How to motivate your employees by Phillip Thow..
Well, you are now a manager, congratulations! Keep up the good work and keep your employees motivated. But how do I keep them motivated? What is the most effective way to keep my employees happy and working productively and efficiently? Phillip Thow says those questions are not easily answered, as the diversity of each employee will determine the answer to each. Every situation will be different and every employee will respond to constructive criticism and suggestions in different ways. How can you make it so that your employees trust you enough to respect your requests and suggestions?
Phillip Thow offers a few tips:
Listen! Listen! Listen! Uninterrupted and with your undivided attention, always listen carefully to your employees and their concerns, questions and suggestions. This is respectful and shows that you are a caring manager that values their opinions and ideas.
Be mindful and aware of your employees and their hard work. When you see a job well done and hard work accomplished, reward them with praise. When presenting new tasks and projects to an employee, always request that they inject their ideas and thoughts into the project. This will keep them motivated if they realize that they were part of the decision making process and the planning stages of the project. Be fair. Treat every employee fairly and create a balanced work environment. If an employee feels that they are treated less fairly than a co-worker, animosity arises and creates friction and problems. This will ultimately leads to less work production and more issues. Admit when you have made a mistake. As Phillip Thow said “Admit, learn, and move forward.”
Phillip Thow reminds us to give credit where credit is due! Always verbalize your appreciation for a job well done. This will motivate employees more than anything. If an employee gets feedback and sees that they’ve done something well, they are more likely to repeat it in the future. Always be empathetic and open to the feelings and thoughts of your employees. Make sure that they know that you are concerned for their well-being and that you are here to make their work environment as comfortable as possible. Phil Thow says to always keep employees in the loop when their job, tasks, or work environment is affected. If changes are made to the job description, the task at hand or the office procedures in general, call a meeting of the employees and notify everyone up the changes. And again, Phil Thow reminds us, ask for feedback! Make sure your employees know that their ideas and opinions are valued.
If your employees know that you are an approachable and trustworthy manager, they will seek you out for guidance, motivation, and help. This open door policy on communication is crucial to maintaining employee trust. If an employee feels that they can’t talk honestly to their manager, problems heat up and escalate and can often times get past the point of an easy repair. This open door policy will let your employees know that they can trust you to listen to their thoughts, concerns, complaints, and questions without bias or negative feedback. Lead by example and keep communication with all employees open and honest. Employees will be grateful for this and in the end, be happier, more productive and more efficient at their job. And Phil Thow reminds us to always verbalize this great work. Don’t let hard work go unnoticed. Phil Thow says it is imperative that verbal recognition be given to employees for a job well done.
Money doesn’t buy happiness. But that is the first thing that many business will offer employees in lieu of praise or verbal recognition for a job well done. Employees want to know that their thoughts and opinions are valued, that their hard work is appreciated and recognized, and that their manager is listening to them with their undivided attention. Phil Thow says to always take time to listen to your employees, there isn’t a better tool to running a smooth and productive office atmosphere. Thank your employees for opening up to you about things so that they know that you are truly grateful for verbalizing and communicating issues and ideas.
A great way to motivate employees is to ask them what works! Phil Thow recommends a monthly request to each employee to create a list of what keeps them motivated in the office environment. This way, there are no questions and everything is out on the table. As a manager, this simple request can go a long way in making your job easier and your employees happier!
Phil Thow says that recognition and praise goes a long ways. Never miss an opportunity to verbalize your appreciation for a job well done. Don’t let these things go unnoticed or your relationship with your employees is bound to suffer and decline. Even behaviors should be recognized. If an employee is constantly coming into work with a “can-do” attitude, let them know that you appreciate that attitude and you’ll see that it will catch on with other employees in the office.
Give your employees a reason to smile each day when they walk in the office. An appreciative manager and happy work environment will do just that!