How to motivate and incentivise employees

Each employee is motivated and incentivised by different things. While some employees are more motivated by money, others might feel motivated when their work is recognised. It is important to try to understand what will best work for an employee and reward them accordingly to ensure productivity.

Providing an incentive will motivate certain employees to be more productive and produce quality work. There are various types of incentives that can be applied, such as bonuses or travel perks. These incentives give employees more to work for than their paycheck and act as motivation to put in extra effort in the work they complete.

Recognition can also be a powerful motivator. Identifying that an employee has completed their work to a good standard and acknowledging their efforts will motivate them to continue producing good work. Employees will also appreciate their employers noticing their efforts and feel that their work is relevant and integral to the business. If you notice that an employee is doing particularly good work, public recognition can also be extremely effective.

Employees who are self-motivated feel the same sense of accomplishment when they meet their own goals as other employees might feel when they meet company standards. For these people, company perks and incentives might not be as effective. Instead, discussing with these employees about their personal expectations and how they align with the business might be more effective. Therefore, these individuals would be working towards their own goals whilst achieving the business’ goals as well.

Before implementing any of these strategies it is useful to talk to your employees and get to know them. Alternatively, it might help to establish a business culture and hire employees who will respond to similar incentives so that you can utilise these for each employee rather than have a different one for each individual.