How to Keep Employees Productive

There are a number of incentives that I’ve found to be helpful. Here are top:

Bonuses: Employees usually respond to bonuses and other financial incentives as a way

to reward great performances.

Perks: I saw good responses to perks that weren’t simply financial, such as casual days at

the office, half days, office parties, and social activities outside of the office.

Amenities: Workplace amenities – like a gym, cafeteria, or daycare center – are nice

incentives for employees to come to work and to stay focused on their projects.

Education: I believe that people respond to educational incentives and a number of

companies offer incentives that pay for additional education. They’re great because your

workforce can become more skilled and you’re creating loyalty.

Positive recognition: Recognizing someone in public for a job well done can make a big

difference. I think it’s important to provide positive reinforcement. Programs that

recognize employees can go a long way toward motivating someone.

And there are so many more ways to motivate employees. Entire books have been written on the

subject. These five suggestions are just meant to get you thinking about ways to motivate

employees.

Although entrepreneurs should remember that motivating employees is very important, it’s also

important to keep them happy. Obviously, an unhappy employee is hard to keep motivated.

Zappos is a perfect example. The company is a true innovator and Tony Hsieh, its CEO, is

brilliant. Zappos might not offer the most lavish perks for employees, but Tony is focused on

creating a corporate culture that makes employees happy and builds loyalty. I couldn’t agree

more and have seen the effects of similar approaches.

Motivating employees is good, but keeping them happy is the real secret.

Here are more tips to get more out of your people.

1. Know them: People are more than a resume. Take the time to get to know your people-

their values, their interests, their capabilities, their challenges and aspirations. You can

discover untapped skills and abilities. They can air any unaddressed concerns. People

will feel better understood and appreciated.

2. Develop them: Offer opportunities at work for your people to grow. There are many

ways you can tap their potential: coaching, skills workshops, courses, shadowing, and

mentoring, increasing responsibility. Encourage them to step up.

3. Communicate clearly, early, and often: Be clear about your expectations of them.

Wherever possible, keep people informed about the whole business, and particularly

about anything that impacts their jobs. Walk the talk. If you expect honesty and openness

from them, model that in the way you communicate with them.

4. Inspire them: You're the architect. Communicate a clear vision of where you want to go

as a team, and talk about how to get there. Invite collaboration and participation.

Introduce opportunities to solve problems together. Encourage risk taking, and

acknowledge that failure is a by-product of innovative thinking. Live the values and

mission you've articulated for your group and for the business. Give people room to think

and contribute. Then step out of the way and let them perform.

5. Recognize performance: When you celebrate accomplishments, you demonstrate you

care about them. Acknowledge and offer feedback (once a week at a minimum and every

6 months regarding overall progress). Try to assure that they have the opportunity to do

what they do best every day, and remind them that their jobs are important.

6. Request feedback for yourself, demonstrate humility: Demonstrate your willingness

to grow and change along with them. A critical piece of information for you is to what

degree you are helping them get their jobs done…not getting in their way. Ask…and let

them know their opinions matter.

7. Establish SMART goals: Whether for their individual job performance or for ongoing

project milestones, set goals that are "SMART" (specific, measurable, achievable,

realistic, and timely). SMART goals are critical to delivering quality and successful

results.

8. Listen well: Active listening is a valuable skill. Follow the other person's thinking and

enable them to hear themselves. Go beyond the words being said to what isn't said. Listen

to how something is said. Doing this can offer real insight.

9. Offer them the support they need: Insure they have the resources needed (time, people,

budget, and training) to do their work effectively.

10. Acquire/enhance your coaching skills: Being present, listening well, and asking open-

ended questions are critical coaching skills. Incorporating these into your managing style

will reflect your leadership, your investment in your people, and will ensure a strong

footing for successful relationships.

Keeping the Right People

Employee Engagement & Retention

Employee engagement illustrates the commitment and energy that employees bring to work and

is a key indicator of their involvement and dedication to the organization. Employees who are

engaged are more productive, content and more likely to be loyal to an organization. When

organizations put sound HR practices in place, they are more likely to discover that employees

feel satisfied, safe and will work to their full potential...and that means they are more likely to

stay put.

HR Responsibility How it relates to employee engagement

Strategic HR

Planning

People are the main resource that organizations have for delivering

services

Strategic HR planning links HR management directly to an

organization's strategic plan and that means that staff will have

meaningful roles tied to the strategic direction of the organization

Strategically planning how your organization will meet its current

and future HR needs and how people will be supported and nurtured

within your organization is critical for success

Operational HR

Planning

At an operational level, organizations put in place HR management

practices to support management and staff in achieving their day-to-

day goals

Whether it's determining how many employees are needed to deliver

services over the next year or how performance will be monitored,

the HR management practices and activities need to be planned to

answer the question: "Where is our organization going and how will

it get there?"

An operational plan ensures that employees are properly supported

Compensation and

Benefits

Though usually not ranked the most important, compensation is an

important factor in job satisfaction

An employee who feels adequately compensated monetarily is more

likely to stay with your organization

Developing HR

Policies

Policies and procedures both communicate the values of your

organization and provide everyone with a consistent process to

follow

Policies and procedures provide your employees with a process to

follow and that knowledge can help them confidently approach

situations, particularly difficult situations

Employment

Legislation and

Standards

Provincial/territorial and federal governments outline the minimum

requirements to ensure a safe and equitable work environment for

employees

Job Descriptions Job descriptions are basic HR management tools that can help to

increase individual and organizational effectiveness

A well-written job description sets an employee up for success by

outlining their responsibilities and the parameters of their position

Job descriptions also show how an employee's position contributes to

the mission, goals and objectives of the organization

Performance

Management

Performance management is an ongoing process where the

manager/supervisor and employee work together to plan, monitor

and review an employee's work objectives or goals and overall

contribution to the organization

Motivates employees to do their best

Establishes clear communication between the manager and the

employee about what s/he is expected to accomplish

Provides on-going, constructive feedback on performance

Establishes plans for improving performance, as necessary

Identifies the skills and abilities of each employee so that work

assignments build on and reflect an employee's strengths

Identifies individual employees for more challenging work

Assists and supports staff in achieving their work and career goals by

identifying training needs and development opportunities

Contributes to the succession management plan so that employee

skills are developed and employers develop the skills they need to

fill an potential HR gap in the future

Learning, Training

and Development

Investing in training programs helps employees develop personally

and professionally

Workplace

Diversity

Creating an environment where people feel welcome and safe from

harassment and discrimination motives staff to perform

Absenteeism and performance problems decrease while productivity,

morale and employee retention increases

Work Teams and

Group Dynamics

When you develop and support effective teams, you enhance the

power and feeling of satisfaction of individuals working on the team

When a team works well, it means that staff trust one another and

that leads to better sharing of knowledge and understanding

Conflict Resolution In a healthy workplace, there will be conflict

Having a conflict resolution policy and a process will mean that

conflict is constructive and not destructive

Workplace Wellness

Initiatives

A healthy workplace means more than just warding off colds and the

flu

It is more holistic and takes into consideration the physical, spiritual,

environmental, intellectual, emotional, occupational and mental

health of employees

Wellness promotion doesn't just benefit the employee — an

organization filled with healthy, balanced and fulfilled employees is

a productive workplace that retains its employees

Employee

Recognition

Giving employees a sense of shared values and purpose by creating a

relationship with them is important

When you thank employees you value them and that, in turn, is

motivating

Updating staff on organizational issues through internal

communications like e-mail updates and newsletters builds the sense

of team and their value to the team

Staff-volunteer

relations

Develop a sense of team with staff and volunteers contributing to the

organization's mission

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