How can I motivate my employees…?
As a retail manager, I need to motivate my team and push them past their current frustrations on the job. When they achieve a particular goal, I will praise them on the intercom, tell everyone I know how great they are, and personally reward them with a gift such as candy, cokes, or gift cards. Many people respond well to it. Others still just don’t care, because its not monetary rewards. I just can’t afford that.
I try to get them to work together as a team with some friendly competition, by implementing contests between them.
What are some fun contests that would pump them up? Any other motivational (free or cheap) tools you can suggest? Any other suggestions at all?
I’ll take anything at this point…. I’d rather try something new, then get chewed out by corporate 5 times a day when they aren’t meeting their goals for our store (which in turn, I am not either). Help! Thanks so much!!
I’m not going to threaten them with their job, especially when retention is one of my main priorities. They work really hard already, but I want to help boost the morale.
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im the 3rd shift supervisor at a chemical company and this is what i tell my guys
get off of your @ss and onto your feet
and out of the shade and into the heat
and then i throw lil hints like “you know that there is 20 people out side of that gate that wants your job right now so you can easily be replaced.”
Employees generally want their basic needs & wants met before they can be motivated to give more or extend themselves beyond the simple day-to-day expectations of their job. If some of the team feel like they’re not paid enough to begin with, it will be nearly impossible to get them to perform at a higher level. If a few low performers are bringing the team down, it might be time to sit down with those people one-on-one and ask them what will motivate them. If they say “pay raise”, help them understand that a few bonus items like gift cards and such are more feasible than a pay raise. Gently encourage them to give you suggestions other than increased pay, and then follow through by trying those suggestions. If that doesn’t help improve their performance, then you probably should consider if they really are worth retaining. In this market you could probably find more motivated employees.