1. Stop thinking that money is the only motivator.
2. Give staff autonomy.
Allow staff to be self-directed. “If you want engagement, self-direction is better,” says Pink.
Google’s “20% of time” project which allows employees to work on individual projects is an innovative incentive. Software company Atlassian offers a similar program, where staff have allotted time to work on their own projects. They come together regularly (with snacks and beer) to share ideas. 3M offers its staff similar freedoms.
The co-founder of fruit drink company Emma and Tom’s Tom Griffith believes staff need to be self-motivated. “Strictly speaking, you can’t motivate someone (ie. you can not grab them by the scruff of the neck and shout at them to get excited), but you can put them in an environment where they can motivate themselves,” he says. “Emma and I believe buy-in is the best motivator, so we try to guide our team into making their own decisions, which they then own. We try to spend a lot of one-on-one time with our team, which we can do because we are a small company and then there is beer.”
3. Allow mastery to flourish.
Allow staff the opportunities to improve. Improvement is satisfying. Some strategies include: detailed performance feedback, experience in a different role/department in the organisation, new assignments, sabbaticals, career development opportunities, training, secondments, conferences and time off for volunteer/pro bono work.
4. Present staff with a sense of purpose. Articulate a compelling vision for the business and set clear expectations.
Staff need to know their tasks, roles and functions in the business, in effect, why they come to work in the morning. These clear expectations are a critical factor in staff engagement according to Fraser.
“The majority of workers just don’t have a clear expectation of what is needed from them,” he says. “Staff should always be able to answer the question: ‘What do you need to do in the next three months in your role and how will it impact on the business?’”
Beyond a specific role, understanding what makes the business tick and why coming to work makes a difference to the world also needs to be articulated. At Skype, it’s about “making the world a smaller and better place”. At Carmen’s Kitchen they “believe food should come from the kitchen, not the chemist”.
5. Offer recognition (and make it public).
It’s obvious, but giving recognition to staff if something that many companies forget. Simple recognition schemes (ie. the old “employee of the month”) are a great way of recognising star performers.
6. Get inventive about employee benefits.
Sydney Water offers two scholarships for children of staff members and staff get to choose where the $100,000 charitable donations go each year.
Google Australia offers staff health insurance and new parents take-away food for a month. While Ikea offers 26-weeks maternity leave for new parents including same-sex couples, which can be taken over 12 months. Four-weeks paternity leave is also offered.
Perks can be tied to the success of specific tasks. “Talk to the employee about what they have done really well, explore why it worked well and reinforce the right behaviour,” says Pink.
“I’ve never known anyone to turn down a swanky dinner for two or a Gold Class cinema voucher.”
Emily Ross is a Melbourne-based business writer, author and consultant.
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