America has a retention problem. We’ve all heard about the Great Resignation, where millions of employees quit each month for other opportunities. Then there’s the research showing only about 30% of our workers are engaged in their jobs. Clearly, motivating our employees isn’t going so well. What can employers do differently to engage and retain their workforce? Here are four fun ways you can keep the office motivated.

How Can You Keep the Office Motivated?

1. Create a Fun, Positive Work Environment

Toxic workplaces are not only demotivating; they are a leading cause of employee turnover. You will retain your workers longer if you can create a better office environment. Your efforts should include creating ways for teams to bond. Recognizing birthdays and work anniversaries is the bare minimum to help build teams. You should also develop core values that foster open communication between leadership and staff and create rules for how employees treat each other. Use lots of positive reinforcement along with the simplest but most powerful reward: Saying thank you regularly. Teach your managers to create a better environment for employees, and you will see an increase in motivation.

2. Offer Advancement and Cross-Training Opportunities

Sometimes a lack of motivation isn’t because the employee is “bad”—they may simply be bored. Every job can be ho-hum after a time, as the newness wears off and once difficult tasks become mundane. Consider offering employees new tasks to cross-train them in other functions. Try sitting down with your team to ask them what they’d like to learn and then help chart a path to get them there. Keep things fresh by mixing up workflows. Even changing an office around or starting the day with something different (Donuts and coffee? Exercise?) can motivate and inspire workers who just need a change of pace.

3. Pay Incentives

Let’s face it; money motivates. But so does flex time or scratch-off tickets or any number of other incentives that reward activity. If you’re rewarding employees, it does increase their productivity. Sometimes creating contests with prizes or establishing a new profit-sharing plan are all you need to motivate a team. Raises and bonuses are always appreciated, especially when the cost of living has increased. As long as you understand what incentives offer value to your employees, you can pick the right motivational tool that will pay you back with higher employee productivity. 

4. Use Time Tracking to Build Accountability and Recognition

Tracking time and labor is just as important as tracking activity. A good applicant tracking system is just one tool that can help keep your workers engaged. Some of the benefits include:

  • Allowing employees and managers to see at a glance where they stand with their weekly or monthly metrics. The numbers matter if you have a sales or recruiting team. Having a dashboard where everyone can see their progress can motivate teams to be more competitive by increasing their output.
  • Identifying key strengths and weaknesses that allow you to provide feedback to your workforce. Most employees want that feedback and will work harder if you couple it with a system of rewards to further motivate them.

How is the Culture in Your Workplace?

Exelare serves as the baseline software for companies seeking to motivate their workforce. Our applicant tracking system is used every day by managers seeking to monitor activity and reinforce good behavior with motivational rewards. Talk with our team today to find out how we can help you motivate your teams.