How to appoint and motivate your team

Why does employee engagement matter?

In the workplace, studies consistently prove that motivated employees outperform their counterparts. If your employees aren't passionate about their jobs, and cracking to make a divergence, it'south a serious issue. Productivity volition become down, and client service and staff retention will suffer. But how do you motivate your team?

Motivation is both extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic motivation manifests as employees working hard to become rewarded for information technology, whereas intrinsic motivation manifests in the desire to piece of work considering the job they are doing is personally fulfilling. Both serve a unique purpose in the workplace, and complement each other.

Roffey Park Institute provides business organization education worldwide, and helps organisations, teams and individuals create a collaborative, resilient, high performing and inclusive civilization. As well as delivering high impact learning in leadership, management, OD and HR, as part of its charitable purpose it conducts international research. More than recently, in collaboration with Profile Asia and The Next Step, almost 2,500 respondents, working in organisations with employees in Asia Pacific ranging in size from under 200 to over five,000 employees, were surveyed from October 2022 to Jan 2022 as office of the Working in Asia Pacific inquiry study. This highlights key concerns across the region in terms of employee date and motivation, which are indicative of challenges all businesses face.

Six ways to engage and motivate your team

Hither we look at how to motivate your squad equally a managing director. Below you'll notice over 30 specific things to practice to motivate your squad. As you read through them, it's worth because not only whether you are ticking all the boxes when it comes to motivating your squad as a leader, but too, whether yous believe those higher up you are making you feel motivated, engaged and committed. In many organisations, you'll find managers bestowing upon those below them what they receive from above. You may demand to suspension that bicycle by motivating your team in a different way to the way it'due south happening to you.

1. Create a great place to work

  • Reward people and pay them for what they are worth

    Rewarding people for their work is one of the all-time motivators for your team. Don't think, however, that this has to be monetary. Rewards can come in all shapes and forms, and oftentimes regular praise is a key factor in keeping your team engaged.

    A study institute that twenty-six percent of engaged employees would go out their current task for just a five percentage increase in pay. Don't lose slap-up people because y'all're underpaying them. Offer pay that is slightly higher up average for your location and manufacture. If you don't, you might find your employees think that you lot don't value their contributions.

  • Make people feel appreciated

    Employees can experience unappreciated or suffer burnout if they are non recognised or rewarded for their good work and efforts. Keep in mind that rewards don't have to be budgetary. Extra days off, acknowledgement in visitor publications and the opportunity to augment job responsibilities are just three examples of effective non-financial rewards.

    Appreciation and gratitude in the workplace are often underlooked just have the aforementioned benefits as in people's personal lives. A simple thank you costs nothing just volition result in more motivated and engaged employees.  A survey done by Glassdoor found that 4 out of five employees were motivated to work harder when their bosses appreciated their work, college than the xxx-viii per centum of employees who say they're motivated to work harder when their dominate is demanding, or the thirty-seven percent of employees who say they're motivated to work harder considering they fear losing their task.

    Rewarding your staff tin can exist an opportunity to fix your visitor apart from others. In the US, The North 6th Bureau started a plan to let employees option their own rewards. Because individuals are different, they choose the reward that motivates them the most. "We wanted to take the guesswork out of rewards programs," said N6A CEO Matt Rizzetta. "If an employee deserves a reward, they should be able to choose whatever they want that motivates them. We solicited feedback on rewards and employees would say information technology would be really absurd for an opportunity to travel the world," Rizzetta said. "And from a recruiting standpoint, information technology's been a home run," he added.

    If you're looking for peachy means to say thank you to your employees, here is a list of forty ideas.

  • Praise often and celebrate each success

    Unproblematic but genuine thanks and appreciation will brand an employee feel like their work matters. I written report of support staff said they value an in-person thank you fifty-fifty more than than a promotion or paid fourth dimension off every bit a reward for a job well done.

    No matter how big or small, celebrate each success. A graduate entry to the visitor may be finding their feet and shy effectually older and more than experienced colleagues. Celebrate the offset presentation they requite, even if information technology is for a modest project. By knowing your team and their strengths and weaknesses, you tin recognise and celebrate when they have accomplished a task outside of their comfort zone, even though information technology may be like shooting fish in a barrel for others. Getting into a habit of jubilant the piece of work of colleagues fosters collaboration and motivates your squad to piece of work harder.

