“How Do You Keep Employees Motivated?”

The best way to keep employees motivated is by genuinely caring about them. The rest is details. If you care about them, you’ll ensure the schedule fits their personal lifestyle, offer career advancement opportunities, pay them well, listen to their ideas and suggestions, and give them the credit for their good ideas, while taking the blame for the bad ones.

Truth be told, motivation should never be needed. Good employees in a healthy setting are self-motivated. What they need is encouragement, respect, and permission to share their talents freely without fear or concern.

 — Shmuel Septimus, CEO, Quality Recruit

Recognize their work; share your satisfaction and how excited you are with their results. Compliment them and show them how much you appreciate their efforts. Share client satisfaction with them; if a client said something good about an employee’s project, pass it on to him. Don’t stop there; publicize the compliment so that all team members have a chance to express their excitement at his success. People want to feel part of making something a success.

Learn to recognize the three factors that contribute to a miserable employee (based on Patrick Lencioni’s book, The Truth About Employee Engagement):