How to Keep Employees Productive
There are a number of incentives that I’ve found to be helpful. Here are top:
 Bonuses: Employees usually respond to bonuses and other financial incentives as a way to reward great performances.
 Perks: I saw good responses to perks that weren’t simply financial, such as casual days at the office, half days, office parties, and social activities outside of the office.
 Amenities: Workplace amenities – like a gym, cafeteria, or daycare center – are nice incentives for employees to come to work and to stay focused on their projects.
 Education: I believe that people respond to educational incentives and a number of companies offer incentives that pay for additional education. They’re great because your workforce can become more skilled and you’re creating loyalty.
 Positive recognition: Recognizing someone in public for a job well done can make a big difference. I think it’s important to provide positive reinforcement. Programs that recognize employees can go a long way toward motivating someone.
And there are so many more ways to motivate employees. Entire books have been written on the subject. These five suggestions are just meant to get you thinking about ways to motivate employees.
Although entrepreneurs should remember that motivating employees is very important, it’s also important to keep them happy. Obviously, an unhappy employee is hard to keep motivated.
Zappos is a perfect example. The company is a true innovator and Tony Hsieh, its CEO, is brilliant. Zappos might not offer the most lavish perks for employees, but Tony is focused on creating a corporate culture that makes employees happy and builds loyalty. I couldn’t agree more and have seen the effects of similar approaches.

Motivating employees is good, but keeping them happy is the real secret.
Here are more tips to get more out of your people.
1. Know them: People are more than a resume. Take the time to get to know your people- their values, their interests, their capabilities, their challenges and aspirations. You can discover untapped skills and abilities. They can air any unaddressed concerns. People will feel better understood and appreciated.
2. Develop them: Offer opportunities at work for your people to grow. There are many ways you can tap their potential: coaching, skills workshops, courses, shadowing, and mentoring, increasing responsibility. Encourage them to step up.
3. Communicate clearly, early, and often: Be clear about your expectations of them. Wherever possible, keep people informed about the whole business, and particularly about anything that impacts their jobs. Walk the talk. If you expect honesty and openness from them, model that in the way you communicate with them.
4. Inspire them: You're the architect. Communicate a clear vision of where you want to go as a team, and talk about how to get there. Invite collaboration and participation. Introduce opportunities to solve problems together. Encourage risk taking, and acknowledge that failure is a by-product of innovative thinking. Live the values and mission you've articulated for your group and for the business. Give people room to think and contribute. Then step out of the way and let them perform.
5. Recognize performance: When you celebrate accomplishments, you demonstrate you care about them. Acknowledge and offer feedback (once a week at a minimum and every 6 months regarding overall progress). Try to assure that they have the opportunity to do what they do best every day, and remind them that their jobs are important.
6. Request feedback for yourself, demonstrate humility: Demonstrate your willingness to grow and change along with them. A critical piece of information for you is to what degree you are helping them get their jobs done…not getting in their way. Ask…and let them know their opinions matter.

7. Establish SMART goals: Whether for their individual job performance or for ongoing project milestones, set goals that are "SMART" (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely). SMART goals are critical to delivering quality and successful results.
8. Listen well: Active listening is a valuable skill. Follow the other person's thinking and enable them to hear themselves. Go beyond the words being said to what isn't said. Listen to how something is said. Doing this can offer real insight.
9. Offer them the support they need: Insure they have the resources needed (time, people, budget, and training) to do their work effectively.
10. Acquire/enhance your coaching skills: Being present, listening well, and asking open- ended questions are critical coaching skills. Incorporating these into your managing style will reflect your leadership, your investment in your people, and will ensure a strong footing for successful relationships.
Keeping the Right People
Employee Engagement & Retention
Employee engagement illustrates the commitment and energy that employees bring to work and is a key indicator of their involvement and dedication to the organization. Employees who are engaged are more productive, content and more likely to be loyal to an organization. When organizations put sound HR practices in place, they are more likely to discover that employees feel satisfied, safe and will work to their full potential...and that means they are more likely to stay put.
HR Responsibility
How it relates to employee engagement
Strategic HR Planning
 People are the main resource that organizations have for delivering services
 Strategic HR planning links HR management directly to an organization's strategic plan and that means that staff will have meaningful roles tied to the strategic direction of the organization
 Strategically planning how your organization will meet its current and future HR needs and how people will be supported and nurtured

within your organization is critical for success
Operational HR Planning
 At an operational level, organizations put in place HR management practices to support management and staff in achieving their day-to- day goals
 Whether it's determining how many employees are needed to deliver services over the next year or how performance will be monitored, the HR management practices and activities need to be planned to answer the question: "Where is our organization going and how will it get there?"
 An operational plan ensures that employees are properly supported
Compensation and Benefits
 Though usually not ranked the most important, compensation is an important factor in job satisfaction
 An employee who feels adequately compensated monetarily is more likely to stay with your organization
Developing HR Policies
 Policies and procedures both communicate the values of your organization and provide everyone with a consistent process to follow
 Policies and procedures provide your employees with a process to follow and that knowledge can help them confidently approach situations, particularly difficult situations
Employment Legislation and Standards
 Provincial/territorial and federal governments outline the minimum requirements to ensure a safe and equitable work environment for employees
Job Descriptions
 Job descriptions are basic HR management tools that can help to increase individual and organizational effectiveness
 A well-written job description sets an employee up for success by outlining their responsibilities and the parameters of their position
 Job descriptions also show how an employee's position contributes to the mission, goals and objectives of the organization
Performance Management
 Performance management is an ongoing process where the manager/supervisor and employee work together to plan, monitor and review an employee's work objectives or goals and overall contribution to the organization
 Motivates employees to do their best
 Establishes clear communication between the manager and the employee about what s/he is expected to accomplish
 Provides on-going, constructive feedback on performance
 Establishes plans for improving performance, as necessary
 Identifies the skills and abilities of each employee so that work assignments build on and reflect an employee's strengths
 Identifies individual employees for more challenging work
 Assists and supports staff in achieving their work and career goals by identifying training needs and development opportunities
 Contributes to the succession management plan so that employee skills are developed and employers develop the skills they need to

fill an potential HR gap in the future
Learning, Training and Development
 Investing in training programs helps employees develop personally and professionally
Workplace Diversity
 Creating an environment where people feel welcome and safe from harassment and discrimination motives staff to perform
 Absenteeism and performance problems decrease while productivity, morale and employee retention increases
Work Teams and Group Dynamics
 When you develop and support effective teams, you enhance the power and feeling of satisfaction of individuals working on the team
 When a team works well, it means that staff trust one another and that leads to better sharing of knowledge and understanding
Conflict Resolution
 In a healthy workplace, there will be conflict
 Having a conflict resolution policy and a process will mean that conflict is constructive and not destructive
Workplace Wellness Initiatives
 A healthy workplace means more than just warding off colds and the flu
 It is more holistic and takes into consideration the physical, spiritual, environmental, intellectual, emotional, occupational and mental health of employees
 Wellness promotion doesn't just benefit the employee — an organization filled with healthy, balanced and fulfilled employees is a productive workplace that retains its employees
Employee Recognition
 Giving employees a sense of shared values and purpose by creating a relationship with them is important
 When you thank employees you value them and that, in turn, is motivating
 Updating staff on organizational issues through internal communications like e-mail updates and newsletters builds the sense of team and their value to the team
Staff-volunteer relations
 Develop a sense of team with staff and volunteers contributing to the organization's mission
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