What motivates you at work? Financial reward or happiness in the office? We wanted to find out whether friendships in the workplace were as highly regarded as they used to be and to understand what employees really want from their office relationships
Are you frustrated by wasted potential, lack of enthusiasm, or lower than expected productivity of your staff?
It’s easy to blame the staff, but ultimately it is your responsibility as a leader to better engage your staff and keep them motivated. It is a known fact that you need to make sure your workforce is happy to improve productivity. You might also think that money might be the top motivator for staff engagement, but no – 61% of workers would choose happiness at work over salaryOpens a new window .
**Engagement is a vital factor for a productive workforce because fundamentally it costs more to replace staff than to keep and develop them**. Your employees will stay with your company for longer and be more productive if they feel valued and appreciated.
 A happy employee is likely to work harder, take less time off sick, have better mental health and create close working relationships with effective communication. What’s more, happiness is infectiousOpens a new window , so happy staff will influence others in the office and happy clients.
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20 Fresh Employee Engagement Ideas for 2020Opens a new window
Even in periods where your business might be struggling, it is important to prioritize employee engagement Opens a new window – in fact, those times are when you most need to be engaging your staff to create a resilient working environment.
**Living in a ‘post-truth era’, trust is at an all-time low, so you need to work hard at building trust within your workplace to attract, engage, encourage and retain your employees**.
Tips on how to motivate staff and increase their productivity include:
- Recruit the right people in the first place
It is important for you to consider the culture of your company during the recruitment process. For example, not everyone works well under pressure in a deadline driven environment – do you think the person will thrive or become unhappy? Also, consider the social nature of the applicant. Do you think they will get on with the others in the office?
Friendship in the office also increases employee engagementOpens a new window and therefore productivity. Strong companies recruit people who fit well into their company culture, but also add some different personalities to the mix to offer a varied skill set and add new creative value to encourage growth from all angles.
Create fun and innovative onboardingOpens a new window and orientation processes closely aligned with your culture. Try a gamified onboarding solution, for example, getting your new recruits to go out and about in the local area completing an interactive challenge on tablets.Â
- Regular socials
With work friendship being such a big influence on happiness and therefore productivity, there is no better way of getting your employees talking and relaxing than at an office social. If you make these socials regular, there will be no reason for them to be forgotten (easily done in a fast-paced work environment). Socials can be as simple as a few drinks or a meal out – they don’t have to cost much.
- Create a social area within the office
A social area within your office space is ideal for getting staff to take some time out over their lunch break to relax. It doesn’t have to feature awkward garish colored bean bags – you can have a relaxed space that will also impress visitors. Comfortable seating such as sofa units adds to the more chilled out atmosphere. Darts boards, games systems, and pool tables will all get your staff interacting and it is healthy to create some competition and teamwork!
- Regular sports or activities
Organising physical activities will encourage your staff to get active, especially if their job involves sitting at a desk all day. It’s a cliche, but anything that involves teamwork like an official entry into a Tough Mudder course really does help staff relationships. There is a reason why assault courses are a stable military exercise – you need to build strong relationships for the front line.
Sports teams and activities can boost morale and confidence, encourage skill sharing and create lifelong friendships. Make sure the activities are fun and light-hearted. There is a huge variety or organized activities – how about a treasure hunt or a theme park trip?
- Share the company’s goals and objectives
By doing this you will be directly involving your team with the company – getting them onside and becoming an integral part of the team.
- Create individual and team goals and expectations
It’s an HR basic, but nevertheless, people often overlook the potential for untapped value in their staff. Good communication can make you aware of areas where the staff member might be able to contribute more and therefore feel more valued.
- Give positive feedback on good performance – and encourage and work alongside them so they perform even better still
Positive feedback is vital in an employee feeling appreciated and therefore having the incentive to give even more.
- Ask your staff what they need
It is important to listen to your staff and find out what they need or want. Ask them to tell you what social activities they want to do to encourage office friendships and happiness.
- Find out what your employees value
If you have selected the right members of staff for your team, they will all want to do well and hit their targets. However, what motivates them to do so will often vary.
Are they seeking material gain and a bonus, or are they doing it for a promotion and social status or adding value to society? Perhaps they are supporting a family financially, or just starting out in their career so looking for training to progress up the ladder.
If you understand how a person is driven, you will better be able to engage them.
- Be aware of generational differences
If you have a varied workforce, some may respond well to having a games system to relax, while others might not be interested. Try to cater for all the generations within your company.
- Invest in staff development and training
Provide opportunities for fresh success to continually engage your employees. Strong learning environments will smash those glass ceilings!
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What Is an Employee Engagement Survey? Definition, Process, Vendors, and ExamplesOpens a new window
Employee engagement should always be a top priority for management, leading to a more productive business – ultimately increasing profit and growth.