9 Management Do’s and Dont’s to Motivate Employees

Being good at management is a hard nut to crack. Need not worry, if you know the tricks you can do it well. Motivation—the employee’s intrinsic drive to work. Motivation is a big part of management, a critical aspect at the workplace, that keeps the ball rolling. Is motivating employees a part of your daily routine? If yes, you’re probably doing good.

According to Bob Nelson, “An employee’s motivation is a direct result of the sum of interactions with his or her manager.”

Let’s talk about motivation in a practical way. Check out these do’s and don’ts to motivate employees and see how they fit in your organization.

Do’s

1. Do upgrade your workforce

With so many innovations in technology, there is no manager who will not feel the need to upgrade to a system that helps them create a motivated workforce. Cloud-based collaboration tools like ProofHub are gaining traction in business to get rid of basic frustrations. The teams will better know who is working on what, thus encouraging collaboration among co-workers. Or introduce other learning programs in your workforce that will benefit employees and your business.

2. Do delegate

Delegating is not just a way to lighten the load but also is a way to improve your team. Don’t just delegate to free yourself up for doing other things, instead delegate to work through others ideas. You've got a team, allow them to bring out ideas. Trust your team and assign them the work they need to be better at. Give responsibilities. A good manager will make sure the team is working hard. Make them feel like their role actually matters.

3. Do have an open-door policy

The term “open-door policy’’ literally means keep your door open to every employee. It means listening to employees intently to what they have to say. When you set the policy, you’ll notice your employees being free to talk with any manager at any time, discussing concerns, sharing ideas, asking questions, and making suggestions.

4. Do listen to their story

Some employees stay away from sharing their stories but have a lot inside them, while some are so willing to share it out. But as you show interest in knowing their stories, pretty soon their story will begin to unfold. The stories present a picture of a work culture that is important for your success and your employees’ success. You’ll able to inspire, enable, and reinforce your desired work culture with the stories you get to hear.

Keep your team’s work on the schedule each day. Start using ProofHub .

5. Do encourage employee engagement

The engagement metrics of your organization has a lot of effect on productivity, retention, and employee performance. Harvard Business Review Study of 568 respondents reported, 71% of senior-level executives believe that more engaged employees would bring them success. When your employees are engaged, you’ll be more likely to retain them. They will be motivated to come to the office every day eager and enthusiastic.

Don’ts

1. Don’t let them be bored

Boredom spells death in any area of life. Be it in a relationship or at the workplace. If your employees are bored, they are particularly not inspired. And uninspired employees lose motivation to work at high levels. Therefore, act proactively: give them new challenges, involve them in marketing, give them a break, or plan a happy hour every month. Help them fight the boredom that could distract them.

2. Don’t be a bad example

It is somehow true that employees don’t leave companies, they leave managers. So, the old adage - lead by example is true for all. You’re responsible for whatever happens. If you don’t lead by example, you shouldn’t expect your employees to work hard. Show excitement for your company goals, be in a good mood, don't focus on negatives, and be what you want them to be.

3. Don’t make stuff up

Employees hate to address any gossips about them. Being nice to an employee and gossiping about them once their back is turned is not what is expected from a manager. If you’re baking stuff, your people will hate the job, anyway.

4. Don’t measure employees on the number of hours they work

Measure results, not hours. HBR articles reveal that some engaged staff work above average hours, whilst other, equally engaged staff, work below average hours. Some people are capable of doing the same stuff in less time while others in more time. Stop judging them on the number of hours they sit. Just to leave an impression of working for long hours, it stimulates employees to stay for longer at the office without any productive results, which promotes demotivation. Judge employees on what they produce, not how long they spend in the office.

Motivation is giving the best and going the extra mile, and is not something you do to people. Ultimately, people choose to be motivated. It’s in your hand to shape the conditions.

I’d love to hear from you. What do you think about management? Leave your comments below!

Author Bio:

Sandeep Kashyap is the Founder and CEO of ProofHub — a leading project management and collaboration software. He’s one person always on a lookout for innovative ideas about filling the communication gap between groups, teams, and organizations. You’ll find him saying, “Let’s go!” instead of “Go!” many times a day. That’s what makes him write about leadership in a way people are inspired to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more.