Thursday, 24 May 2012
8 tips on how to motivate your staff
Your business is your baby and although you may have your good days and your bad days, you want nothing more than to make a success of it.
Now, how do you inject your staff with the same enthusiasm every day of the week?
Unfortunately, you can't force each staff member to drink a can of Redbull every morning and to be honest you shouldn’t need to. Not only is it dangerous for health, but it probably wouldn't work. Lack of motivation isn't being physically tired, it's being mentally flat - just like a tyre on a bike. If you don't fix it, that bicycle isn’t going anywhere.
I have therefore prepared you a little "cocktail" of ideas to remotivate and revitalise your staff, and help bring dynamism and happiness back into your salon!
1. Lead by example...
It’s an old cliche but being the first one in and the last one out is the perfect way to show your energy and passion to the company. Your employees may not always like the decisions you make but at least they cannot doubt your commitment. This attitude of ‘working your socks off’ will also rub off on your employees. A part of getting more out of them is putting more effort in yourself.
2. Create a dynamic working environment
What surrounds you has a strong impact on your state of mind. A working place without any color or only dark ones for example is depressing and really can affect work rate. Create a more vibrant atmosphere by introducing some flashy colors in your salon and adding some motivational pictures and images. Those little changes can make a big difference and the best thing is that it won't cost you a ton of money. Of course keep it within your brand which should be no problem at all. A good working environment is also a place where all the tools you need to do your work are working well. Provide your staff with good equipments so that it doesn't make them waste time of feel that they can't do their work properly.
3. Make them part of a team
Team building is important and can really increase motivation. We said in a previous blog “Do your members of staff get on well” that it is important to bring your team together with group activities. If you can do this effectively then peoples work environment becomes more pleasant for everyone. On the flip side, if their work environment is unpleasant people won’t want to come to work and your salon becomes like school to an 8 year old.
4. Set goals
No matter how many different clients you can have, you basically do the same things everyday and your job can quickly turn into a routine. This is one of the most common causes of demotivation. To avoid that, challenge your team. Set up weekly goals or put in place an "employee of the month" reward system to give them an objective and stimulate them. Don't make goals too easily reachable and change them often, it's the best way to keep your staff motivated.
5. Provide incentives
When a member of your staff reaches his target, don't forget to praise him and reward his achievement. People love to receive gifts and it's a good opportunity for you to show them that you value their work. The gifts don't have to be extravagant, it must just show your employees they are doing well. Cinema tickets, a chocolate box or a bottle of wine are only some examples of what you can offer as a reward.
6. Thank them
Yes they are your staff and yes they have to do what you want them to, but thanking them for that shouldn't be optional. You probably delegate tasks you are reluctant to do, and why wouldn't you? That's why you have staff after all. However, don't forget that some of those tasks aren't anyone's cup of tea (like cleaning for example) and a simple "thank you" ensures people don’t feel unappreciated.
7. Show them a future
You may find some members of your staff who are quite happy with what they are doing, don't want to change and have little ambition. However, the high majority of people want to gain new experience, stay on top in their field and take on new challenges. Always offer your staff the possibility to get trained and learn new things, it will make them feel better about themselves and increase their productivity.
8. Don't forget the fun
It doesn't have to be about work all the time. Don't hesitate to do stuff outside work together. If you don’t already, you should have an annual Christmas dinner, no matter how big or small you are. From this do more things outside of work, BBQ in summer, have a work night out and if someone is leaving you, throw them a leaving party!
Blend it all and, CHEERS!
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