It’s easy for employers to look at lackluster productivity and attribute the problem solely to poor employees. While sometimes it’s valid to point the fingers at them, in many circumstances employee motivation and effectiveness relates directly to the manner in which employees are managed.

I’m not advocating that you coddle employees and give them gold stars each time they do something right, this isn’t Kindergarten. But there are things that you as a manager can do to impact the amount and quality of output of your employees.

  1. Give employees freedom over their work. Let them have input on the tasks they perform and/or how they perform them. You could give them choices in assignments or creative license to complete tasks however they wish. This will boost their feelings of ownership in what they’re doing.
  2. Challenge employees. Give them difficult tasks that push them further. You don’t want to make the tasks so difficult that you set them up for failure. Rather, by pushing them slightly further you’ll motivate them to perform their best and also encourage pride in their work.
  3. Provide each employee with the right motivation. While cash may motivate employees to accept a job or stay in a job, it may not motivate them to put their best foot forward at that job each and every day. Instead, tailor motivation to the personality and lifestyle of each individual employee. Work to understand what’s really important to an employee and use that to create motivational tactics. What works for one, may not work for another.
  4. Convey to employees their value. Explain how their pieces of work fit into the greater puzzle that is your business. Employees that are aware of what they bring to the table will feel like they are a part of the team and truly have an impact on the success of the company. 
  5. Recognize and address employees’ concerns. Be cognoscente of employees’ concerns and the problems they may be facing. Once you have an understanding of how they feel, communicate that you are aware of the issues and are willing to work with them to create a better overall environment.

These tactics aren’t something that you do once and then you’re done. To ensure productivity over the long haul, you need to be constantly repeating the cycle and going further to nurture the work that your employees perform.

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