Forget inspirational morning briefs and inventive team-building games – want to know how to improve employee motivation? Give them the tools they need to do their job.
Now, don’t get me wrong: There are a lot of really great employee motivation tips out there, and a lot of them really work. But many of these ideas are only effective if you’ve already covered the basics.
So today, I want to touch on the importance of making sure your people are properly equipped.
What Does it Mean to Make Sure Employees are Properly Equipped?
Giving your staff the tools they need to do their job is about more than just making sure they have desk space and a working telephone – it’s about making sure they have every relevant resource their job role requires, and making sure that all of these resources are in good, working order and within easy reach.
For example, an outbound sales executive working in a call centre might indeed have a desk and a working telephone. But what if their leads are so poor that they’re spending half of their day struggling to find a decision-maker to speak to? OK, so you might argue that it’s their job to separate the wheat from the chaff – and you might even be right. But think about it from their perspective: Are they likely to be overflowing with motivation when they’re spending half of their day entering the “wrong number” into data records?
And remember, ‘resources’ doesn’t just mean ‘things’ (like telephones, data, software etc.) – it can include people. Does everybody in your company have sufficient support from colleagues to do their job? If you have a one-person band doing a three-person job, then probably not – even if they do have pens falling out of their draws, and an iPad for every square foot of desk space.
Is it Time to Review the Resources You’re Providing?
If you’re struggling to motivate your staff, then stop what you’re doing and take half an hour to identify exactly what each de-motivated person needs to do their job effectively and happily. Ask them, even!
If there’s something missing that you can provide, then you might just find some of your motivation issues solved. Only if they truly do have it all should you consider having a stern word with that guru who suggested you play that weird team game last Friday!
