What Motivates Better Than a Pay Check?

By Tom Grandy

Do you struggle with keeping your employees happy and fulfilled, which is often called motivation? The general feeling is that simply paying more will produce happy employees. Well yes, good pay does attract top technicians. However, there is more to it than that. Employees do apply for a job because they need a paycheck or perhaps a better paycheck but they stay long term because they feel loved, they feel like family.

That’s right, the most successful employers tie their staff to them emotionally! So how can you do that? Here are a few tips to consider:

• Family Fun – Let’s face it. Many of today’s workers have not had or don’t have a stable home life. The office “family” is very important to them. Make it a fun place to work…..lighten up a bit.

• Sincere Appreciation – Everyone wants to be appreciated. Make it a habit to provide some sort of positive appreciation for each employee each week. When you feel appreciated it provides more of a “family atmosphere” which we all like to be part of.

• Spontaneous Rewards – Occasionally gift employees $10 or $20 cash for a great customer review or perhaps drop a pizza by the job, unexpectedly. We all want to know we are thought of for no particular reason. Small gestures count.

• Company Recognition – Use weekly staff meetings as an excuse to single out specific workers for sincere praise.

• Public Recognition – Many employees (and their spouses) suffer from low self-esteem. Think about giving each of your workers their very own personal business cards and a Profile Page for each employee on your company website.

• Accountability – That doesn’t sound like fun but it’s true. The best people welcome the opportunity to shine! Set goals and celebrate when individuals (and the company) hit those goals. Technicians are competitive by nature. The good ones want to be measured and they want you to know they are doing a good job.