10 Proven Ways to Retain and Motivate Your Employees

One of the most important things you can do for your company is to motivate your employees and keep them engaged. Not only does it help with retention rates, but it also helps keep them happy and productive when they are on the job.

If you think about it, this makes sense: If someone is doing a good job at work, then why would they want to leave?

It also means that if someone leaves because they are unhappy with their job or feel like there isn’t enough opportunity for advancement within their organization then they will likely become even more unhappy once they realize what kind of career path they could have had if only there had been better communication between management and workers throughout the process.

To motivate your employees and ultimately increase employee retention; you can take the following steps.

As a business owner, you should understand that motivated employees are easier to retain. Therefore you should put in a process and structure that naturally cater to that. That way, it is easier to retain and motivate your employees.

How to motivate your employees
How to motivate your employees

Set goals and explain how they link to the company’s mission.

Setting goals is a great way to motivate your employees. If they have clear, measurable goals that they can work towards, they’re more likely to stay engaged in their work and feel like they’re having an impact on the company.

It’s also important that you set realistic goals for each employee: You don’t want them thinking about how much money they’ll make or how many hours per week they’ll spend working if all of these things are already taken care of by someone else (like an HR person).

Instead, focus on creating specific tasks for each employee that align with the mission statement of your company—and then let those tasks drive their own personal growth within the organization!

Provide regular, ongoing feedback.

  • Provide regular, ongoing feedback.
  • Practice effective communication.
  • Give regular feedback that is timely, specific, and actionable.

It’s important to make sure your employees know what they’re doing well so they can continue doing it, as well as what they need to improve on so they can get better at their jobs in the future (and stay motivated).

Fire toxic employees

motivate your employees
Toxic workplaces don’t motivate your employees

Toxic employees are bad for morale, they can cause legal problems, they can cause productivity problems, and financial problems.

If you have a toxic employee on your hands then it’s time to take action before things get worse!

Have a clearly defined, unassailable corporate culture.

Your employees need to know what is expected of them, both as individuals and as a group. You should also make sure that your company’s culture is clearly defined and unassailable.

One way to do this is by having an extensive employee handbook, which outlines all the policies and procedures that are in place at your organization. This will give everyone a sense of security when they’re working with you because they’ll know exactly what they’re allowed to do or not do without getting into trouble (or having their bonuses cut).

motivate your employees
Career growth opportunities will motivate your employees

Ensure they have a career path

  • A good way to motivate your employees is to ensure they have a career path in your company.
  • Provide training, mentoring, and opportunities for advancement.
  • Make sure expectations are clear about what is expected of them.
  • Offer feedback about their performance.
  • Provide rewards for outstanding performance (bonuses).

Also read: 6 Proven Strategies to Win New Customers and Keep Them

Celebrate success and achievements at all levels of the company.

motivate your employees
Celebrating internal achievements will motivate your employees
  • To motivate your employees, you need to celebrate success and achievements at all levels of the company. Acknowledge employee achievements, both big and small, in a public way. Take time to recognize one another for their hard work and dedication to your business.
  • Give people opportunities to work on projects that matter to them. If you have employees who are passionate about certain areas of your business, give them an opportunity to go above and beyond by partnering with those teams or departments on projects that will benefit both parties equally.

Allow workers to personalize their workspaces and create a comfortable work environment.

motivate your employees
A comfortable workspace will motivate your employees

To motivate your employees and keep them engaged, you should allow them to personalize their workspaces and create a comfortable work environment. This can be done by giving them freedom in decorating the space with things that inspire them or making them feel good about coming to work every day.

For example, if an employee has a favorite painting hanging on the wall, he or she could request it be added as soon as possible. If there are no paintings available at all, consider purchasing some prints that fit into your company image (for example abstract art).

By allowing this type of flexibility in your workplace design decisions, you’ll encourage creativity while keeping workers from getting bored with their tasks week after week.

Pay well.

This is the most important thing you can do to retain and motivate your employees, but it’s by no means a magic bullet. If you want to attract top talent, pay well; if you want to retain them, pay even more; and if you want them to stay on board for years at a time—and get away from other companies where they’ve been unhappy—pay even more still!

motivate your employees
A competitive salary will motivate your employees

Offer bonuses for outstanding performance

  • Offer bonuses for outstanding performance, but avoid offering perks just for showing up.
  • Perks can be expensive and may not be cost-effective.

Give employees adequate time off for vacations, sick days, and family leave

Your employees may have a right to take a vacation or sick days, but they also need to feel valued and appreciated. To motivate your employees, you should consider giving them adequate time off for vacations, sick days and family leave as legislators permit in your state or country.

To calculate the number of vacation days you should give your employees, first determine how many working hours per year (or months) your company operates with its full-time staff.

Then, multiply this number by two, to determine the number of days you should give your employees off per year. For example, if your company operates with a full-time staff of 50 working hours per week (200 hours/month) and 52 weeks per year (1,104 hours), then it should give its employees 104 vacation days each year.

These tips can successfully motivate your employees and retain them

Employees are also more likely to stay engaged when they know they’re part of a team or community at work. It’s important for leaders in any organization—whether it’s a small business or large corporation—to make sure everyone knows how much each member contributes towards achieving the overall mission of the company.

It may take some time for employees’ roles within your organization to change from being self-contained units working independently towards one united body; however, once this shift happens (and hopefully before too long), there should be no doubt about who matters most: Everyone else!

Conclusion

It’s important to remember that the right attitude is crucial, too. If you approach retention in a negative way—as a burden or as something to be avoided at all costs—then your employees will feel like they have no choice but to leave. However, if you approach it as an opportunity for growth and advancement, then those same employees will be more likely to stay with your company long-term.