Top 10 Tips on motivation

Everybody needs to be motivated. A good motivation scheme at work improves productivity, customer/employee loyalty and morale. Incentives, gifts and rewards are not just important but essential to a productive and happy office.

The importance of motivating staff cannot be stressed enough, especially in today’s uncertain climate. Recognising and rewarding staff will help them to feel satisfied, happy and an important part of a company structure.

Here are 10 Tips on Motivation to help companies boost their business without blowing the budget.

START WITH A BANG
Make sure from the start that everyone knows all about the rewards on offer and are inspired to go for them. Use staff and sales meetings, team briefings, email and newsletters to sell the scheme, explain it and answer any questions. Be as creative as possible.

RESEARCH WHAT WILL INSPIRE THEM
You should never assume with motivation schemes. What worked well last year may not work again for a second year. Similarly, what motivates a 20 year old female may not work for a 60 year old male. By researching your employees, you will ensure that motivation is targeted and appropriate to your staff, or highlight that you should use vouchers to give them personal choice.


SEEK INSPIRATION FOR IDEAS
There are thousands of potential rewards from gift vouchers to gadgets, or luxury goods to leisure breaks. The best place to source new reward or incentive ideas is at Incentive World 2002, the UK’s leading promotions and incentives industry event which is from 22 - 24 February 2005 at Earls Court, London.

INCLUDE EVERYONE
It is no good just offering incentives to the top tiers of the company. Lower level employees are just as, if not more important to productivity within the company.

LITTLE AND OFTEN
Giving a one off bonus or gift will only have a short-term effect. It is far better to offer less more often as it creates continued motivation. Many organisations create staff motivation schemes that offer rewards that are awarded once a year. The rewards, however attractive, will often seem too far distance. Interest can be revived by shortening the payout horizon with interim rewards. The award values need not to be huge, but the motivation value of having frequent winners is tremendous. News of these targets and prizes also creates a communications opportunity that raises visibility.

LET INDIVIDUALS SET THEIR OWN TARGETS
Persuading staff to take continuing ownership of their personal targets and objectives is a continual challenge. However if you ask individuals or a team to do set their own, they often select figures greater than their manager would have chosen. This is particularly valuable because the motivation and commitment to achieving the target is greater because the figures are ’mine’ not ’yours’. They become ’ours’, and the interest extends longer than it would otherwise.

INCENTIVES SHOULD ENCOURAGE SUSTAINED EFFORT
Nothing de-motivates a middle ranking performer more than to see a high flyer streaking ahead from the start. However, if everyone starts afresh each quarter, or each month, with plusses and minuses wiped out, everyone has a chance to compete on equal terms.

TARGETS MUST BE ACHIEVABLE
It is no good setting impossible targets for staff because then the incentive will be pointless. Make the sales targets achievable by all, not just by the high fliers. Pitch the threshold level fairly low, but with scales continuing upwards for higher achievers.

COMMUNICATE FREQUENTLY
After the initial launch, awareness of motivation and bonus schemes fades into normality. There needs to be a constant communication programme that keeps the scheme in the mind. Creative messages via a variety of routes from post and e-mail to newsletters should be used to generate excitement, including teasers, league tables, progress charts, and these should sometimes be sent to home addresses.

ADD AN ELEMENT OF SURPRISE
Everybody expects a gift or party for Christmas. How about having a party to celebrate staff? Or giving a gift or additional day’s holiday in the middle of the year? These unexpected gestures are far more likely to generate motivation, respect and loyalty to the company than expected ones.