Keeping your staff motivated increases productivity, efficiency and retention. We all know the reasons to motivate, but few of us have actually mastered the science. We are simultaneously obsessed with motivating, but unlike the focused time and attention we dedicate to other good business practices (cost control, training, etc.), our strategies for motivation seem to be given last priority. To reap the benefits of staff motivation, you must actually take strong, planned action!

Below you will find motivational techniques divided into three categories - BEGINNER (for those for whom motivation is not a strong point), ADVANCED (for those looking to get that little bit more out of an already motivated team) and EXPERT (for those of you who are probably doing a great job motivating their staff, but still want to improve anyway!)

BEGINNER
- send your staff a survey about how they feel about their work environment, their career prospects within the company, and your role as your boss - assure them that their answers will be used to improve their job satisfaction and not be used against them - and stand by your promises!
- celebrate even small successes, and make sure that the act that is being celebrated is clearly understood by everyone
- keep a positive attitude; your attitude is contagious and junior members of staff will look to their seniors for cues on how to react to various work scenarious. Let them know that you enjoy your role, and that you enjoy working with them.

ADVANCED
- working with each individual on your team, create a career development plan that both parties are satisfied with. Make sure this culminates in a written action plan with steps for your employee to follow. Review this with them every quarter and monitor their progress. Praise them for positive progress even when they do not meet the goals you have set out together.
- provide training available on lunch hours or afterhours that is complimentary to current positions that may become available in the department or that will help make their jobs easier and more enjoyable
- develop incentives that reward not only individual effort, but also teamwork, especially collaborative problem-solving
- hold brainstorming sessions and set group goals and monitor progress on a whiteboard posted close to your team's work area
- surprise your staff with a coffee break or other inexpensive treat that encourages social interaction between team members

EXPERT
- set a meeting schedule with every member of your staff and ensure that they receive your undivided attention for a minimum of half an hour every two weeks; make sure that part of this time is spent discussing their personal goals and how the position they currently hold will help them achieve these goals
- train your staff members to motivate each other and to have the authority to reward positive progress (coffee is cheap afterall)
- come up with a mission statement and slogan for your department
- start injecting a bit of fun and levity into your work day, and encourage your staff members to do the same
- allow your staff ownership over their projects, according to their abilities

Although salary does play a part in keeping staff motivated, competitive salaries alone will not deliver the same results as a combination of motivating factors. Besides, if you retain and motivate your staff with salary alone, you could be paying big dollars only to have your competitor willing to pay just a little more! Focus on the simple, sensical activities that truly motivate every human being - scope for the future, respect and recognition.

Learn more about this author, Katriina L..
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