09:24 AM, 09 09, 2015

5 top motivational tips

How do you motivate your staff?

There is an old saying: money talks.  Is it true?

I’d like to propose a revised version of the aforementioned saying. My suggestion is: money talks, but gift cards inspire, dazzle and energise.

This blog post aims to explain my reasoning behind the amended proverb, but it’s also a short list of motivational tips. Please note that this is not a comprehensive guide, but we do hope it’ll prove helpful. Check out SVM Global’s top tips below:

  1. Top of the list: make your employees smile. There are lots of ways to achieve this! Smile at them and encourage reciprocated positivity. Ensure you are available to exchange pleasantries and take an active interest in your staff. If your employees feel like you care, they will be much more motivated and feel incentivised to succeed. Make sure you also give small gifts and reward desired behaviour to increase motivation even further! SVM Global gift cards are a fabulous way to do this. Why? Additional money is classed as part of the ‘salary’ and usually spent on bills and everyday items, but gift cards ensure that the recipient buys something relevant, personal and enjoyable.
  2. Another important tip: make everyone a leader. Giving your staff additional responsibility can sometimes seem like a risk, but often this is what your employees want. What’s more motivating than feeling like you matter? Feeling like you are an important part of the business – leading everyone forward. Ensure all points of view and ideas are considered, no matter how small.
  3. And the third suggestion: praise your employees. Giving consistent rewards can be part of this process. Tell them what they’ve done. Congratulate them on their success. And, to top it off, put their favourite retail gift card right into their hand as a personal thank you. Your employees will definitely be impressed that you have taken into account their personal tastes, likes and dislikes and you are trying to give them the perfect gift – no matter how small the reward value.
  4. Our fourth point: avoid criticism. It’s difficult not to pass blame and judgment when things go wrong, but why not discuss areas for improvement for your staff and put in place relevant support. Congratulate them on their success, but explain that you think they have the potential to do even better, you just think they need to work on a particular area. Your employees will be much more enthusiastic and motivated and will be willing to listen to your advice.
  5. Lastly: lead by example. If you wouldn’t want to do something, don’t expect your employee to be enthusiastic about it. Be willing to get stuck in and show that you’re willing to help your staff, even if you are their manager. They need to know they can rely on you to demonstrate how to do things and give relevant training and support. Ultimately, they need to trust you.

So, we hope our tips have been useful! Please do feel free to comment and offer your own suggestions, or follow @svm_global on twitter for further posts.

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