There can now be no doubt that the UK is in for several
economically tough years.
If you run a small or medium-sized business these challenging
times mean you will want to look for savings, increased margins and
better productivity.
One way to go some way to achieving these targets is to get the
very best out of your employees. The question then is: how can you
do this without simply increasing pay and raising your costs?
How, in other words, can you reward them without money?
Cash may be king for many employees, but there are also many
ways to drive up morale, work satisfaction and, it follows,
productivity, without simple recourse to higher wages. Many
of these methods fall - like many good ideas do - into the category
of 'common sense'. Knowing they are a good idea is, of
course, one thing - but the path to success is all about
implementing them.
Here are 5 ways you may think are worth considering:
- Introduce flexible working
hours.
-
If you run the kind of business where this is possible - and
nearly all businesses can incorporate some form of flexible working
- the benefits are likely to be readily apparent. Flexi hours
are a great way of not only accommodating the needs of your staff,
but also of showing consideration for their lives outside of
work.
Of course, you need to ensure that any system introduced is not
abused by individuals; but, on the whole, a flexible schedule that
allows staff to arrange work and personal lives more efficiently is
likely to lift morale and encourage staff to work better.
- Praise - with the personal
touch
-
Praise too freely given and for rather unclear reasons can
appear insincere. But, however cynical the person, it's
likely that praise and a 'thank you' will be well received if
offered genuinely and for something specific.
Being specific is vital. The employee must be quite clear what
it is a manager is praising for and why.
Also vital is to give the praise with a personal touch. It's
great to put a 'thanks' in writing, for example, but a blandly
worded, printed letter is far inferior to a hand-written - or at
least hand signed - note that details exactly why you're
writing.
Verbal praise is also effective, and if it's for smaller
matters, it doesn't always have to be in public.
Public praise is a definite morale booster - if, and this is the
big if, it is valid. If it's given too freely, for minor reasons,
it will lose all credibility fast. Far better to make sure
it's justified and then make sure everyone knows it's been given
and why. Praise that's genuinely earned feels far more
valuable.
- Get staff
involved
-
This is so obvious that it's often overlooked. If you want staff
to feel really connected to the business they work for, then
getting them involved in as many aspects of that business as
possible is clearly sensible.
Creating a forum where people can understand the work problems
others are having and offer suggestions for potential solutions is
a great way of generating involvement. It's can also be a
fruitful way of generating innovations.
In short then, air the problems and share the solutions.
Of course, not everything is going to be solved in this way, but
some things may be and what it does do is afford a channel for
discussion and allows individuals to see the business as a whole,
rather than just from the perspective of their role.
- Awards
-
If you run a client-facing business - a shop, perhaps,
or an office with a public area - then
creating an awards wall, or a wall of fame, can be a good
idea. This can be used to display members of staff voted each
month by their fellow workers as having been outstanding in some
way.
The effectiveness of this wall of fame is that, firstly it's
public and the employee knows others will see their efforts, and,
secondly, co-workers are the ones doing the deciding. It's
important to use a good, clear picture and a description of the
award, 'Outstanding Staff member of the month,' for
example.
- Switch roles and be
spontaneous
-
As a manager, be careful about introducing 'fun' - your idea of
fun may not coincide with others' ideas.
Even so, a little light-heartedness every now and again can
certainly help lift moods. Simple things can work well - like
a manager, spontaneously, getting his staff cups of tea or coffee -
perhaps pushing a tray of tea, coffee and cakes around an office,
or perhaps initiating a round of applause for someone's smart idea
or extra hard work, can be effective, without seeming too
cheesy. So, introducing a degree of levity is a good
idea and can help the mood of the workplace - just remember to
avoid bad jokes!
Does this come into the category of 'rewarding staff'?
Perhaps not directly. But creating a workplace with a good
atmosphere, in which people can share in light-hearted moments,
when appropriate, and where managers are human and approachable,
will certainly be classed as an attractive 'package' by most
employees. And it shouldn't be overlooked
