Every manager faces the challenge of motivating a team at one point or another in her or his career. Sometimes, generating enthusiasm and motivation can be more challenging than the work itself or the demands of clients. However, there are a number of ways to create motivation and enthusiasm in a team and in an office more broadly.
Foster a dynamic workplace culture
One of the best ways to motivate your team and keep everyone on the same page is through creating a dynamic, healthy workplace culture. A healthy workplace culture involves a number of different aspects and requires a holistic approach. This means that the mental, physical and emotional wellbeing of employees and managers should be respected and considered.
There are thousands of different resources online for creating a healthy workplace but it can be done in ways both big and small. For example, educating employees about how to maintain a respectful workplace is one way to create a healthy environment, as is supporting an employee if he or she approaches you with a problem they are having with another colleague.
Another way of promoting a healthy workplace and team is through laboratory drug testing for the workplace. Depending on the role and sector, it may be essential that employees stay physically healthy and refrain from taking certain drugs. Laboratory drug testing for the workplace will ensure that workplaces and teams stay safe and healthy and that one employee is not being forced to pick up the slack for others.
Focus on metrics, the right way
Oftentimes metrics are used as a stick rather than a carrot. Although this might have a short-term effect on boosting metrics, it more often leads to staff feeling uninspired and uninterested in their work.
In certain high powered sales environments where commissions are large, it is typically very easy to motivate staff to meet certain metrics, because the promise of a commission is enough. However, most office roles do not have large commissions directly attached to sales and managers need to get a little creative in how they encourage their staff.
When metrics are repeatedly and aggressively pushed on workers, they can actually have the opposite of their intended effect and begin to demotivate workers. This is why managers should seek to follow a middle road whenever possible when it comes to metrics and use them to encourage and celebrate workers, rather than humiliate, berate or frighten workers.
Team bonding exercises
Although it has become something of a cliché, the importance of team bonding should not be underestimated. Managers often see that workers will put in the extra effort or be willing to go the distance if they are doing so to help a colleague, rather than to hit a certain metric.
Friendship and positive relationships can help to drive a team to success and team bonding exercises can help develop those bonds. Whether it is going for a weekly coffee together or taking a day off for a small trip, you will likely see metrics improve as the bonds between workers grow stronger.
