How do you motivate employees without using $$$ (tips, profit, owner)

[Happy in Wyoming]

Firing one of your best employees for a minor infraction often has a really positive effect. The others will be terrified that they're next so they'll work harder and more diligently. I realize that we all hate to lose a good worker, but we must remember that our only real concern is total output.

[tijlover]

Originally Posted by SXMGirl

I have found that in any job, one must be self-motivated. However, one of the things my employer does (public school = no money) is that for those of us who do not miss time, we get discount coupons from local businesses, coupons for free dinners, and also free teaching supplies that we normally would purchase ourselves.

I actually believe that at the long-term care facility I work at, management cheers everytime someone doesn't show up at work, being that they won't hire temporary help to fill that vacant spot on that shift, it's more money in their pockets. So instead of caring for 25 patients, we end up with 33 a piece. This place runs on fear management. You don't like it, find some place else to work.

I have never missed a day of work at this place in 7 years and I've joked with the other workers that one day they'll find some reason to fire me, and one of the hidden reasons will be my reliability.

[gea12345]

i think you are mistaken!!


I loved my waitress job, bartending job, short-order cook job!!

Why??

Because you are on your feet, so it is a physical job!

Because you get paid right away! so you can save your money or go out and party with your friends!! you always have money!

Because you always have more money than your friends!!

Because you can go to Peru or Mexico or France for one month and come back to your job!!

More:

Because you can pursue your ballet or modern dance studies!

Because you can pursue your acting studies!

Because you can go on tour or work as a musician in a studio and always have time to spare, and return to your job, if the employer liked you!

Because you don't grow old as fast as the people who have to work 40 or more hours a week!!

You make the same money in 30 hours as the people who work 40 hours!!

When i lived in Detroit, Michigan, I made 100 bucks every lunch hour for only 4 hours work!!

i used to love as a young person, throwing my money on my bed!!

hmmm

The above is the 80's and 90's when customers were not broke or cheap! ;-))

Originally Posted by TracySam

Positive feedback, when it's valid and sincere can go a long way. Nearly everyone in the world feels unrecognized or under-recognized for their efforts. Too many supervisors only give negative feedback when something is wrong, but neglect to give positive feedback when someone does a great job.

Also, make the positive feedback public. Compliment a person in front of other people. If you can't give small monetary bonuses, you might be able to give someone a paid day or half day off (may an employee of the quarter). Maybe that person also gets first dibs on picking a desirable schedule or day off.


Another thing is to reward them with responsibility. Yes some will think it's "just more work" but most people respond positively to being put in charge of something. Think about when you were in first grade and the teacher let you collect everyone's lunch money, or left you in charge of the class if she went out. We're all still 6-year olds at heart! If Joe does a great job at something, put Joe in charge of everyone's assignments that day: he gets to decide who will do what, and of course he gets to choose what he will do. It's also very powerful to compliment an excellent worker in front of him and in front of your own boss. If your boss comes in and compliments you as the team supervisor, you could jump in and say "Joe was partly responsible for that" or "I couldn't have accomplished this without Joe's help."

But rewards have to be warranted, based on real merit. Places that have a rotating employee of the month often just rotate it around among a bunch of mediocre workers, when no one ever goes above and beyond.

Sadly, I feel that too many these days have not been raised with the idea that doing a good job is its own reward. It becomes all about material reward or (undeserved) recognition for every little thing. As a kid I was taught to feel good about doing a good job at something, even if no one else sees me do it. I was also taught to not expect gushing praise for just simply doing what I'm expected to do. But I'm an old geezer of 39 I guess.

I sometimes run into waiters, or cashiers (what I'd consider a nightmare job) who are friendly and enthusiastic and seem to strive to be the best damned waiter or cashier ever. They somehow find motivation in low paying work. I always compliment them to their manager too.

[tijlover]

Originally Posted by Happy in Wyoming

Firing one of your best employees for a minor infraction often has a really positive effect. The others will be terrified that they're next so they'll work harder and more diligently. I realize that we all hate to lose a good worker, but we must remember that our only real concern is total output.

What really worries me when someone gets fired for some minor infraction today is the potential for violence in the workplace. I've read too many newspaper articles on this subject, and many times, if the fired employee comes back to the company for revenge, and their target doesn't happen to be there at the time, they might start shooting anyone or everyone, and innocent victims get killed.

Not too long ago, in this city, someone was fired from a convenience store.
Went home, got his gun, went back and shot his boss.

The way some bosses today cavalierly let people go, does this ever cross their minds or do they just consider it the risks of the trade?

