The pandemic has completely changed how nearly every industry and their accompanying workplace functions. The shift in lifestyles and workplace practices has meant that the priorities, lifestyles, and preferences of employees have transformed. As a result, communicating with employees and keeping them motivated in 2022 is different to past years.
Why motivation matters
There are many, many reasons that organizations should keep their employees motivated. Chief among them is for employee satisfaction. Employees who are motivated are happier, enjoy more fulfillment from their job, and are less stressed.
Keeping employees motivated is also key for a high-performing team that is creative, productive, loyal, and engaged.
How to keep employees motivated in 2022
1. Job security and fair compensation
The number one way to motivate employees is to give them a job that’s secure and compensate them fairly for it. No one wants to work for a company that makes them constantly feel expendable and unimportant.
Employees will know how important they are to their company when their contract, treatment, and pay reflect as much. After all, the current trends in employment have shown that people don’t put up with poor compensation and job insecurity anymore. If a job doesn’t seem to give people the respect and security that they deserve, they simply will not tolerate it.
2. Teamwork culture cultivation
The tidal wave of remote and blended work has meant that employees no longer feel as connected to other members of their organization anymore. When they’re not surrounded by their colleagues in the physical office, it can be difficult for employees to feel like there is a culture of teamwork.
Some ways to bridge this gap can be to assign tasks that require cooperation with others in a team or even different department, and making communication easy and smooth. Informal bonding opportunities can also be a great way to achieve this, whether during or after work.
3. Appreciation and recognition
Appreciation and recognition aren’t just crucial for employee motivation, they also mean that employees are generally happier and more open to feedback.
Praising employees is the simplest form of appreciating them, but there should also be rewards, prizes, and awards for their achievements. These can come in the form of money, gift cards, time off, or getting to leave work early.
While praise should happen publicly, any necessary criticism should be done in private.
4. Excellent communication
While the specifics of how work gets done have changed, the need for crystal-clear communication hasn’t. There is an option out there for every kind of communication need that an organization might have, whether verbal, written, visual, casual, professional, etc.
Apps and web tools make it easy for employees to connect, share information, and collaborate. These include newsletters, an internal messaging system, Slack, and more.
5. Health investment
Employees’ mental and physical health is of paramount importance to an organization. Organizations should invest in their employees’ wellbeing through programs, initiatives, and benefits that mean their employees can get the healthcare that they need, as well as making employees aware that they have these benefits.
Some examples are a mental health support network, health insurance benefits, having safe discussion spaces, and team-bonding.
To learn how BetterYou can improve the engagement of your company’s wellness initiatives, visit https://www.betteryou.ai/contact/.
6. Opportunities for professional development
Employees can feel frustrated when they don’t experience growth and learning. The best ways to keep employees progressing professionally is by helping them to learn new or further current skills. This can be done via classes, courses, or online resources. This way, employees never feel like they’re stagnant in their career.
7. Creativity cultivation
Finally, employees need to be able to be creative. If they aren’t allowed to express their individuality and out-of-the-box approaches to problems, then there isn’t any reason that they are specifically needed at their organization instead of any other capable person.
Encouraging creativity means that employees feel empowered to be themselves and do their best to finish tasks. Employees will also enjoy more job fulfillment and satisfaction this way.
While work-life balances, priorities, and lifestyles have changed dramatically, it isn’t impossible to keep employees intrinsically motivated. All it takes is a little time and effort to go the extra mile and make these adjustments, and soon the many benefits will follow.
