You’ve started a business and taken time to cultivate and hire the perfect team. Things were going great for a while, but now there is a noticeable slump in productivity and motivation. Employers are noticing a shift in what employee motivation means to their modern workforce and found that only 2 out of 10 employees feel that their management team motivates them in a way that encourages their best work. Let’s take a look at some ways to get your team back in the game.
1. Offer Flexible Scheduling
The old school way of operating a business has evolved with new and developing technologies. Having the ability to check your emails from your phone or complete a lingering task from your home computer means that the typical 9-5 workday is no longer the norm. Letting your staff have flex time or a work from home option will improve moral by allowing them some control over their time and will prove you as a progressive employer.
2. Provide Free Food
Perhaps one of the most surprising techniques for motivation in the workplace is free food. If you have a staff that is mostly satisfied with their job, then free food will most certainly give them a positive boost. Offering to host a pizza party at the end of the week if goals are met gives them something to work toward and also an opportunity to interface with each other, creating a team atmosphere. 
When asked whether or not they would consider leaving their current company who provides food for one that doesn’t, 41% of the 1200 people polled said they would not leave. It’s no secret that people work better and are happier with a full stomach.
3. Give Recognition
There is an old school mindset of not recognizing someone for doing their job—that the person is getting paid for their work and that should be good enough. This is not a successful strategy when you have someone doing their best work and aren’t getting any appreciation for it. They will soon lose interest and stop trying. A simple thank you in private, a mention in a meeting, or email sent out to the staff noting the great effort is enough to bolster a person into wanting to continue at that pace.
4. Turn It into a Game
People love friendly competition. When trying to get a seemly unpopular task knocked out, consider making it into a game. Create milestones to hit for that task and reward those who hit the milestones with some sort of trophy or badge. This will motivate people to hit their mark and also encourage them to keep up with the other people around them.
5. Employee Motivation and the Power of Autonomy
You have taken the time to hire smart, capable, and hard-working people. The worst thing you can do is undermine their capabilities by micromanaging. Motivation in the workplace will dwindle if the staff feels like they are constantly being monitored and their quality of work doubted. 
Allow your team to feel that you trust them by giving them the space to perform their duties and be there for them when they need help rather than watch over their shoulder.
6. Transparency Is Key
Keep your employees abreast of how the business is going. Send out sales reports on a regular basis, have status meetings, and be open with the companies goals and strategies. This is a great way to let your staff feel like they are a part of the bigger picture and also gives them a chance to see where things can be improved upon.
7. Great Working Environment
Give your team a work space that will have them excited to come to every day. When not working from home, they will want to come to a nice, comfortable space with natural lighting and new furniture. It’s hard to feel productive and happy when working in a dreary older building. Also, make sure to have newer office equipment that can keep up with the task at hand, older computers and monitors will not be able to perform at the rate needed, which will only frustrate and dishearten your staff.
Time to Shake Things Up
If you have noticed it’s time to give your employee motivation a boost, then there is no better time than the present. Implement some of the techniques we have mentioned here and get ready to see a positive change in team morale faster than you think!
