by Todd Hicks

Created on: July 02, 2010   Last Updated: March 07, 2011

Are things going slowly with your business? Are you having a hard time getting your staff to put forth their best effort and shine? You can help improve their performance through common sense and ingenuity. You will learn employee motivation tips to use in the office.

It is imperative to show them respect. You should not yell at them or treat them like a number. You should avoid reprimanding them outside of your office. It is a good idea to welcome and accept suggestions from them. By showing them respect, you will earn respect from them and develop a good relationship with them.

You should fairly compensate those who perform well. You should use a merit pay system that continually provides decent raises to those who do well. It is natural to feel good about yourself and your work when you get the compensation you deserve.

It is wise to provide opportunities for advancement and promote the best to a higher position. This can be a powerful motivator for workers to stay with your firm and succeed. You should also provide benefits. This will help persuade some to stick with you. Additionally, you should cut those who do well some slack. You can grant them extra free time, give them more leeway in using the Internet and let them dress down on Fridays.

You should consider assigning everyone a creative position title. If one of your people handles a lot of the organizational duties, you could name him or her the director of operations. Some of the staff members might be humbled by this.

Just as school kids sometimes get a star for doing well on a homework assignment or quiz, you can attach a star to your employees’ reports and other documents. Some of them might get excited about this. Another good way to acknowledge their achievements is to have an employee-of-the-month program. It can be satisfying to see your name posted in recognition of your performance and service.

You can randomly monitor their work and phone conversations. This can scare them into never goofing off or bad-mouthing customers. It is also necessary to post rules. This can motivate your staff to not do the things you do not want them to do.

You must show them trust. It would help to display confidence in them and not constantly watch over them. As you show your trust in them, you will earn theirs.

Use these ideas to motivate your employees and have a more productive, more loyal staff!

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