5 Interesting Ways to Motivate Employees

“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” -Henry Ford

While it seems like it should be easy to find ways to motivate shop employees - this can often be the most difficult aspect of running a shop for many owners. Not only is it difficult to find ways to instigate motivation, it can also be easy to make a lot of painful mistakes along the way.

While the idea of motivation may seem straightforward, actually making motivation happen in real-life situations is far more challenging.

To start, try thinking of motivation this way: motivation is less about employees doing great work and more about employees feeling great about their work. The better employees feel about what they are doing in your auto shop, the more motivated they remain over time.

So with that said, your goal around motivating employees should be in creating that feeling of purpose, belonging and fulfillment in their day-to-day jobs.

Motivating employees is essential to job satisfaction and productivity in the workplace. But motivation can fade and wane, so it’s important to try and stay creative with ways (sometimes the weird ones work best!) to motivate employees. And it isn’t all about money. Here’s how.

Ways to Motivate Employees That Seem Weird But Really Work

Make ‘Em Laugh

Laughter boosts employee motivation and ultimately your bottom line, research shows. Laughter has an instant impact on our mood. Infuse some humor into the workplace and you’ll get these results:

Laughter = Better Performance

Period.

Don’t Keep Work & Fun Separate

Going along with the idea of making your employees laugh, incorporating some fun into your hectic workday creates an environment where innovation, creativity and, most importantly, motivation can flourish.

Here are some ideas shops have successfully implemented:

1. Have a separate game room to unwind and have some fun.
2. Or how about some Office Olympics? And don’t be afraid to be weird.
3. Have a theme day that everyone can participate in like Football Jersey Friday

Take the founder of the popular soap company, Method, Eric Ryan, who has been known to blast motivational songs like “Eye of the Tiger” from the elevator, hold random office dance parties and show up for work dressed in funny costumes.

Pick Out Some Plants

Seriously! And not the fake ones. Real, living, breathing plants. Research conducted by the NCIB found that having some contact with nature in the workplace is extremely effective in reducing stress in employees. And a stress-free employee means a happier employee. And a happier employee means…you get where we’re going with this…a more motivated employee.

Encourage Exercise Breaks

We all know that exercise is great for improving our health, but did you know that exercise can make you more productive? Encouraging employees to take regular exercise breaks at work will increase energy, alertness and mental health. Offer breaks throughout the day, gym memberships, walking meetings or fitness challenges to inspire some serious motivation.

Go to Lunch

Take your employees out to lunch and let them pick the location or cater an in-shop lunch. Don’t just talk about work, take advantage of this time to really get to know your employees. Ask them about their hobbies, families and interests. Employees are more motivated when they know someone notices them and genuinely cares about them.

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