How to Motivate Employees

Motivation in the workplace is essential. A motivated employee is happy and in turn, is more likely to do a good job and work hard. It is important for attracting top talent, retaining employees and general levels of productivity in a business. It’s not always easy to keep employees motivated though. The good news is that there are ways you can boost morale in the workplace and inspire staff. In her decades-long career, Kirsten Marriner, the executive VP and chief people and corporate affairs officer at Clorox, has managed her share of teams and has provided tips to Business Insider on how to care for employees while pushing employees forward.

Cutting Down the Work Required

In 2019 Clorox launched a strategy that strives for simpler, faster, and bolder ways of working. As an example of this, Marriner points toward an employee who, when asked to start a new project, explained that previous work had been done that accomplished the same goal. “It’s about freeing people up to find simpler ways and to cut out work that is not value-added or not as value-added as other work that we can do with that same resource,” she says. “So that same time is again a huge enabler of our entire strategy, but also an enabler of innovation.”

Set Hierarchy Aside

Inclusion is another pillar of Clorox’s strategy, Marriner says. “If you have a diverse organization - and diverse in every sense of the word - and then you have an inclusive culture where those people feel like they have every opportunity to bring forward their ideas and their perspectives and to have healthy discussions, then that is a contributor toward innovation of every type, whether it’s big guy or a little guy,” she explains. The employee in the example above was several levels below Marriner in the company but did not hesitate to speak up. “That was wonderful initiative that he took to take us off a course that would have created new work on something else, but actually to leverage work that had already been done and met the needs that we were trying to achieve.”

A definitive hierarchy can thwart this type of initiative. Coworkers should be able to connect in “very human ways,” Marriner says, and this can only really happen when you are able to shrink the distance between executive team members. “It’s about creating the culture and the environment and making it more than okay” to voice your opinions, she adds. “It’s expected for people to engage in that way. And that’s where we get to our best outcomes.”

Encourage Constructive Debate

While communication is important, Marriner notes that so is constructive debate. During her interview for her first Clorox job, she was asked if she would be willing to push back on Benno Dorer, the CEO of Clorox, who was interviewing her, to which she said yes. She was hired. “One thing that I would say has been consistent at Clorox, and then I would also say has been consistent in terms of how I have approached my role is, you must have open dialogue and healthy debates,” Marriner says.

Be Authentic and Vulnerable

Leaders are encouraged to meet their employees’ opinions with vulnerability and humbleness. “One of the very positive effects of what we’ve gone through over the last several months has been that the veneer [on executives] has been wiped away,” Marriner says. “And so you’re seeing leaders who are showing up with this authenticity and humanity that is different in a very positive way.” Executives avoiding intimidation remind employees that they are like everyone else on the team.

Taking Time Off Work

Employees who are encouraged to take paid time leave off will be more motivated within their role in your company. There are numerous benefits that come with taking leave from work for both your company and employees. You will see a drop in absenteeism and will help staff avoid burnout, which occurs during prolonged periods with no rest. As a result, this impacts productivity and can even lead to a higher turnover rate. It seems obvious but paid time off reduces stress among employees. This in turn allows them to cope better with pressure, which leads to higher performance and drive. It also gives staff a chance to find a balance between work and their personal lives, which will lead to a greater sense of fulfillment.

Tracking Leave with an Online Leave Management System

Managing leave can be a tedious process and may factor into reasons why both employees are reluctant to apply for leave and employers are reluctant to process their applications. This is where a good [online leave If you would like to give it a try we can assist. LeavePro is offering a 14-day free trial, all you have to do is signup. You can also book a demo to help you navigate the system.