The last thing a manager or workplace wants is laziness or a lack of productivity. When workers aren’t properly motivated to get a task done, there’s a high chance the company will not succeed. Therefore, a solution can be inspiring the workforce to be as productive as possible, and doing so will improve the health of the workers, managers, and the company as a whole. Businesses who master the art of incentivizing productivity are those who can rise the quickest and achieve the most success in the fast-paced market we live in. Below are a few tips on how to motivate workers to push their productivity to the next level.
Set Quotas
One of the essential motivators for everything that humankind has accomplished in the modern world is neccesity. Using this strategy can help to get simple tasks done better and faster as well. This doesn’t mean employees should be scared while working, but quotas can be important for keeping track of everyone’s productivity and helping workers realize when they are slacking off. Start by measuring the current rate at which each employee gets work done, and set a goal or requirement for the next month that is higher than their current output, or one that is more realistic to make the employee of value to the business. When standards are set higher and employees know that they will be rewarded or penalized based on the amount of work they complete.
Make it Competitive
Humans have the instinctive nature to be on top, or to at least be as good as those who surround them. In the office, if multiple employees are doing the same job or are measured in the same way, (friendly) competition can have a huge positive effect on the amount of work that each individual completes. Having a simple tally board that displays how many units sold, projects completed, or clients attained by each worker in a given time period will push those with a competitive mindset to go further. Better yet, offer an incentive for the top 1-3 performers like a bonus, gift card, or material gift each month to set their drive on fire. If there is an opportunity to move up the company’s ladder, tracking results publicly will also show employees what it takes to get a promotion or raise over their co-workers.
Offer Rewards along the Way
While financial rewards for small goals like commision and bonuses don’t work for many companies, there are tons of ways that employees can be rewarded for completing lots of quality work. Even work that doesn’t directly correlate with revenue can come with incentives, which can grow for larger achievements to push employees even further. Take, for example, a janitor at a restaurant. They have no direct impact on sales, nor do they have a target laid out for how clean the restaurant should be. if a building starts to get dirty more often and customers complain about it, then it is often most effective for the restaurant to increase the janitor’s motivation through small or non-financial rewards. For example, a new rule could be set so that every time a customer compliments the cleanliness of the business, the worker gets credit for a free meal or side item of their choice. If a month goes by without a single complaint, then the janitor could be recognized publicly with an employee of the month signs or another award of recognition.
Here is a tool that can help.