How do you motivate your employees?
The owner leaves the crew at the job site and drives away wondering “what are they doing now?
You walk in to find them standing around talking about this past weekend.
You pull up to the job site only to find once again someone walking to or from their car.
You walk onto the job site to see someone hurry to put their phone away.
The lost production time? How much? How often? What is the cost?
How do you change this?
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We have found that if the morale of the company is kept positive, production increases.
What does this mean to you and what does it cost?
We found it is not necessarily an increase in pay or a bonus the Team member is looking for. The Team member is looking for you and the company to value him/her as a person and a part of the Team not just an employee.
I have instituted a few changes in our company during work an outside of work and have seen moral change to the better:
- When I visit a job I make it a point to see everyone on the site and briefly talk with them.
- When I know something is happening outside of work I make sure to ask about it.
- Team leader weekly meetings
- Entire crew breakfast once a month prior to business hours, I buy breakfast, they give their time.
- Quarterly get togethers
- Golfing
- Bowling
- cookout
- Bocci
- Corn hole tourney
- 45’s card game (local card game)
- fishing trip
A great way to increase the “Team” participation in these events is add something to them. I buy trophies at my local awards shop for under $10 each and have them inscribed with funny sayings and award them at the end of some of the tourneys.
I also had an envelope for every place in the bowling tourney from one to eight and give them that envelope when it’s over. They thought the first prize was worth more than last but they all had the same amount of money it them.
Ask them what they want?
As Dale Carnegie wrote in How to Win Friends and Influence People, come right out and ask your Team members what they need from you? Start with the most outgoing member and ask each one.
Some will be shy at first but they will share when they feel you really want the truth. At this point ask them, What can you expect from them? if you will hold to your end of the bargain they will too.
I also had one of my crew leaders ask for jackets for everyone. He did not want work jackets but a nice jacket embroidered with our logo for when he went out. I brought them a selection of choices for a jacket and now the jackets have been ordered. Win/Win.
These and many other tips, ideas and processes are shared in all our Mastermind groups.