Hiring the right people is just the start. You need to ensure that they remain motivated, in order to make sure that they are as effective as possible in their role and that they remain happy to stay with your company.

After all, employee performance is important for the success of a business as is employee retention. There is training available to help with all aspects of employee engagement. You can take a look at sites such as Courses.com.au, for more information. However, even if you have not had this training there are certain things that you can do to help your employees remain motivated.

Create a pleasant working environment

People are always going to be more motivated to come to work, and perform to the best of their ability, if there is a pleasant environment in the workplace. You need to make sure that this is the case. There are several factors you can take into account including;

• Ensuring there is plenty of natural light where possible.
• Providing breakout and relaxation areas.
• Making sure that equipment is up-to-date and well maintained.
• Ensuring that people have all the information they need to do their job effectively.
• Keeping the work environment clean and tidy.

Be respectful of everyone

It does not matter who the person is, or what role they have in the business, you should always be respectful. Make sure that you are open and honest with people and that you always communicate clearly. Something as simple as just saying hello, or asking how the job is going, can make all the difference.

Provide opportunities for development and learning

Depending on the size of the business you may not always be able to guarantee people the chance of promotion. This does not mean that they have to end up demotivated. You can always make sure that people have access to learning and development opportunities.

This helps to stop people becoming bored and dissatisfied with their role. It can also benefit the business if people gain new skills as a result.

It’s also a good idea to empower people by delegating responsibilities. Remember that delegation should always be a learning and growth opportunity. It should never be used as simply a means of dumping work on someone else.

Be flexible where possible

Technology has made it a lot easier to provide flexibility in the workplace. For instance, there is more opportunity for people to work from home now that mobile devices, and improved connectivity, make working away from the office a lot easier.

Providing flexibility can also involve factors such as making it easier for someone to balance home and work life by allowing them to come into work and leave work half an hour later each day. Flexible working is an excellent way of motivating your employees.

Recognise hard work and achievement

No-one likes their hard work to go unrecognised. This is why it’s so important to recognise when employees work diligently, or go above and beyond to help the business. This recognition can be anything from a reward program to a simple thank you. For most people the act of recognition is more important than physical reward.

These actions can be used together or separately to help ensure that your employees remain motivated.