  • Offer flexible working practices

    The Working in Asia Pacific research data identified a 'lack of flexible piece of work policies' every bit the number 5 reason why employees were looking to leave their jobs. The power to adapt working hours and locations around family unit and other obligations is disquisitional to maintaining engagement and motivation in your workforce. Regarding working from habitation, between 2010 and 2015, Harvard Concern Review surveyed more than than 20 thousand workers around the earth to find out what motivates people, including how much working from domicile factored into the equation. They found that working from home was less motivating, and when people had no choice in where they worked, total motivation dropped by a staggering seventeen points.

    During the global reaction to COVID-xix, when millions of people were forced to work from home, this exacerbated bug. Not only did nigh people lack a quiet space to work, they also lacked the correct equipment and furniture. Millions of full time workers were then also expected to homeschool their children on peak of working commitments that oft escalated due to the need to arrange speedily to a completely new way of working.

    In the aftermath of COVID-19, it'south important to talk over with employees the best working practices for them. For some, they enjoyed the actress fourth dimension at home and the lack of a stressful commute, however for many others, specially the young and those living alone, commuting to an office environment is critical for their mental and concrete health.

  • Aid your team achieve a proficient piece of work/life rest
    Heave appointment by providing on-site services, such equally childcare, exercise facilities or catering, which helps employees be more efficient with their time and save money. If your visitor is smaller, and then look to offer discounts to local businesses and other perks such as gym memberships. Offering flexible working hours and working from abode options to aid people juggle their work and home lives.
  • Give your team a break

    Sitting at a desk for hours at a fourth dimension may appear to be productive, yet without regular breaks and a modify of scenery, productivity rapidly declines. Pb from the peak past taking regular breaks to recharge and remind colleagues to exercise the same. If at that place is increased stress then organise a collective break where you can provide a catered tiffin, and your entire team can have some downtime.

    Breakout rooms are popular with tech companies but are valuable areas for your squad to have a quick intermission and focus on something fun, like table football. A refreshed and rested member of your team is far more valuable than one who never gets up from their desk.

  • Show you care

    Encourage happiness in your staff members. Get to know them on a personal level, and find out near their hobbies, interests and families. The better you know them, the more effectively you'll exist able to identify what motivates them:

  • Motivate your team past understanding what drives them

    Manage each person on your team individually. Detect out what motivates them, what interests them and what their hereafter goals are. Yous tin can then endeavor and marshal their work with these goals. When you give your employees the opportunity to operate inside the frame of their strengths, they volition exist more confident and motivated.

2. Lead from the top

The Working in Asia research information identified that respondents wanted stiff leadership and vision from their line manager and management respectively. 'Poor leadership from line manager' was cited as the second most important reason why employees wanted to go out their jobs. This is crucial, especially in times of disruptions as strong leadership can help motivate and influence employees, thereby increasing employee appointment, morale and productivity.

  • Ready a good instance

    Leading from the meridian means that you should model the behaviours and standards to which you hold your team to. You should show punctuality, courtesy, and the willingness to be a team player. If you make a fault and so do not muffle it, equally staff need to know it is a safe environment in which to brand mistakes.

  • Don't sugarcoat unpleasant projects

    Be honest and upfront with your employees, and demonstrate that yous are willing to accept on unpleasant or frustrating projects.

  • Don't punish failure

    If an thought doesn't go along as expected, or throws upwardly unexpected issues, don't criticise or censure the person behind information technology. Treat it as a learning feel and encourage your teams to apply the lessons to other projects. The more than you lot can encourage an environment where people can try new things, the more than dynamic and adjustable the company will become and the more than engaged and motivated the workforce will exist.

  • Criticise constructively

    If a team fellow member is performing beneath par, talk to them in individual with care and tact. Criticism should be effective and focus on the performance, non the person.

  • Be consistent

    You lot do demand to treat each fellow member of your team as an private, but you likewise need to exist consequent in your approach and exercise not appear to give one person preferential treatment over another.

  • Give as much back up as y'all tin

    Always permit your employees know they should come up to you the moment they experience their workload is condign overwhelming. Regularly cheque in with them and offering a helping hand. If extra work cannot be shared between other colleagues, expect at bringing in temporary staff to help ease the brunt on existing employees.

  • Ascertain your expectations

    Employees can't get engaged and motivated if they don't know what they're supposed to be doing. Each time you brief a member of your team, clearly define the work and the details, and explain how the project fits into the visitor's larger goals. Verify your instructions and expectations by having the staff fellow member relay them back to yous, and encourage them to ask questions whenever they demand additional information. Regularly check back in with each person so they are happy they are on track.

