by Jacqui Wylde, Business Development Manager and Incentive Travel Expert at CT Group Travel
When staff members feel motivated, appreciated and valued, you’re far more likely to have an efficient team who reach goals and maintains focus across their tasks. Some business leaders do have concerns about how best to retain staff and maintain their happiness.
With so many forward-thinking companies offering amazing benefits, how can you make sure that your company is motivating and retaining talent?
Here are 5 creative ways to motivate your employees.
Development & Growth Opportunities.
Today’s workforce is rarely satisfied with the idea of entering a role and staying there indefinitely. Most are constantly thinking of ways to develop their skills, gain knowledge and grow in their career. Knowing that an organisation offers development and growth opportunities is very important in not only attracting new talent but retaining existing employees.
Businesses should really have a training budget so that they are able to participate in relevant training or courses and attend industry-specific events, conferences and lectures so they can keep up on trends and developments in the sector. Employees need to know that they can get more from a role than just a salary and that there is the opportunity to upskill and climb the ranks when they join an organisation.
Incentive travel.
Giving employees a specific target to work towards can be very motivating. Incentive travel is a fantastic way to present staff with a challenge and a goal to motivate them to achieve this target. The beauty of incentive travel is that you can be as creative as you want to be including out-of-the-ordinary activities where employees can truly immerse themselves in their destinations, whether that’s husky puppy training in Norway, making a positive change by getting hands-on with an animal conservation project in Costa Rica or adding on a walking tour with a former street child in Delhi being just a few fantastic ways to satisfy employees.
What’s equally great about incentive travel is that you don’t have to offer a large, long-haul trip if your company isn’t able to provide this. A beach weekend incentive in Ibiza or a city break in Vienna are also fantastic ways to motivate employees to meet their goals.
Wellbeing Perks.
Our physical and mental wellbeing is a much larger focus these days, and as a result, businesses are paying much closer attention to how their employees feel. Many businesses are offering additional health benefits to help ensure their employees stay happy and healthy, but there are more creative ways to offer staff wellbeing perks.
Some businesses will reimburse their employees for gym memberships or partner with companies who offer discounts to employees at different restaurants, cinemas and even retailers. Others offer yoga and meditation sessions regularly within the office. Whatever the approach, investing in staff wellbeing will not only let employees know that their health matters to their employer, but it can also help employees achieve more, because their mental and physical health is addressed and improved, if necessary.
Childcare Support.
Work-life balance is extremely important to today’s workforce, and providing options for finding this balance can only be seen as positive by employees. Childcare is one of the greatest costs for working parents. Businesses can help their employees with making childcare less of a struggle, and there is more than one way to do this. Subsidising childcare through national insurance contributions is one way to go, saving employees several hundreds of pounds per year through childcare vouchers.
Flexible working hours are another fantastic way to accommodate parents, allowing them to work around their own schedule so they can make school drop-offs and pick-ups, as well as important events. Working wirelessly from home can also be another highly effective way to give working parents the flexibility they need.
Celebrate Successes.
It can be very discouraging for employees to achieve goals, perform well and help the business grow and then to feel that their efforts are not recognised. Ensuring that your company celebrates successes is a great way to make employees feel appreciated and let them know that their efforts are recognised.
It can be as simple as having Friday drinks after work on the business or fun activities outside of the office every few months. Whatever the activity, personal acknowledgement of the team’s efforts should be given as part of the celebration.
Investing in staff to ensure they are motivated is well worth the costs that businesses incur as a result. Having staff on board who are well-rewarded, benefits both employees and the business as a whole, ensuring you have a driven, motivated and happy team.
Jacqui Wylde is Business Development Manager and Incentive Travel Expert at CT Group Travel. Jacqui has 30 years of experience in the incentive and conference industry, having worked for highly prestigious agencies and for some of the world’s largest Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 companies. Her career has taken her around the world to some fascinating destinations on and off the beaten track.
