![\"Find](\"https:\/\/www.teamly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Find-the-underlying-cause.png\")
<\/p>\nIt feels like an ungrateful response. You pulled out all the stops to hire a team with the desired sets of skills, experience, and personal characteristics. You\u2019ve trained them properly with high hopes for performance and business growth.<\/p>\n
But now you have to face the reality: several employees don\u2019t live up to your expectations. They just aren\u2019t getting the job done.<\/p>\n
You can tell when an employee isn\u2019t productive, right? Always having an excuse, playing the victim, putting things off, taking extended breaks, complaining all the time… Drudgery and underperformance start affecting the entire workplace. Resentment and negativity are spreading. Gone untreated, low productivity can hurt the bottom line and damage morale. You need to put employee productivity first and fix the situation as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n
But how to handle unproductive employees? Do you fire them, or do you re-energize your team and re-engage them with the business priorities?<\/p>\n
Below you\u2019ll find six easy-to-follow steps to motivate your employees and maximize the productivity of your workforce.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
It\u2019s easy to focus on the symptoms instead of curing the disease. If you ignore the problem, make ungrounded assumptions, threaten the employees or immediately burn all the bridges, you may unnecessarily lose a valuable employee. Let\u2019s admit that it\u2019s not the best way to address things.
\nEffective leaders know that there might be an underlying reason for negativity and poor performance. What\u2019s more, they know that if the root problem is organizational, it\u2019s likely to recur. You can\u2019t blame your unproductive employees for the absence of reliable systems and performance management tools.<\/p>\n
Before accusing your people, get close. Schedule a meeting. Approach the conversation from a friendly stance and discuss specific examples of performance issues. Let them talk. You may find, to your surprise, that it\u2019s all about being burned out, underpaid, or undertreated. Other times, it can be a missing resource, lack of guidance, a pressing need for flexibility, or a workplace conflict that undermines performance. Frequent distractions<\/a> and the inability to focus<\/a> are yet other reasons to watch out for.<\/p>\n As a manager, it\u2019s your responsibility to uncover these reasons and seek effective solutions. Even if unproductive employees eventually quit, it\u2019s comforting to know that you did everything you could to help them carry some of their load.<\/p>\n One final hint: listen to what your employees have to say \u2013 just the way you do in the case of your customers.<\/p>\n Motivating unproductive employees means helping your team feel their best and perform their best. Did you even lay out your expectations upfront? Do your employees know what\u2019s expected of them? Yes, they have their job descriptions, but it\u2019s far from being sufficient.<\/p>\n Set up performance improvement targets. Have guidelines and provide a timeline to help employees achieve the final goal. As you proceed, try to identify where they\u2019re falling short and offer support.<\/p>\n Especially when dealing with unproductive (hence, unmotivated) employees, the set milestones should be achievable. This will build trust and remove reluctance; your staff members will know what is required of them and see that you\u2019re willing to help. Stay flexible. Periodic check-ins and progress monitoring will help make further adjustments in the performance targets.<\/p>\n Reinforce accountability and be honest. Consequences should be crystal clear if the employee fails to demonstrate enthusiasm and progress.<\/p>\n If people don\u2019t feel any urge to show high performance, they won\u2019t. After discovering the root causes, clarifying your expectations, and providing sufficient support, you can evoke the competitive spirit at the workplace \u2013 one of the most enjoyable ways to motivate unproductive employees.<\/p>\n This approach might not be self-evident, but there is science behind such a technique. In fact, it\u2019s deeply rooted in our psychology to enjoy overcoming a challenge. Thus, when we receive a stimulus to do things differently, we most often reveal the player inside us. Sparking competition among departments or within a team is a great strategy to push the employees further; they start working more passionately purely because they want to win.<\/p>\n A word of caution here. You should do this carefully to keep the competition healthy without compromising camaraderie.<\/p>\n Who doesn\u2019t love promotion, praise, and recognition?<\/p>\n Motivating unproductive employees may simply require a carefully thought-out program of regular incentives. Acknowledge the wins and celebrate achievements (even the small ones). The gesture of showing your care and excitement about an employee’s success will prove to be so rewarding.<\/p>\n We hear your objection: \u201cI\u2019d love to, but it\u2019s not in my budget.