8 ways to motivate your workers and increase productivity

Here are some top tips to ensure you get your feedback right and manage your staff effectively, every time:

Thank you and Praise

Say thank you for contributions, day to day tasks done very well and for extra projects undertaken.
Praise their efforts and let them know you understand how much work was involved.

Be enthusiastic

Take real interest in employee’s goals. discuss how they can achieve this, empathise and encourage employee to develop and improve their skills, keep trying and never give up.

Recognise your employee’s contribution

Explaining to employee how their work contributes to the running of the organisation, give specific examples, will ohelp them understand how to do the job better.

Be clear and concise

Collect your comments into meaningful sets to make them easier to digest. Start each set with praise for what the employee did well and then make constructive suggestions as appropriate. For instance, a writing project could be broken down into content, impact, structure and accuracy.

Give examples and explain their impact

If you want your employee to change their behaviour, you should give an example of the behaviour you want them to change. For example, if the person often arrives late to meetings, give instances of when this behaviour occurred. Point out the ways that their lateness has affected other members of the team and/or the business.

Listen

Allow your employee to tell their side of the story – there may have been genuine reasons behind their behaviour, rather than a careless attitude. Make sure that any request to change is made in a non-aggressive manner and take their comments into consideration. Both the giver and receiver of the feedback should walk away feeling that a fair resolution was achieved.

Don’t compare their work to yours

Ask yourself if the person’s performance was adequate for the purpose, rather than comparing it with how you would have done it. For example, if you are reviewing a piece of writing, think about whether it will do the job it was intended to do, rather whether you’d have written it that way. People can be demotivated by ‘red pen’, and they will not be able to learn from comments they do not understand.

The suggestion sandwich

Start with positive comments about the person’s strengths and successes. Follow this with constructive suggestions about how to perform even better, allowing them to comment and ask questions. Finally, bring in some additional positive points and encourage them to feel motivated to introduce the changes you have suggested.
Many business owners find delivering what they might call “negative feedback” difficult, but by following these suggestions, both employee and employer can leave a feedback session feeling they have gained from the experience.

Mairead Dillon and Jane Penson are both members of Toastmasters International, a worldwide not-for-profit organisation focused on developing communication and leadership skills