Build employee commitment by celebrating – our last tip in our 2018 series on motivating employees

All year, I’ve been giving you video tips on explicit actions leaders can take to motivate their people and build employee commitment for the long haul.  Last week, I went back to basics with “Provide a workplace that is free from bullying and harassment”.  Today, #33, happens to be our final strategy in this continuing series, so it seems only appropriate that it should be about a celebration.  Specifically, today’s motivating tip is to plan periodic office parties.  Let me explain further.

Plan periodic office parties

Your goal should be to maximize attendance for motivation value, so consider holding your office party during office hours, ideally over the lunch hour.  Plan to have them once a quarter, or even monthly.  Encourage employees to get involved in the planning; in fact, go as far as appointing each of your employees to one of the quarterly or monthly “planning committees” so that over the year each of your people are involved in one event.  Continue reading →

Absolutely fundamental to gaining employee commitment: a workplace that is free of bullying and harassment

So far, in our ongoing series on specific actions leaders can take to gain employee commitment, I’ve shared a variety of ideas that range from basic to the unexpected.  Today’s strategy however falls under “absolutely fundamental”.  It is to provide a workplace that is free from bullying and harassment.  Not fancy or exotic, but unequivocally essential.  And when you do it right, the result is solid employee commitment!

Provide a workplace that is free from bullying and harassment

All employees have the right to be in a safe workplace that is free from violence, harassment and bullying.  Not only is it the right thing to do from an ethical perspective, but it is also required by law.  And it’s your job as a leader to make it so. Continue reading →

Secure employee commitment by letting them annually attend a training event of their choice

In our last video episode in our ongoing series focusing on specific motivating actions leaders can take to secure employee commitment, I suggested that you let your employees telecommute, even occasionally.  Today’s idea: offer each of your employees the opportunity to annually attend at least one training program or learning conference of their choice.

Let your people attend at least one training event (of their choice) annually

When you invest financial resources into your employees, what you’re really telling them is that you value them and want to set them up for success.  No wonder then that this seemingly simple action invariably results in increased employee commitment.  And when you let your employees choose which training or conference to attend, the motivating value goes up significantly.

Concerned about abuse? It can be managed

Now I’ve heard the objections to this … what if the employee selects training that is not ideal for their job?  Or what if the employee chooses a conference that is at some exotic location that costs an arm and a leg in travel expenses?  Continue reading →

When you let them telecommute, you create engaged employees

All year, I’ve been offering ideas in our ongoing series on specific things leaders can do to create highly motivated and engaged employees.  Earlier this month, I talked about giving your employees positive opportunities to interact with your senior management.  Today’s tip (which also happens to be #30 in this series): let your employees telecommute.

Let your employees telecommute

Let them work from home; not necessarily every day, but how about a few days a week, or even once a week?  Heck, even once a month is hugely motivating.  Even occasional telecommuting leads to highly engaged employees … because they view it as freedom – the independence to be productive, stay motivated and save time. Now I am well aware that there are certain jobs that don’t lend themselves to telecommuting – I mean can you imagine being a retail store clerk or a grocery store cashier from afar?  But … the vast majority of jobs have at least some responsibilities that can be done from a distance.  And in some cases, these tasks can be completed much more efficiently if they’re away from the daily distractions of the workplace.

With today’s technology, working from home is no longer as impossible as it might have once been.  Continue reading →

Want engaged employees? Let them interact meaningfully with senior management

Today’s post on the blog continues with another specific idea on how to build a team of highly-motivated and engaged employees.  Last week’s tip was to organize a team-building and learning day.  And today’s strategy is to find opportunities to give your strong employees exposure to your senior management by assigning them to appropriate task forces and committees.

Give your people opportunities to show their strengths to senior management

Many of your employees aspire to bigger and better opportunities, so when you put them in situations where they can demonstrate their skills and talents to others who can also help them achieve their career goals, the result is highly engaged employees.  This scenario is a win in many aspects.  It’s a win because your employees’ professional networks are broadened, allowing them to “show their stuff” to other key influencers.  It is a win for you because Continue reading →

Want engaged employees? Learn together as a team

Last week, in our series on practical low- or zero-cost ways to create high-performing engaged employees, I suggested that you boost employee morale by letting them represent your organization at external events.  Today’s tip: organize a team-building and learning day.

Organize a team-building and learning day

Teamwork and engaged employees go hand in hand.  If your employees are engaged, they work together towards common team goals.  And if employees feel like they’re part of a cohesive, strong and highly-productive team, then they are highly-engaged.  Which makes any emphasis you place on learning and team-building a very powerful motivator.  So organize a team-building and learning day.

Make sure to set it up so that there is both a learning component and a fun component.  Ideally, Continue reading →

Boost employee morale by letting them represent your organization at external events

All year, I’ve been video-blogging about specific actions leaders can take to build employee morale in their departments and their organizations.  My last tip was to say thank you in writing.  Today’s strategy goes in a different direction.  It is to give your employees the opportunity to represent your organization at an industry event.

Let your employees represent your organization at an external event

This may not seem like a big deal, but this is one of those actions that has a surprisingly great return on investment.  The reality is that in most organizations, the folks involved in direct revenue-producing activities are the ones who often are the outward face of an organization, and for that reason, are the ones most likely to attend industry association conferences, community fundraisers, networking events, and the like. Continue reading →

Writing a thank you note is a great way to boost employee morale

Today’s blog post continues with our video series on specific and practical actions you can take as a leader to boost employee morale.  Today’s strategy is not new.  It’s to say thank you, which is something that I addressed way back in strategy #9.  However, the difference in today’s tip is how – it is to say thank you in writing.

Say thank you in writing

Don’t just walk over and thank your employee for going above and beyond, and don’t just leave them a voice mail.  Take the time to put it in writing.  When you put it in writing, it has more permanence so it is perceived differently than if you just say thank you verbally, and it is a powerful way to build employee morale.

There are many ways to put it in writing

Continue reading →

Boost employee morale by offering a stress-free zone

Today’s post is another instalment in our video series on specific tactics and approaches leaders can use to build employee morale.  Last week was to allow employees to personalize their workspaces.  Today’s strategy is to create a stress-free zone in your workplace.

Create a stress-free zone in your workplace

This tactic produces positive results in any organization, but it is really valuable if your team operates in high-stress or deadline-driven setting.  Whether it’s a call centre, a trading floor, a law or other enforcement environment, or just about any fast-paced workplace, giving your staff a place they can go to unwind or calm down for even just a few minutes is a powerful employee morale booster.

Ideally the space should be a room with a door that employees can close to create a quiet area.  But if that’s not possible, even Continue reading →