  • Ready clear goals

    In one written report, sixty-three pct of employees reported that they wasted time at work because they weren't aware of what piece of work was a priority and what wasn't. Every bit a leader, it's your responsibility to work with your team to set clear goals, for individuals as well every bit the team as a whole, and that weekly, monthly and quarterly goals are also articulate and divers.

  • Encourage independence

    In our research data, respondents stated they wanted autonomy and freedom in their work. Encouraging independence produces employees who are happier and more productive.

  • Don't micromanage

    30-viii percentage of employees in 1 survey reported that they would rather accept on unpleasant activities than sit next to a micromanaging dominate. One of the best ways to motivate your team members is to allow them autonomy. Enquiry has shown that employees who have autonomy are happier and more than productive. In his TED talk, career analyst Dan Pinkish emphasized autonomy, mastery and purpose as the three things that motivate workers: "Autonomy: the urge to directly our own lives. Mastery: the want to get ameliorate and ameliorate at something that matters. Purpose: the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves.' When you lot give your teams freedom, you demonstrate that you trust them to practise a good job and this, in plough, will increase their motivation to do their best.

  • Consul responsibility

    Only because you are the leader, information technology doesn't mean you lot have to shoulder all the responsibilities. Empower each individual to shoulder part of the burden and you volition increase engagement as they feel more invested.

  • Avoid useless meetings

    'I survived a coming together that should accept been an email' is written across many mugs for sale online. They represent the frustration people feel at their fourth dimension beingness taken away from tasks they deem more than important. If team members are constantly in meetings they're more likely to feel asunder from their piece of work because they don't go enough uninterrupted time to concentrate on those tasks. Before you lot phone call a formal meeting, make sure information technology'southward really needed. Will it engage and motivate your team or have the opposite effect? Information technology'due south likewise of import to keep these gatherings brief and to the point.

  • Get rid of demotivating goals

    Demotivating goals are those a person doesn't have complete command over. Having a goal to consummate projects inside a sure time frame is non as motivating equally a goal to utilise new technologies in an upcoming project. Choose goals which are aligned to the autonomy of the team members.

3. Keep connected

  • Share the organisational vision

    The research information also identified a lack of vision from their organisational leadership as a key factor in respondents wanting to seek employment elsewhere. Your team needs strong leadership and vision, specially during times of disruption and dubiousness. Sharing the organisational vision helps motivate and appoint employees, increasing morale, retention and productivity.

  • Keep your squad connected to the company

    If you don't share crucial visitor information, employees volition describe their own conclusions. Continue your team in the loop, sharing, when feasible, the company'south financial performance, long- and brusque-term goals, and what this information ways for them and their jobs. They volition experience more engaged and connected to the company, and motivated to work hard knowing they are a central part of the wider team.

  • Communicate With Your Staff

    'Unclear advice' was cited by respondents in the Working in Asia Pacific research data equally being i of the main reasons why collaborations fail. Make certain you continue clear lines of advice open, and that they work both means.

4. Encourage creativity and collaboration

At present nosotros're getting to some of the more creative ways to motivate your team, and equally such you lot may experience yous're out on a limb and potentially losing that top-down control. And that'southward because you are. Nurturing creativity and leaving space for it at work is itself still quite a creative approach to accept. But if the global pandemic has shown us anything, information technology's that sometimes the doubtfulness is accented. At that point, you start from scratch, and everyone'due south input is vital

  • Foster collaboration within the team

    In the Working in Asia Pacific survey, Roffey Park researchers identified 'organisational politics' as the fourth leading gene why employers were looking to leave their job. Across the Asia Pacific region, smaller organisations tend to yield more effective collaborations than larger ones. Although collaborations in larger organisations are taking identify, respondents in the Industry and Commerce and Public sectors felt information technology was but average. Effective collaboration is vital for engaging and motivating your team, and helping bring well-nigh an egalitarian working environment.

  • Support new ideas

    Encourage and reward creativity in your team. Let them know information technology'due south encouraged to recollect outside the box to come up with novel solutions to a trouble. Prove with action and implementation how you lot value their opinion. Your staff will exist more engaged, motivated and invested if they're working on a project they created or helped bring to the table.

  • Ask for input

    Co-ordinate to Weekdone.com, 30-ix percent of employees don't feel that their input is appreciated. As a leader, maintain an open mind and an open door to create a culture where individuals experience able to approach yous. Invite input and suggestions, and be aware of team members who may experience uncomfortable sharing their thoughts without gentle encouragement. Brand sure you lot reach out to ensure all ideas are heard, be an active listener and, whenever possible, implement suggestions.

