People spend most of their time at work to earn money and they expect happiness during their job. Money may be important but it is certainly not the only motivation factor to make employees happy. Money is a short-time motivator because a manager can give a raise of their salary and probably your employees will be happy but after some time this compensation is seen as normal reward and doesn't contribute anymore to the happiness of the employees. Appreciation of their work and flexibility are often more important than money.
The best managers know that a happy employee is a productive one and search possibilities to make them happy without spending money and which result in an increase of the productivity Here are some suggestions which may help managers to motivate employees without spending money:
* Showing respect and appreciation
Every good manager wants a work friendly environment and showing respect is a necessity to succeed. Knowing your team is essential and can help you to incorporate some of their expectations during the work hours. Maybe they want longer lunch hours or it is possible they want shorter breaks so that they can return home earlier. Talking to your employees can help you to make an arrangement which works for most everyone.
Respect and appreciation for their work are two valuable skills of a manager which will benefit their employees. Everyone wants a sign of praise if they execute a certain task very well. This will give them the energy to put more effort in their work and improves productivity without any extra cost of the employer.
* Flexibility
Most everyone wants a good work/family balance which will contribute to their happiness. Flexible working hours are often appreciated and make it possible to make good agreements between spouses. They can spend more time together and if they have children they can easier care for their children. They often don't need to search someone else for baby sitting in the evening.
Every employer wants to take holiday from time to time and a good manager don't show an attitude that his/her absence will cause problems for the company. If you are flexible in the permission of taking holiday you give them a good feeling and avoid anxiety when they take the step to ask for one or more day's holiday.
* Individual rewarding
Rewarding is an important motivation factor and can be done without spending money. You can make an employee happy if you call an employee who has done an excellent job to your office and praise him/her. Some words of encouraging are enough to bring your employee in an excellent mood and he/she will appreciate your positive attitude. Individual rewarding works in the long run to a good relationship between employee and employer and has a better effect than a premium or any other compensation which cost money for the company.
* Communication
A manager needs to take important decisions for the company and input of his employees will help to take the right decisions. Involving your employees in important decisions is a sign of trust in your team and feedback can change your first opinion and improve productivity and good team work. It is worthwhile to create a staff team and delegate responsibilities. These staff members will feel more appreciated and have the feeling that they are important for the company.
* Create fun in the work environment
You may motivate your employees more if you delegate your tasks with some humor and avoid they become bored in their jobs. It is important to know which tasks they like the most and you can bring variation in their jobs to prevent boredom and a loss of motivation. It is maybe wise to have two employees or more who can switch their tasks and this will improve team work and creates happiness in their job.
It is necessary to keep control of the execution of their work but you can best be a little bit tolerant if colleagues talk to each other and make some jokes. You probably know the proverb "Laughing keeps you healthy" and this will also relieve the stress in the work environment and improves productivity. A few minutes fun each day in your company will increase motivation and happiness and has a lasting effect to run your business smoothly.
It is also useful to organize activities for the employees of your company once a month. This will benefit team work but you need to know which activities your employees like. This can be a theatre visit, a sport activity or any other activity where you spend some time together and your company looks like a family where the employees are members of one happy family.
Money may be the reason why people work but they only can feel happy if they feel appreciation, confidence, encouragement and an open door policy of their employer. A little bit creativity, research, the factor "fun" will help to motivate your employees and has a lasting effect to improve productivity without spending money.