INNERGISE!

Any organisation is only as good as the employees who fulfil day-to-day tasks that allow the company to reach targets and in the fast paced recruitment industry your staff are key at maintaining your reputation in the industry.

So often we see companies surprised at how easily their employees have been poached by competitors and the emphasis placed on how the employee ‘wasn’t the right fit for our company anyway’. In a tough economic climate with so many recruitment companies in operation it is vital that you understand what motivates your employees and keep them engaged with your management and company, the moment this drops is when you lose your staff to your competitors.
So whether you are departmental manager, group manager or even top level management how do you ensure you keep you employees motivated?

We recently surveyed a database of employees to gauge levels of engagement with their management. We asked those employees surveyed if they felt their manager motivated them to give their best every day, 64% disagreed with this statement. That means that only 36% of employees feel motivated to give their best by their manager. We also asked employees if they felt that their manager helps them to fulfil their potential, 65% of employees disagreed with this. If employees aren’t motivated to give their best by their direct managers and don’t feel they are reaching their full potential how do we expect them to be self motivated enough to not only perform to the highest possible standards but to also remain within the company.

So it is clear there is a disconnect between managers and employees which needs to be addressed. The first step to addressing levels of motivation with your team is to understand what motivates your employees on an individual level, what drives one person may not be the same as the next although they do the same job. As a manager understanding employee motivations takes time and effort but is incredibly valuable. To find out what motivates them you can ask your employees to complete a personality profile, send out a company-wide motivation survey and you can also ask your colleagues as well as your employees directly.

Give your employees some vision and purpose by helping them to understand where the business is going and what their role is in that vision. Understanding how they fit within the business will enable them to start their day positively and give them a purpose in what they do at work to keep them motivated.

Next is helping your employees to reach their full potential, understanding their motivators is a great place to start, this will help you as a manager understand what is driving them to improve. To really push and get the best out of your employees, meet with them to draw up a development plan which will help them to focus on their role and keep them motivated, whilst at the same time keeping them connected and loyal to the business. Arrange regular periods where you can review their development plan and how they have tracked along side it, this will demonstrate to your team that you are dedicated to their success for their own motivation as well as reaching their full potential.