Partner Article

The home as a motivator

Does your company give staff full recognition for going the extra mile? Or praise them enough? If not, the risk is that many of them will become demotivated and leave.

According to a study by the Institute of Leadership and Management, Beyond the bonus: Driving employee performance, when employees were asked what would motivate them to do more in their role, almost a third (31%) of respondents said recognition and better treatment by their employer, including more praise and a sense of being valued, would be the most motivational activities that their organisation could carry out.

Winning the hearts and minds of employees

To increase motivation, employers should aim to win the hearts and minds of employees to encourage sustained performance and persuade them to engage with the organisation.

Many businesses want to increase motivation levels from their staff and encourage a more focused work ethic. Giving employees rewards that they will really value is a proven way to boost engagement and motivation within a business. With industry statistics showing that the UK is missing out on the full capability of 20 million workers because they are not actively engaged with their jobs and their employers , rewards that increase motivation within the workplace are more vital than ever.

Type of rewards

The key question that businesses need to consider when implementing such a programme is what type of reward to offer their staff. Short term rewards often only have short term motivational value as they fail to deliver enough memorable impact. They generally only change short term behaviour on a temporary basis and are ineffective in producing a long-lasting change in attitudes. Cash, for instance, is appreciated by most employees, but this type of reward often runs the risk of being lost in the pay packet and spent on day to day necessities such as the supermarket shop. It therefore is soon forgotten, meaning the impact is lost and the resources wasted.

Businesses should therefore prioritise rewards that deliver lasting impact to ensure that they will be remembered and appreciated for a long time to come. The right long-term rewards can be invaluable in ensuring that employees focus on the right business goals.

Investing in the home

To deliver results, employees should be given the opportunity to opt for memorable rewards which have an enduring impact on their lives. In this respect a reward that enables a member of staff to invest in or improve their home really fits the bill. After all, the home is a place where employees spend the majority of their time outside of work, so giving them an incentive linked with the home is often greatly appreciated. For many people, their home goes beyond being a roof over their head – it is somewhere that they invest in emotionally, as well as financially.

Employers really need to capitalise on this sentiment in order to reap the rewards. Giving staff the chance to choose a reward that is linked to the home often shows that the company is supportive of an employee’s life in and outside of work and that they are investing in the individual as a person.

What’s more, once the home improvements have been completed, the satisfaction from the results can be shared with visitors, family and friends. The message is then reinforced that it was the employer that made it possible in the first place, leading the employee to remember the gesture for a long time to come.

By giving employees a voucher or gift card to spend on the home or garden, employers can also help their staff add their own personality to their property and make it their own. Injecting some creative colour, for instance, can instantly refresh a room and add an individual’s own stamp to it. It lifts a space by adding a different ambience to it, encouraging a range of emotions.

Different colour walls can do wonders for promoting calming and soothing feelings in individuals before they embark on a stressful commute to work. This, in turn, can lead to increased motivational levels when employers arrive at work and help to create a positive, productive atmosphere.

Workplace stress

With employee wellbeing becoming an increasingly common issue in the workplace, it is crucial for businesses to ensure their staff arrive at work feeling happy and motivated for the day ahead. With a recent survey by Evian revealing that one in six people surveyed want to go straight back to bed once they arrive at work and one in nine feeling miserable, the need for staff to feel happy and positive in their home environment before they leave for work is even more important.

The home is a motivator and certainly an area that businesses need to tap into in order to engage their employees and deliver results. By meeting employees’ basic intellectual and emotional needs and showing support for an employee’s life in and outside of work, businesses are more likely to encourage staff to perform at peak ability. Their hearts and minds will be fully engaged, they will be energetic and innovative, and they will be encouraged to work harder and smarter.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Emma Ward .