Top 10 tips: Motivating staff

Aug 10 2007 By Andrew Mernin

MENTION the words ‘staff motivation’ to fans of cult comedy The Office, and images of David Brent clapping his hands to Simply the Best will no doubt spring to mind.

For those who haven’t seen it, the episode in question sees the hapless office manager attempting in vain to warm up a motivation seminar with a cringe-worthy stream of American self-help techniques.

While David Brent may be a fictional character, there’s no doubt the business world is awash with similar quick-fix methods that do little to motivate staff.

So what are the tried and tested ways to ensure you get the most out of your workforce?

Founder of Newcastle-based consultancy group Making A Difference Jayne Goldstone says there are a number of simple steps to help boost office morale.

Goldstone runs corporate development training courses with businesses across the North-East in areas such as staff motivation, time management and team building. Here are her top 10 tips on motivation.

1. Have a clear mission statement

One of the most effective catalysts for a motivated workforce is to have a clear mission statement embedded into company culture according to Goldstone.

“Everyone feels the benefit of working for a company that has a common culture running through it,” she says.

“There should be a mission statement that encourages people to work for the common good of the business.”

2. Introduce a mentor system

Setting up a mentor system within your company can give “astounding results” in your efforts to create a driven workforce.

“Having a mentoring system is essential to help people grow and make sure they know what they’re doing.

“The scheme should go on indefinitely until someone feels comfortable in what they are doing. Everyone should have a mentor to nurture them into a job.”

3. Get rid of the fear culture

Having worked with both large corporations and smaller outfits, Goldstone has witnessed the good and the bad of business management.

One of the biggest hindrances to staff motivation is what Goldstone calls “the fear culture”.

“I find that lots of managers in business have been promoted up the chain but aren’t necessarily trained managers.

“I’ve seen so many dire managers telling their staff if they don’t do this or that they’ll be fired.”

Goldstone urges managers to eradicate the fear culture by giving staff the platform to voice any concerns they have and get things off their chest.

“If the motivation of the executive level managers doesn’t filter down to the lower levels of the organisation, how will it work?”.

4. Communication is key

“It’s so important to listen to the all the people in a company from the cleaner to the person who signs off the cheques. Everybody matters.

“I’ve seen so many times where people talk down to administration teams or people they see as subordinates.

“Look at how your people and systems work and talk to people on the floor to see what’s working and what’s not to see where the weaker areas are.”

5. Get to know your staff

Getting to know your staff is also an important part of keeping them motivated.

“Find out what’s going on in the outside world for your staff. It’s about who people are not what they are, so find out what motivates them and what they do outside work so they become a person and not a number.

“If you’re in a huge organisation it’s easy to become a number, which is why corporations should have a structure in place where everyone is supported.”

6. Create incentives

Keep staff driven by putting incentives in place to reward outstanding individuals.

“If someone finds a more cost effective way of doing a particular job, they should get acknowledgement for that whether it be a gift or an extra day’s holiday.

7. Get out of the office

While the prospect of spending the weekend with your work colleagues isn’t everyone’s idea of fun, a retreat is a great way to bring staff closer together and keep them happy in their roles.

“Having people do different kinds of activities can really highlight how well they are working as a team.”

8. Keep it varied

Just as acknowledgement and praise keeps people motivated, so too does the challenge of learning new tasks.

“Imagine how time drags if you are sat waiting to be given more work. Where is the value in that.”

Goldstone recommends going through the company’s database of staff and finding out each person’s  various attributes. Consider which other roles in the company they would be suitable for and could be trained on.

“If someone’s good at something, the chances are they will enjoy it. If they enjoy it, the chances are they’ll be good at it.”

9. Seek outside help

Bringing outsiders such as consultants into the business can play a major role in boosting staff morale.

However Goldstone urges business leaders to pay attention to the advice of the consultants after they have gone.

“There’s no point in getting consultants in if you don’t follow through on what they teach you. If you don’t do the work after they have gone, how are you going to change as a company.”

10. Delegate your responsibilities

Giving staff more responsibility is another effective way of keeping them interested in the job.

“Too many managers spend their time chasing their tales when they’re not delegating enough,  especially in medium-to-large size companies.

“Step out of the situation and ask yourself whether you can delegate things.

“Empower other people to be the best they can be so you can spend more time as the decision maker.”