Feel your employees are not performing up to their full capabilities in the projects assigned to them? The reason for this is lack of motivation on the part of employees triggered by numerous factors like the absence of specific skill sets, feeling unappreciated etc. Let us take a more detailed look at these reasons and what can be done to best resolve them to ensure your employees start to enjoy their work and willingly go that extra mile for the organisation.
- Update Employee Skill Set
In today’s business world innovation and development are progressing at such a rapid pace that you need to ensure you and your employees learn and implement the most relevant technologies in order to stay on top of the game. This fact holds especially true in the case of your employees, for however efficient and hard working they may be, lack of knowledge in the newest technology will definitely be a stumbling block preventing them from successfully executing their current projects. Grappling with technology they can’t understand will also end up demotivating your employees in the long run. So it is absolutely essential that they are trained in the relevant technologies.
Online training using various e-learning software packages would be the best option nowadays. While keeping up with new innovations is an ongoing process, you will definitely find a marked improvement in efficiency levels and employee satisfaction after your training program is complete.
- The Right Employee for the Right Job
An extension of the training process is recognising each employee’s specific area of expertise through a process of observation and communication through which you get to understand where each employee’s strength and interest lies and accordingly assign them their roles. Once employees find that they are not straitjacketed into any role but rather get to focus on the area of work that they are passionate about, they will start seeing their job as less of a chore and more of an extension of their interest. Employees then willingly go that extra mile to ensure their work is most efficiently and effectively completed.
- Sense of Ownership
In addition, granting employees the necessary powers (according to organisation policy) to carry out their responsibilities ensures that they feel a sense of ownership over the project. Knowing that you have placed your trust in them, will inspire them to step up and deliver over and above their job specifications.
- Appreciation
Lastly, but most importantly when your employees achieve a milestone either within their job specifications or by going the extra mile it is essential that you let them know that their efforts are wholly appreciated by you and the rest of the organisation. As a means of showing your gratitude, felicitating them in front of the whole organisation will be a good idea, you can also say thank you for a job well done with a handwritten note paired with thoughtful gifts like restaurant vouchers, movie tickets or even a box of their favourite chocolates.
In this way by going the extra mile to make your employees feel valued you will see how they reciprocate by willingly going that extra mile for you and the organisation as a whole.