5. Give opportunities to grow

Roffey Park researchers identified the lack of career growth and development opportunities as the number ane reason why employees want to leave their current job across all countries in the Asia Pacific region in 2019, and the number i reason in Singapore, Prc, and Hong Kong in 2020.

If yous don't offering your staff opportunities for self-development then you will foster a culture of dissatisfaction and lose valuable people. About professionals thrive on connected professional evolution and so they can be a more than valued player and advance in their career. Support and encourage this by offer mentoring and grooming programmes.

  • Discuss career aspirations

    Every bit well as setting objectives for your organization, it'south important for your employees to take goals to work towards. Discuss their ambitions, and work with them on the best strategies for achieving their aspirations.

  • Promote from within

    If your squad believes they're unable to advance at piece of work, they'll rapidly lose motivation. Internal promotion demonstrates the delivery of the organisation to helping employees climb the corporate ladder, and they'll piece of work harder to reach the next stride, knowing it'due south doable. Recruiting from outside will still exist an option, all the same regularly promoting your employees boosts morale.

half dozen. Claiming your team

Motivating your squad at piece of work tin reinvigorate things at a slightly more macro level. When the team has its own free energy level, that can appoint individuals you personally find difficult to connect with. Essentially, y'all're handing responsibility to the team to bring everyone forth for the ride. Here are four things to exercise to motivate your squad:

  • Make your team'south work engaging

    A powerful fashion to increase engagement at work is to give your squad the opportunity to solve problems that really matter. These will differ across organisations and departments, and may not be initially obvious. Challenge your squad to identify the problems at stake, enquire them what makes them valuable and interesting, then let them to experiment with solutions.

  • Intermission out of comfort zones

    Repetitive tasks brand employees undo. Don't let your team get bored. Encourage them to take on projects and responsibilities outside of their usual roles. Giving different and challenging tasks, which are yet manageable for their ability and workload, helps your staff gain new skills and build experience. You'll also demonstrate your faith in their abilities to perform exterior the box and to a higher level. As a leader, allow your team know yous accept an open door policy, and individuals tin can come to you for support. Breaking people out of their condolement zone builds confidence, and reveals new interests and skills both you and your staff may not have been aware of before.

  • Motivate your team past learning something new

    The fast track to a disengaged workforce is to ship them on a grade or training programme they have no involvement in. You want your staff to feel passionate about their function, and want to use new learning to improve what they do and bring more value to the arrangement. Discover what your staff intendance near, what skills they want to acquire, then aid them detect a program that will motivate and inspire them.

  • Get out of the office

    Wherever possible, have activities such every bit squad edifice, training, or celebrations off-site. A change of location helps provide a break from routine and helps people connect with new colleagues and reconnect with old ones. Building in social time into the agenda also helps enhance interpersonal relationships and create and maintain a team spirit.

Recognise the signs of depression morale

Many companies only become enlightened of problem with motivation and engagement when the problem reaches a tipping betoken. To prevent this, be warning to the early symptoms. These include a rise in absence, complaints nigh client service, poor operation from top employees or increased disharmonize between team members.

  • Learn from those on the way out

    Treat leave interviews equally an opportunity to gain insight and clarity into how you could better appoint, motivate and retain your team. The departing employee may non be entirely objective, notwithstanding they are likely to be more open and honest with you than current staff. Allow these interviews to help larn, improve and grow the organization and the management of your team.

Keeping your team motivated and engaged

Most people need to feel they are progressing in some way to maintain motivation. Always remember that engaging and motivating your team is an ongoing process. One time a team member is empowered and interested information technology's the beginning – non the end – of the story. Equally presently as they have achieved their goal, seen a project through, or learnt a new skill, they will need to find new challenges to engage them. Getting their dream promotion may, for a few weeks, seem like the tiptop of their career, however information technology will soon get the new normal, and motivation levels tin driblet.

At that place are many ways to motivate and appoint your squad and virtually of them are free. The central component is yous. That might mean you demand to break the cycle and not simply treat those below you as y'all are being treated yourself. Yous might find your ain engagement improves when you brainstorm to see the changes in behaviour through motivation for your squad.

Your commitment to getting to know your team, communicating with them, empowering them, challenging them, rewarding them, and giving them opportunities to grow is what volition go along your team engaged, motivated, happy and productive.

Roffey Park Asia Pacific is located in Singapore and is the hub for our work across the region. You can contact our team in Asia Pacific by telephone on +65 6386 0590, electronic mail them or consummate the contact form.