Many employers expect team members to consistently put forth their best efforts. While such expectations may seem perfectly reasonable from an employer standpoint, workers tend to see things differently. After all, if they aren’t being provided with sufficient incentive or a healthy work environment, what reason do they have not to do the bare minimum of what’s expected? So, if you’ve hit various stumbling blocks in trying to get the best possible performances from your employees, take the following advice into careful consideration.
Don’t Be Stingy with Promotions
Few things incentivize employees more than promotions and pay raises. If someone feels as if they’re working towards something instead of simply spinning their wheels, they’re far more likely to put their best foot forward. Conversely, few things demotivate employees more than seeing their hard work taken for granted or ignored entirely.
So, if you’re looking for an effective way to increase worker satisfaction and illustrate appreciation, don’t be stingy with promotions. Refusing to promote people who consistently go above and beyond the call of duty is liable to result in decreased motivation, productivity and worker retention rates.
Be Open to Providing Relocation Assistance
Although some employees will jump at the chance to move across the country – or to a different country entirely – not every worker will be equally keen on relocation. So, if your company regularly expects team members to relocate, it’s in everyone’s best interest that you provide sufficient financial assistance.
Relocating can be a costly endeavor for employees, depending on the scope of the move. To support your employees, it’s important to cover all of their moving costs and travel expenses, and provide lodging until they find a new home. If your company regularly requires employees to relocate, consider joining forces with a relocation services company to ensure a smooth and stress-free transition.
Allow Remote Work
Before 2020, a sizable number of employers openly disparaged remote work. In the eyes of these companies, remote work was synonymous with decreases in motivation and productivity. As it turns out, though, the reality of the situation was much different. Not only did many companies see an increase in productivity, workers, by and large, were much happier.
Reporting to a formal workplace, navigating office politics and spending eight hours behind a desk are many people’s least favorite things about the work experience. It should come as no surprise, then, that once those elements are removed, worker satisfaction tends to rise. In fact, after getting an extended taste of remote work, many employees would sooner leave their current jobs than return to the office.
So, regardless of your personal views on remote work, it’s difficult to argue with the results. Allowing employees to carry out their job duties from the comfort of home can prove beneficial to not only productivity, but also worker satisfaction and general well-being. Remote work is particularly favored by people with children and abundant family obligations, as well as individuals who struggle with physical and/or mental health issues.
Be Mindful of Burnout
Given how much our culture celebrates overwork and regards it as a badge of honor, it’s not hard to see why professional burnout is such a common affliction in the U.S. Rather than contribute to this problem, your company should be part of the solution. Being consistently overworked can turn happy, productive employees into disillusioned shells of their former selves – and the latter are far less likely to put forth their best possible efforts.
So, when assigning workloads and determining deadlines, give some serious consideration as to whether the demands you’re placing on your team members are reasonable. You should also actively encourage employees to speak up if they feel they’re being overworked.
Some employers think that workers should be completely beholden to them. The way they see it, employers should be immensely grateful for any compensation or recognition they receive. Unsurprisingly, this type of mindset generally doesn’t jibe with employees, who often feel undervalued, undercompensated and underappreciated by their respective employers. Needless to say, such conflicting ideologies are hardly conducive to employee fulfillment or productivity. To break free of this pattern and get the best possible performances from your team members, put the pointers discussed above to good use.
