Apologies for this way-overused opening but: as we trudge along the current path of economic uncertainty, we’ve all heard the admonitions to “tighten the purse strings” to “brace ourselves”…
All this forces HR professionals to think creatively — how can we keep our staff motivated amidst all the cutbacks?
I recently attended a seminar on this topic and I thought I’d pass on some of the “low-cost” ways they recommended to keep staff happy and productive:
- Thank staff for a job well done (and mean it)
- Offer plans that allow employees to better balance their work and personal lives [see previous post]
- Allow flexible starting, finishing times, and time off in lieu
- Involve staff, whenever possible, in decisions that affect their jobs and the overall direction of the business or department
- Offer top performing staff profit-sharing opportunities with the company
- Make the workplace a comfortable/fun to work by setting up a chill-out room, hooking up a Nintendo Wii or introducing a ping pong table
- Ensure employees all the resources required to do their job efficiently (eg, increase speed of computers with more RAM?)
- Recognise staff birthdays with cake, team emails and a card
- Provide onsite yoga or meditation classes or a masseuse before or after work
- Publicly acknowledge staff who contribute good ideas or who have worked over and above their normal responsibilities
How are you keeping staff motivated at low cost? Do you have any ideas to add?
