When your employees are happy in their jobs, they’ll be more motivated and work harder for your company. But the average worker has a short attention span, meaning that their demands and priorities change all the time, so how can you keep them satisfied? The truth is that there’s a lot to consider and a lot of factors to juggle. Here’s how you can foster career satisfaction to keep your employees motivated and loyal to your company.
Employees have primary needs
All employees have a list of primary needs that usually determine whether or not they accept a job to begin with. That list includes salary, working conditions, benefits, job security, and status or title. If one of those items is missing, they probably won’t want the job you’re offering.
Offer new challenges
Workers need to stay motivated, and when they get bored with their current tasks and responsibilities, that’s usually reflected in the quality of their work. As a manager, it’s up to you to keep offering additional challenges. It might be an occasional project or assignment that requires them to stretch and grow. Or it might be something more formal, like a new title or promotion to make them feel trusted and respected. Just make sure you’re challenging them at the right times and not in a way that will completely overwhelm them.
Recognize efforts
Celebrate achievements and accomplishments, both for your whole team and on an individual level. Consider formal and informal awards, gift cards and bonuses, or merely acknowledging them in a team meeting. And equally important, recognize those spurts of effort that don’t always result in success. In other words, if someone works really hard but hits a roadblock, you must acknowledge how hard they’ve been working, so they feel encouraged, not like they’ve failed.
Give ownership
Don’t micromanage. There’s nothing more frustrating to employees than when they’ve worked hard on something only to have a manager swoop down and change everything they’ve done. Instead, give them the freedom to tackle challenges and make decisions on their own. When your employees feel like they have ownership over the future of your company, they’re more likely to stay motivated and take their work seriously. They’ll be more productive, be more innovative, and work more efficiently.
Provide professional development
Your employees need to know that you care about the future of their careers. Invest in professional development and let them know that there are opportunities for advancement in your company. When they feel like you’re committed to them, they’ll be committed to you in return. They’ll work hard to learn more and prepare themselves for the next step.
SSi People Staffing is committed to helping you find motivated employees who will engage in their work and stay loyal to your company. For help vetting and selecting those candidates, contact our team today.
