Starting the Year by Motivating Employees

Do you want to start the New Year right? Why not make 2016 more motivational and engaging for employees? With the right plan and attitude, you can bring out the best in your employees, and the organization as a whole.

1/ Practice mindfulness

A study published in the journal Mindfulness confirmed that employees are less emotionally exhausted with a mindful leader on the helm. They also achieve better work-life balance, and better overall job performance rating. Simply put, a mindful leader results in greater job satisfaction.

Unfortunately, there are very few mindfulness training sessions for managers, because more focus is given on leadership or development of managerial skills. So make that a number 1 priority in 2016. Teach managers and supervisors how to be mindful and help with the end goal of engaging and empowering employees.

2/ Pay attention to employees’ needs

Some managers are so focused on the tasks at hand that they fail to see what employees need to be happy, engaged and satisfied with their work. So instead of looking at your to-do list, find out what your employees need and make a list of them.

• Do they want opportunities for career advancement?
• Are they looking for more rewards and recognition?
• Do they wish for better communication?
• Do they want health and wellness or enrichment programs?

Once you Identify what is needed for employee engagement, define objectives clearly before initiating any program. Make sure everyone involved understands what is expected of them, and what the program is for.

3/ Make resources available

Say they wish for health and wellness programs to be readily available for them instead of them going out of their way to be healthy and fit.

• Add an office gym

Have a gym added within the office building that employees can use before or after work. To ensure that they do take advantage of the facility, create programs related to health and fitness. For example, offer rewards for anyone who loses weight after a week. There are pros and cons for this program, which is why it must be planned carefully. Of course, having the space for a gym could provide barriers for some companies, which is where we can help. Return To Glory Corporate provide on site fitness instructors and yoga classes, and we work with the space you have available and times and locations to suit you. Easy!

• Office massage

Bring a massage program to the office, or set one day of the week for office massage. This is a great way to boost employee morale and productivity, and save the company money. When staff rarely take time off work due to any illness, production is high and revenue just flows in. Office massage is also a cost-effective way to relieve mental and physical stress. Use the program as part of an incentive, or more something everyone can enjoy once a week.

• Hold yoga classes once or twice a week

Similar to office massage, yoga ca also relieve stress and tension, and increase productivity at the same time. It brings focus back to an employee’s tired and burned out mind and body, and helps him regain high levels of productivity. Yoga classes can be done in the conference room or in a gym.

Before initiating any yoga class, have everyone attend RTG yoga retreats to gauge level of interest among staff and the program’s efficacy.

The New Year often means starting a new leaf. If employee motivation fell short the previous year, do something better this year.