As an employer, finding new ways to keep work culture alive and the workforce engaged, can be a challenge at times. The main benefits of a motivated team includes an engaged workforce, happy employees and company targets and milestones being met. On the flip side, a team which lacks motivation is the cause for an underperformance and ultimately bad morale. 

Considering the changes in work setups in the last two years, the benefits of hybrid working may well keep employees satisfied with work/life balance, but staying engaged can be challenging. Let’s look at 10 ways in which you can motivate and keep your team engaged. 

Define expectations

In order to keep employees motivated and engaged, they must know what is expected of them. Whether it be a digital campaign or a design project; define your expectations clearly so everyone involved knows their roles, and can therefore suggest ideas. Once they know how this project fits into the larger goals of the company and why they’re key to that, they are likely to be more motivated. 

Keep the message consistent 

Keeping the message consistent (ie. Company goals & motto) as well as being consistent with all employees, is likely to keep everyone happy. Offer incentives to all employees based on their area of work, as well as holidays, time off and deadlines. Get regular feedback from employees when possible. 

Keep everyone connected 

A positive and strong work culture sets the tone for the existing employees and the new faces that come through the door. As well as a positive working culture, keep employees up to date with the latest ongoings within the business. This may be weekly or monthly news bulletins on events, overall business performance, the latest achievement and recognising employee performance every quarter. This will keep employees connected to the company.

Offer training 

One of the most effective ways to keep employees motivated and striving for more, is by providing regular training. By doing this, employees will be developing their skillsets which will come into use when working towards their goals and targets. This may be in-house training or external courses employees can benefit from. 

Criticise constructively 

In addition to quality training, constructive criticism will help the development of employees. Criticism is not always easy to take, however, when employees can identify the areas of improvement and what they need to do to get there, they’re more likely to stay engaged. Individual training programmes can be a great help in initiating this. 

Ensure breaks 

Burnout is one of the biggest causes of stress and a lack of productivity. The best way to help employees stay on top of their game and keep productive, is to encourage them to take regular breaks. It’s difficult to keep your workforce engaged if they’re suffering from burnout. 

Show you care about employees and co-workers 

And that leads us to our next tip. Showing you care about your employees and wellbeing on a personal level can be really helpful. By getting to know their hobbies and what drives them, will help you get an idea of their strengths and weaknesses. 

Encourage employees to break out their comfort zones 

One of the biggest signs of a good leader, is someone who can inspire their workforce. Inspire them to come out of their comfort zone. By encouraging staff to come out of their comfort zones, this allows them to test themselves, whilst learning  new skills. By giving them a chance to try new skills, this demonstrates your faith in their ability – potentially leading to a promotion. 

Don’t forget to provide rewards 

Acknowledging your employees’ efforts can be a big morale booster. Employees can feel underappreciated if they are not recognised for their efforts. Rewards do not have to be financial. You can recognise and reward employees in company newsletters; providing incentives is also a good way to reward employees for reaching targets and keeping them motivated.