rewards are so ingrained in how businesses motivate employees that they are now listed in job adverts but adding consistency and visibility to rewards could improve employee opinions of the working environment. The best way to do this is a company rewards programme. Clearly defined rewards and the ability to recognise their colleagues will help improve attitudes towards the company. Take it to the next level by integrating a suggestions function into your rewards programme, allowing employees to improve their working environment and be rewarded for it at the same time.

Recognise Their Achievements

Lack of recognition remains one of the most common reasons employees leave an organisation, as reported by Gallup. Nothing beats being acknowledged for your achievements and that’s why it is imperative to reward employees for great performance. Whether it’s a fantastic sales performance or exceeding expectations on a project it’s important to let employees know you appreciate their hard work.

A shout out in a team meeting is a good start, but sometimes it’s best to go beyond expectations to show you care about your employees’ achievements. A physical reward does just that, giving your employees something more memorable than a thank-you email. Our MemMail packages could be perfect for that, customised to your brand and including a handwritten note, they give that personalised feeling, certain to make your employees feel appreciated.

Nudge Them Out Of Their Comfort Zone

Motivating employees can be difficult if they are passive. That’s why it could be a good idea to get them out of their comfort zone. Getting out of the office and getting involved in an adventurous activity is a great way to encourage confidence and engagement that will crossover into the office.

At Inconnection, we have a fantastic range of events aimed to promote team building, improve confidence, and motivate employees. It’s easier to speak up in meetings if you have ziplined across a ravine with co-workers the week before. The best ideas might be hidden in employees who shy away from sharing their thoughts. By hosting an event outside the office, you can show employees your faith in them which they will remember in the office.

Get To Know Them

You don’t need to be best friends with your employees but getting to know them outside of the office can help motivate them. Cummings’s analysis of studies found that 52 studies reported relational leadership was associated with higher job satisfaction, showing it’s important to build relations with employees. If they feel closer to management they will want to perform better. Corporate hospitality packages are the ideal environment to get to know employees on a more personal level.

We can work with your needs to put together the perfect hospitality event and allow all levels of the company to enjoy themselves and build stronger bonds. These stronger bonds help encourage a sense of community within the company and builds a better working environment for all. This will drive employees to work harder for the company and feel proud whilst doing it.

Encourage Friendly Competition

Sales teams and competition go hand in hand. It’s a recognised tactic to run competitions to promote sales and drive performance, but it doesn’t always have to happen in the office. Employees may get disheartened if they are never successful in competitions or if the same performers always top the charts. Shake things up and run something unrelated to work can help invigorate your sales teams and shine a light on different employees.

Competition comes in many forms and depending on what’s chosen can have different results. Many of our ready made events can be designed to include competitive elements, such as our cocktail making masterclass, to help encourage employee engagement and motivation.

Stay Social

Companies benefit greatly if managers engage with employees about more than targets and efficiencies. That can be as simple at asking how they are doing, or something more substantial. There’s a reason work nights out are so popular with employees and that’s because it gives colleagues a chance to connect. Teamstage finds 66% of employees were motivated to stay at their jobs with the presence of corporate incentives programmes. Incentives give employees something to look forward to and time to wind down with co-workers away from the office.

We can build the perfect event to help managers and employees connect. Whether it is a small get together or something more elaborate, it will help managers stay in touch with employees. Hosting regular work events works in two ways to help motivate employees. It relaxes employees and helps motivate them in work, it also lets employers understand their employees more, giving them ways to effectively motivate them.

Reward Your Employees

One of the most recognised ways to motivate employees is rewards, that’s why Rogers’s 2018 survey found 88% of employees believe it’s important for employers to reward great work. This could be handing out vouchers following hitting targets or it could be a dedicated rewards programme. A companywide reward programme lets you give your employees the freedom to reward themselves with what they want.

Start with a point banking system and add the rewards but leave the final decision in your employee’s hands. This encourages employees to work harder as they set the goal and aim for it, rather than what management chose to give them.

Encourage Creativity

Creativity is a vital but often forgotten skill within the office. Employees may feel unsure about suggesting innovative ideas for fear of backlash. That’s why it is important to give employees space to experiment, that way they feel comfortable sharing in a corporate setting. Creative problem-solving sessions with groups that have had even minimal training in creativity tools and principles generate 350% as many ideas as their untrained peers, says Puccio. One way to promote creativity is to run team building exercises that allow creativity to flourish.

Our chocolate making event, great for Easter, could be the place to start. It’s designed to nurture creativity, allowing your guests to experiment with design and techniques, it’s the perfect environment to show your employees they are encouraged to be creative. Staff that know their creativity is appreciated will feel freer to suggest ideas in a corporate setting and be more engaged in the work they do.

Revitalise Meetings

If employees are regularly pulled into meetings, it can stifle productivity. Meetings should be kept brief but if it’s longer consider getting out of the office to invigorate the meeting and your teams.

A change of scenery can do a world of good to shake up routine and motivate employees. Try holding meetings, training, or other corporate activities somewhere new. Include time for employees to socialise during the event and consider running activities to encourage behaviours important to your office like competitiveness or creativity. We can set up corporate events to suit any needs and make it a memorable event that’ll make employees more motivated than ever.

Boost Employee Engagement

The working day can get monotonous. If employees fall into a routine, it could result in lowered productivity or worse. Korn Ferry found 33% of employees who were looking for a new job in 2018 did so because of boredom in their current role. Allowing employees to recharge is something that should be ingrained into every company. Hospitality events in your corporate calendar keep employees excited for their future within the company.

Hospitality events can revitalise your company's schedule and keep employees looking forward to what’s next. It could be a local concert, or a day at the races, but choose something that’s in line with your employees and company’s interests.

We know the hospitality calendar like the back of our hand. So, if you have an idea what would suit your company, speak to us and we can suggest the best places to motivate your employees and build relations among colleagues.

Get your company ready for the year by setting up something to motivate them this Easter. Whether it’s a virtual event with one of our MemMail packs, or a hospitality event, we can tailor your needs into a perfect package to benefit your company. We are dedicated to get you the outcome you need while we do the heavy lifting.

If any of these ideas have sparked something, or if you have ideas of your own, come talk to us by clicking the button below. We’d love to hear from you!