36 Tips to Motivate Your Employees

Whether HR, marketing, development or recruiting: employee motivation is one of the most important tasks in companies and relevant to all departments. According to a study, 99 billion sales are lost every year because too little focus is placed on employee motivation. We want to support you in this challenge! Therefore, in this article we have compiled 36 tips that you can use for higher employee motivation.

Summarized in one sentence, employee motivation refers to the targeted influence on employees to positively influence their work behavior. It can be divided into two different categories: Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation focuses on external attractions, such as rewards or penalties for good or bad performance. A salary increase, for example, could be an extrinsic rewarding incentive. The intrinsic motivation, on the other hand, refers to the inner impulses of the employee. The work effort results from the motivation of the employees themselves, e.g. because they enjoy their work or see the task as important.

Whether extrinsic or intrinsic: There are numerous possibilities and ideas to increase employee motivation. We have compiled an extensive list with 36 tips for employee motivation so that you don't have to search:

Your 36 Tips for Employee Motivation

1. Praise. Praise your employees for good performance. You can also reach and motivate other employees with public praise.

2. Role model function. As a leader, you should always set a good role model so that employees follow your example. So behave the way you like your employees to.

3. Mistake culture. Isn't it incredibly motivating to be allowed to make mistakes? Do not treat mistakes as taboos and deal with them in a solution-oriented way.

4. Employee voices. Give your employees the opportunity to give feedback about their work and their workplace. In the best case you can create positive changes in the company based on this.

5. Health management. Employees are especially productive when they are healthy. So take appropriate measures based on your health management. How about ergonomic office chairs, relaxation courses or health days?

6. Achievements. Show recognition for your work and celebrate the success of your employees, your team and the company. Of course a big party is great, but even a small round of cake can pay tribute to success!

7. Flexible working hours. Give your employees the opportunity to plan their working day themselves. This allows you to decide for yourself how you can work best.

8. Salary. A fair salary is one of the most important arguments for employee motivation. After all, you reward your employees for their performance - that should be fair. Nobody likes to work below his value.

9. Coffee. A simple but motivating measure: Free, delicious coffee at work!

10. Goals. Reachable and realistic goals are a good way to motivate employees because you can work towards something. Maybe there will be a reward in the end?

11. Money. In addition to a fair salary, other financial incentives can also be motivating. How about a bonus for particularly well performed work?

12. Food. Yes, even food can be motivating. A free fruit basket in the office, food supplements or even homemade cakes - there are numerous possibilities!

13. Autonomy. Give your employees responsibility! Let them work independently on their tasks and determine their own procedures.

14. Home Office. Home office can also motivate employees. It gives you the possibility of a flexible work design. Younger generations in particular attach importance to such opportunities, as they like to mix work and private life.

15. Further education. Opportunities for further education and training help your employees to develop themselves further.

16. Sports. Healthy employees are happy and productive employees. Support them in their sports projects. A discount in a nearby fitness studio is one way of doing this, for example.

17. Employee surveys. Employee surveys allow you to find out how your employees are doing (e.g. with regard to their satisfaction) on the one hand and to show interest in their well-being on the other.

18. Benefits. Discounts in Internet shops, in the canteen or for example in local shops are a great way to motivate and value your employees.

19. Teambuilding. Strengthen your team with teambuilding measures. This will weld the employees together and lead to better cooperation at the workplace.

20. Personality. Don't see your employee simply as a worker, but as a person with dreams, desires and values. Address your employees individually!

21. Working atmosphere. The working atmosphere is very important so that your employees feel comfortable at work. So always check if you have a positive working atmosphere.

22. Dog. This may not be realizable for every company, but what would please an employee more than to be allowed to bring his faithful partner to work?

23. Exchange. How about short employee exchanges with other companies? Your employees would have the opportunity to look beyond their own nose and discover inspiration in other companies - perhaps even abroad?

24. Leadership. Of course, leadership also influences employee motivation. You should pay attention to your employees: Do you prefer a more relaxed and friendly leadership or a stricter handling? Decide on suitable leadership methods.

25. Mentality. How do your employees think? Goal-oriented? Solution-oriented? Optimistic? Entrepreneurial? Influence the way of thinking in your company!

26. Good relationship. One of the most important aspects for employees today is their relationship with their colleagues, whether at work or beyond the workplace. Support the relationship through team building or lunches to create a collaborative atmosphere.

27. 4 Days Week. This aspect, as well, may not be feasible for every company. The 4-day week is an increasingly popular working model that allows employees to work 4 days instead of 5 days a week, motivating many employees to work.

28. Transparency. Communication in the office is everything - employees attach great importance to transparency! Don't talk behind people's backs and don't leave the passing on of information to the corridor radio. Communicate openly - for example, through regular meetings or employee discussions.

29. Coachings. In order to offer your employees the opportunity to grow, you can use (job-)coaching and support them in their development.

30. Feel Good Manager. You can hire a Feel Good Manager to take care of the well-being of your employees.

31. Assistance. Don't just leave tasks to others, but also offer help and support your employees if they can't get ahead with a task.

32. Small tokens of appreciation. Show your employees your appreciation for their performance by giving them small gifts and rewards.

33. Responsibility. Have confidence in your employees. Hand over tasks with more responsibility. Your employees grow with the tasks and appreciate your trust.

34. Exciting Job. Nothing is more boring than performing the same tasks and sequences every day. So try to integrate variety and exciting content into the job of your employees.

35. Workplace. The working environment is important for the well-being of an employee at the workplace. Dark, dusty and untidy desks Corners, for example, are rather negative. Working materials, order, colours or even plants can add value to the workplace.

36. Employer Branding. Employer branding also supports employee motivation. An employee who perceives your company as a positive employer will be more motivated to do his job!

Employer Branding is also an important aspect of the Talention Software. We support you in presenting yourself as an attractive employer and creating a positive Candidate Journey. We would be happy to show you concrete examples. Simply request a free demo and someone will contact you shortly. Request a demo now.