I listened quietly as Mr.
Ken complained about his current employer and work environment.
"Everything about my job is frustrating - no time for rest, no motivation, we hardly have time to be with our families; all we do is in the interest of our directors and his business.
" He said.
A lot of employees are feeling some forms of frustration and bitterness in their work places.
There is hardly anything that would motivate them to put in their best for the company that has employed them.
They feel they are ripped off, used and dumped by their employers and as such they wouldn't want to give their best.
There are several ways you could motivate your employees as a small business owner; and get them to put in their best, which in the long run brings happiness to them, and also increases their productivity.
When motivated, they give you more than you demand of them, without even feeling cheated.
Some of the things you could do to motivate your workers include: 1.
Give them bonuses: At the beginning of the day or when there is a special task to perform, set a target for them.
When the target is met in record time, make sure to give them bonuses for meeting the set target.
If you are given a contract to execute in say 5 weeks and your employees accomplish it in 3 weeks, it means you have 2 extra weeks to deliver your job earlier than the expected date.
You make more gains as a result; you have to reward them for their diligence.
You may give them bonuses in form of cash rewards, wristwatches, wall clocks, handbags, T-shirts, etc.
It does not have to be expensive, but it has to be given to them to show that you appreciate them for their hard work.
2.
Reward them appropriately: your workers should never have occasion to feel they are exploited.
If they do overtime, it should be booked and rewarded appropriately.
This will make them happy and willing to work more overtime, when the need arises in the future without complaining.
3.
Allow time for their families: Job satisfaction does not come only from earning fat salaries; it actually comes from enjoying better conditions of service.
A worker could be earning very much and yet complaining.
Make sure your employees have time to occasionally be with their families.
They should be allowed to take their annual leave when due, without threatening them or making them look as though they are not qualified for it.
4.
Self-improvement: Allow your workers to attend lectures, workshops or seminars, if you can sponsor them.
If you cannot sponsor them and they are willing to sponsor themselves, excuse them to enable them attend.
If you can afford it, you could help pay part of the money while they pay the rest.
They are happier when their skills are improved from time to time.
5.
Working tools: provide good working tools for your employees to work.
Don't manage tools that are in poor working conditions, thereby expressing them to accidents and injuries.
Provide a decent office for the office workers.
Your employees do better in a decent environment.
6.
Allow time for rest: There should be time for their personal rest during the working hours.
At least they should have one hour of break, during which they should eat their lunch and take a nap.
They may also be allowed to observe weekends and public holidays, depending on your work schedule.
They come back refreshed, after rest and they are ready to give you their best.