\u201d But it doesn\u2019t even have to be a financial reward. Think about other ways of providing incentives. Generous paid time off, more flexibility in schedules, employee celebration, more learning opportunities \u2013 all these can add a positive vibe and help them avoid the trap of negativity.<\/p>\n Encouragement can be as big as an increased salary and as small as an inspirational speech. Refine your communication tactics when it comes to talking to your team. Positive messages will boost employee morale<\/a>. Enhanced morale will lead to increased productivity at the workplace<\/a>. It\u2019s a positive loop, and everyone will surely enjoy it. When going to your next meeting, use the opportunity to connect and inspire; include something positive and inspirational into your messages.<\/p>\n Oftentimes, employees struggle because they feel that their efforts don\u2019t matter or that no one cares about their success. It\u2019s vital to help them understand that their contribution is valuable. You might say, “I trust your ability to take up this task. I\u2019m sure you\u2019re the best fit to pull this off!\u201d Positive labeling will give your employees a reputation they would want to live up to.<\/p>\n No two employees are the same. With all of the personality and character diversity, some employees are simply looking to make their mark. They\u2019re ambitious, and mediocrity is no option for them. Give this employee a chance to speak up and make sure you cater to those individual, specific needs.<\/p>\n Open the doors. Provide a safe environment for everyone to share insights. Trust your employees\u2019 competence and professionalism. Listening to your employees\u2019 opinions and engaging them in decision-making are potent moves to boost their self-worth. When they know they have a say at the table and their voices count, this spikes up their self-confidence. All of a sudden, an unproductive employee turns into a passionate worker and a corporate ambassador for years to come.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re skeptical about this point, consider the following highlight: this approach catalyzes a manager\u2019s listening skills and pinpoints high-level struggles that would otherwise remain unnoticed.<\/p>\n Last but not least, motivated employees will put your efforts back into the business because an engaged workforce also means increased profitability. According to Gallup, engaged employees contribute to 21% higher profitability and 20% higher sales<\/a>.<\/p>\n Have you ever peeked into company review websites to see what employees write about their work experiences? In their negative reviews, employees usually complain about being treated like machines who are supposed to work without getting tired. They also hate showing up to the office merely for a paycheck, and they\u2019re increasingly looking for a healthier work-life balance. If these points describe your company\u2019s culture, you can\u2019t possibly expect your team to operate at their peak productivity<\/a>.<\/p>\n Invest in people and their experience. Workers have desires and hobbies, and they often lack socializing opportunities. There is nothing wrong with having a \u2018work hard, play hard\u2019 attitude. A bit of fun will fight unnecessary stress and help them stay on track.<\/p>\n Motivating unproductive employees may simply require mixing up work with social opportunities. When you give the employees a chance to take scheduled breaks and enjoy time with their teammates, you give them a reason to show commitment and dedication.<\/p>\n Brainstorm together to come up with a preferable option: Friday happy hours, an extended lunch, a trip out with co-workers, having potlucks \u2013 these can improve relationships and make an impact on how people work together. It\u2019s also the shortest \u2013 and the smartest \u2013 path to building new connections and expanding the professional network.<\/p>\n By the way, there is research to give foolproof assurance to this point. Researchers from the University of Oxford\u2019s Sa\u00efd Business School carried out a six-month study<\/a> and were able to find scientific evidence to what may seem quite obvious: happier employees are more productive. Happy employees not only worked faster,\u201d the survey revealed, \u201cbut also achieved 13% higher sales than their unhappy colleagues.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Set](\"https:\/\/www.teamly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Set-clear-expectations.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/span>Step 2: Set clear expectations<\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>Step 3: Create competition<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"Provide](\"https:\/\/www.teamly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Provide-encouragement.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/span>Step 4: Provide encouragement<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"Utilize](\"https:\/\/www.teamly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Utilize-employee-feedback.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/span>Step 5: Utilize employee feedback<\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>Step 6: Allocate time for having fun<\/span><\/h2>\n