7 Important Ways to Set Up Strong Employee Motivation from Day One

Motivation is an essential part of employee retention and productivity, but it isn’t always easy to stay engaged. According to Gallup, only 34% of US employees are engaged, but you can bring this number up significantly if you create a culture built on feedback, recognition, and growth.

Once you’ve hired some incredible talent for your company, you have to do your due diligence to keep them around. 

Here’s how you can motivate your employees from the word “go.”

1. Build a Company Culture That’s Motivating, Inclusive, and Fun

A toxic work environment shouldn’t be taken lightly, but it can be hard to realize just how bad your employees feel about their jobs before it’s too late. Some common red flags of a toxic work culture include high turnover, exclusionary or abusive behaviors, and poor communication.

To sustain employee motivation in the long term, create a culture that’s motivating, inclusive, and fun. Typically, a good company culture will have minimal office politics, a high level of trust, a significant investment in training, constructive conflict resolution, and company value clarity. 

2. Make Sure Your Onboarding Process is Clear and Well-Paced

Attracting quality talent isn’t easy, but you can make it easier with a simple onboarding process. A great onboarding program will help recent hires get accustomed to their new role while also introducing them to fellow coworkers, your company’s values, and noteworthy senior leaders.

If your employees don’t understand their role after the onboarding process, that’s a sign that you need to adjust your training modules. Consider purchasing new hire onboarding software to make this process more automatic and simple to implement across multiple departments.

3. Be Transparent and Honest to Build Faith in Leadership

Employees need to have faith in leadership, but employers also need to demonstrate trust in their employees. Although your employees need clear direction and one-to-one support to complete projects, autonomy and independence will positively impact their motivation.

By practicing transparency and honesty throughout your organization, your employees will be able to understand what to do and who to speak to if they have a problem. This allows them to explore their interests, be creative, and complete tasks without needing to micromanage. 

4. Recognize Your Employees Verbally and With Gifts

According to Badgeville, a motivation firm, 83% of employees report that recognition is more fulfilling than other rewards, and 88% said that receiving praise from managers is very or extremely motivating. A lack of recognition is the third most common reason employees quit.

While employee recognition is essential, it has to be specific to generate any positive effect. It also increases the likelihood they’ll perform that action again. If you’re just hiring an employee and you want to praise them, comment on how quickly they pick up the training materials. 

5. Provide Multiple Paths for Career Advancement and Growth

Your employees don’t want to stay in the same position for the rest of their careers. They want advancement and growth, and that’s only possible if they learn new skills. If you prioritize learning and development opportunities, you’ll increase retention and improve motivation.

There are a few ways managers can foster growth. For example, you could provide actionable feedback, pay for continuing education classes, or help them transition into a new role. If you make these opportunities known, your employees will try to capitalize on their strengths.

6. Establish a Healthy Work-Life Balance During Training

A healthy work-life balance isn’t all about policy; it’s actively preventing overworking behaviors. If an employee is working late nights and is rewarded because of it, their coworkers will start to do the same. What results is everyone breaking policy to get ahead in your organization.

Your employees need to take breaks and recharge during the weekends if you want them to be productive and motivated. That’s why you need to establish healthy cut-off times for in-office and remote employees while also giving your employees space to relax on their weekends.

7. Train Your Leaders to Participate in Active Motivation

Employees take verbal and non-verbal directions from managers. If senior management is poor, motivation will suffer. It’s essential to emphasize your leader’s need to prioritize and motivate employees, which includes tailing motivation techniques to individuals, not teams or groups.

Workplace coaching is a great motivator because it helps set short and long-term goals for your employees. But that’s not all. Leaders can encourage collaboration, make work meaningful by promoting company values, and fight boredom by keeping workplace routines fresh and new.

The Benefits of Employee Motivation Starts With You

In uncertain times, sustained employee motivation is incredibly important. That’s because engaged teams are less likely to quit, take sick days, or reduce their workloads due to stress. Your employees are your greatest asset, so it pays to keep them inspired, happy, and healthy.