When you take someone's job away from them today, and with 80% of Americans being two paychecks away from being homeless, you are taking away their livelihoods. I would never, ever, ever want to be in a position today where I was responsible for firing someone. For any amount of money.
It would just be my luck, I would fire the wrong person, and I might be stalked forever or killed.

[PurpleLove08]

Originally Posted by TracySam

Positive feedback, when it's valid and sincere can go a long way. Nearly everyone in the world feels unrecognized or under-recognized for their efforts. Too many supervisors only give negative feedback when something is wrong, but neglect to give positive feedback when someone does a great job.

Also, make the positive feedback public. Compliment a person in front of other people. If you can't give small monetary bonuses, you might be able to give someone a paid day or half day off (may an employee of the quarter). Maybe that person also gets first dibs on picking a desirable schedule or day off.


Another thing is to reward them with responsibility. Yes some will think it's "just more work" but most people respond positively to being put in charge of something. Think about when you were in first grade and the teacher let you collect everyone's lunch money, or left you in charge of the class if she went out. We're all still 6-year olds at heart! If Joe does a great job at something, put Joe in charge of everyone's assignments that day: he gets to decide who will do what, and of course he gets to choose what he will do. It's also very powerful to compliment an excellent worker in front of him and in front of your own boss. If your boss comes in and compliments you as the team supervisor, you could jump in and say "Joe was partly responsible for that" or "I couldn't have accomplished this without Joe's help."

But rewards have to be warranted, based on real merit. Places that have a rotating employee of the month often just rotate it around among a bunch of mediocre workers, when no one ever goes above and beyond.

Sadly, I feel that too many these days have not been raised with the idea that doing a good job is its own reward. It becomes all about material reward or (undeserved) recognition for every little thing. As a kid I was taught to feel good about doing a good job at something, even if no one else sees me do it. I was also taught to not expect gushing praise for just simply doing what I'm expected to do. But I'm an old geezer of 39 I guess.

I sometimes run into waiters, or cashiers (what I'd consider a nightmare job) who are friendly and enthusiastic and seem to strive to be the best damned waiter or cashier ever. They somehow find motivation in low paying work. I always compliment them to their manager too.

[megaerosmithfan]

Just try to keep morale up. I mean, people work for money, we don't need any perks. Just try to make it as fun as possible. I personally just try to beat people who are beating me and then I feel great about myself when at store meetings my manager just brags on me. Then, it makes the others work harder to beat me. It's all a game. You'll never make everybody happy. Even with extra money, the newness wears off, and they become angry again. Money is actually a very ineffective motivator. People always feel they should make more.

[hnsq]

Originally Posted by Happy in Wyoming

Firing one of your best employees for a minor infraction often has a really positive effect. The others will be terrified that they're next so they'll work harder and more diligently. I realize that we all hate to lose a good worker, but we must remember that our only real concern is total output.

If I worked in this kind of environment I would quit as soon as possible.

I am a (reasonably) capable guy, and I need to know my boss trusts me to get things done. If he doesn't appreciate the work I do, or if I know I could get fired/repremanded because he didn't get his morning coffee I would be out of there.

Give me a job, give me the freedom to do it how I see best, and leave me alone so I can do it and I won't dissapoint a boss.

[gea12345]

Obviously money to pay for your children, home, bills, etc...

but a sense of community that tolerates the social people and the non-social people.

Also, appreciation and follow-up, and enough rope to let the person do a good job or hang themselves.

And money!

[swrs]

As managers whether we accept it or not, money does motivate people. Whether or not a raise is a good motivator is something debatable.
While it's true that the effect of a raise is not long lasting, a manager must make sure that employees are getting paid a fair amount of money. The least that a manager must do every year is:

1. Review his employees' salary and compare to what the market is paying. This can be done easily on a site like Salary.com for free.

2. Adjust the market salary by taking into account what each employee is worth to the business. For example, what will it cost to the company if the employee was to quit tomorrow.

3. Figure out if the business can afford the required salary adjustment for each employee.

4. If salary adjustment is affordable then do not hold it back by any means. Remember business is a trade, and like any other trade, it must be fair. If you are fair to your employees, they will be fair with you; if you cut corners with them, they will do the same for you and your customers.

5. If salary adjustment is not affordable, then alternative benefits should be considered; for example, working from home one day every two weeks.

I regularly use money to motivate my teams, but I do it using special project bonuses. The bonus amount is not enormous but decent enough to make a small difference in employee's next paycheck. I also use other techniques to keep my employees motivated and strongly believe that money alone can't be a great motivator.

Checkout my article on team management at the link below to see how I manage my teams:

http://www.softwarerockstar.com/2009...eam-management

Have a great day and wish you all the luck!

[GloryB]

I must be an easy employee. I get motivated over the promise of bagels on Friday.