How can you motivate your employees?

We all know that motivated staff are productive staff and if you’re staff aren’t inspired, you’re business’s efficiency will be down. Motivated employees are the most valuable and maintaining employee morale is crucial to business survival. So, do you want to add some passion into your employees work? Do you want to learn how to harness the effectiveness of people through motivation?

First, a good leader must realise that each employee will be motivated in a different way. For some, money will be the main factor. But it is important to remember that for many, money is only one small part of what motivates and inspires staff. Either way, strategies need to be tailored to each individual employee to reflect their wants and needs.

Why do people leave? How to combat high turnover rates…

Do you have an abnormally high turnover rate? Want to know why and how to fix it? Retaining employees in the modern age is becoming increasingly difficult and employee turnover is a serious problem in many workplaces. The costs of a high employee turnover for many organisations are significantly high and will affect the overall financial performance of an organisation. Some of these expenses can include recruitment, training and overtime. But the costs aren’t just monetary. There’s also low employee morale and increased workloads. So, what causes employees to leave? Contrary to common belief salary and pay rate are not the only reasons employees decide to leave a job. However, it is one of the main causes of high employee turnover rates. While employers should make it a point to offer competitive salaries to retain and attract staff, they should also consider other fringe benefits to attract employees and keep them motivated. For example, shortened or flexible work hours, day-care opportunities or special social and corporate events. Employees will always be enticed to join companies who offer more of these benefits. Knowing what other companies provide can assist with this. Another of the main reasons employees leave is the lack of opportunity for promotions. Employees are more likely to seek new employment every few years if there is no opportunity for them to grow within the company. These promotions should be as fair as possible and always based on excellent work performance. As well as working environment other causes of high rates of employee turnover are work pressures and stress, favouritism, poor employee management and lack of employee motivation.

High employee turnover rates cannot be solved easily or swiftly. To develop a successful retention strategy first the current situation and measures of turnover need to be assessed, as do the costs of turnover. A plan for changing workforce culture may also be needed in order to retain employees, and this is not a simple task. One of the main points to remember is the growing importance of quality of working life and the work\life balance. Hiring the right people and developing ongoing career programs is also an important combative for high turnover rates. Making sure that people are the right ‘fit’ within the company and investing the time and effort into making sure employees are comfortable and cooperative within the business.  While there are an abundance of ways to combat high turnover rates including extra fringe benefits like a fitness membership or event tickets or trips, the strategies have to be the best match for your workplace. In the long term, these strategies will be more cost effective than continued turnover.

Why hire a graduate?

Abbott’s recent Budget reply, in which he stated the government would freeze graduate recruitment in the Australian Public Sector if the coalition is elected this year, has gained a lot of criticism in regards to its “cost saving” effectiveness and aim to compound the skill shortage developed through retention issues. Whether or not you agree with his policies, his plans do beg the question: why hire a graduate? There are many benefits of hiring a recent University graduate. Most organisations benefit from the ability to build from the bottom up and nurture talent and skills. Graduates are the best way to develop talent and keep local talent in the area. Another advantage of hiring a graduate is their enthusiasm and increased likelihood of dedication and the desire for excellence. University degrees and other tertiary qualifications require a great deal of dedication and provide a lifestyle students can successfully apply in the workforce. Coming from the mouths of graduates themselves they have a goal to prove themselves and bring with them fresh ideas that they are keen to integrate. Graduates will be eager to contribute to your business as it will most likely be their first professional position so their commitment and eagerness to learn will ultimately be greater.

Another plus is their exposure to the latest thinking and most up-to-date practices, which could give your business that extra bit of competitive edge. Graduates also have the modern educational credentials to potentially bring a fresh approach to your business. Especially with younger graduates, their knowledge of the current market and consumer strategies will be high and innovative; hence they can assist in knowing what will get the job done.

Is workplace bullying and harassment hurting your business?

Are you up to date on the latest workplace Anti-Bullying and Harassment Laws? Employers have a duty to their employees to understand how workplace harassment is defined, how to protect your workforce and how to manage and resolve any grievances in the workplace as they develop. Harassment can be anything from the offensive use of words to the unwelcome or abusive physical behaviour. Bullying may be active, passive, direct or indirect, physical or psychological. It can include intimidating behaviour, marginalising someone, any demeaning behaviour, abuses of authority and coercive behaviour. The most important thing to remember is that bullying is not always restricted to employees. It may involve others with whom employees come in contact with during the course of their employment. It may even occur online. Could this apply to your organisation?

One thing many employers ignore is the need for a clear, well-defined, written bullying and harassment policy, which should be communicated to all staff. Either see your in-house HR personnel to help with this or enlist the help of performHR, who are extremely professional and experienced in dealing with these issues. Your workplace should also have a clear and simple procedure to handle complaints of harassment and bulling as they arise. Gathering HR support for this will be the most effective way to protect your employees. It is also important to seek support to reduce the risk of exposure to workplace bullying and harassment in the workplace. Don’t tolerate bullying and harassment in your workplace. Help keep your workers safe and happy and increase your productivity by looking out for bullying and harassment in your workplace. You should also keep a lookout for any unlawful discrimination happening in your workplace. Whether it occurs while recruiting staff or even while considering staff for a promotion or dismissal; unlawful discrimination is illegal and unacceptable.

Get your business up to date with the newest workplace bullying and discrimination legislation and tackle this issue head on!

Are you telling the whole truth?

With all the HR support available in the modern age it seems that some bosses and senior managers are still struggling to effectively interact with their employees. Why is it so hard for employers to have that conversation with their staff? More and more leaders are avoiding conflict. Sure, they can run massive companies but they can’t tell an employee that they are not meeting expectations! Yes, OK, he might be a ‘really good bloke’ or perhaps she’s a ‘really hard worker’, but really, if they don’t have the skill, knowledge or passion to do the job they’re getting paid for, does it really matter? The truth is, sometimes having that conversation with an employee can benefit both of you. While they might be underperforming in your business, they’re probably not really happy or committed to the position they’re in. So why draw out, what you both are likely to know is coming eventually, and keep everyone in their current miserable and compromising positions? This is where ‘telling the whole truth’ comes in handy.

Why are we so reluctant to ‘let go’ of employees who aren’t doing their job the way they should? Lorna Patten is the founding director of company ‘Open Up Communication’, which deals with creating the best quality of relationships within your organisation to perform clear and responsible communication. Whether it is with colleagues, peers, staff, clients, family or friends, all of your relationships can be better served by open and honest communication. Are you struggling to tell that one employee that they’re underperforming? Through HR support in personal development and coaching programs, you can be advised as to how to more effectively develop communication within your business.

Renowned CEO Patrick Lencioni, discusses the 5 temptations of a CEO: http://www.tablegroup.com/books/temptations/the_five_temptations.pdf.

They are:

1. Status Over Results
2. Popularity Over Accountability
3. Certainty Over Clarity
4. Harmony Over Conflict
5. Invulnerability Over Trust

Take a careful look at Temptation Number 2: Popularity and Number 4: Harmony. Is a constant ‘need to be liked’ limiting your businesses productivity and efficiency?