Humans are very adaptable beings. We are not held back by anything and, in the face of adversity, we have no difficulty in seeking alternatives. That’s why, with the arrival of the coronavirus, many companies have changed their organization to home office without too much difficulty. Is this your case? If so, you are probably wondering what you can offer to your workers that is new to keep their spirits and motivation up in times of uncertainty. You have to look at those who have succeed before first in order to learn. We’ll take a look at of some of the motivation techniques that large multinationals implement in their day-to-day work. I’m sure you will be inspired by good ideas to apply.
How to motivate my employees working from home
Did you know that 80% of employees prefer unrelated incentives to a pay raise? We don’t say that; it’s the result of a survey conducted by Glassdoor in 2017. Benefits such as flexible working hours, facilities to reconcile work and family life or training are “bonuses” that are increasingly helping to attract talent and have become one of the decisive factors for potential employees to choose one job offer or another.
The possibility of working from home, whether total or partial, has also been one of the advantages that many employers have offered their potential employees more and more often in recent years. But, when teleworking has become a necessity, what other measures can be effective?
I’m sure you’ll be interested in: How to motivate employees in times of Coronavirus
How Google motivates its employees
The leadership consulting firm Firm Bain & Company, audited that Google is 40% more productive than the average company and not because it focuses on recruiting high performance employees, but because of its motivation strategies.
Among its proposals, we can find familiar ones, such as facilitating conciliation, being transparent, contributing to the continuous improvement of its workers through training, etc. And then, they also carry out some programs only available at big companies like those in Silicon Valley, such as financially helping employees who want to adopt, offering them a high quality gastronomic offer in the company’s canteens or providing the spouse of a deceased employee with 50% of his or her salary during the 10 years following his or her death. We go over some of their ideas, as they can inspire you with new measures you can implement in your business:
Additional services
To make it easier for employees to reconcile their personal and professional lives, Google offers car wash and oil change services, bicycle repair shop, dry cleaner’s, gym, massage service or stylist. We know that with the state of alarm, all of this is more difficult to offer, but have you considered offering your employees a subscription to an in-home training app so that they sta healthy? You can also give them a subscription to Spotify so they don’t work alone with only silence.
Training and inspiration
At Google, they are continually committed to employee improvement through survey systems and consultants who ensure that they reward the best managers while providing the necessary support and guidance to employees who need it to improve their records. In a situation like this, offering your employees the option of virtual training of various kinds can be interesting, just as it can be interesting to look after their mental health and offer them access to psychological services.
Flexibility and fun
At Google, employees can come to work whenever they want, even take their dog with them. The company is committed to a relaxed, creative and fun working environment, which translates into psychological benefits for employees. When working from home, have you considered the possibility of your employees adapting their schedules to their needs? And how about doing the first team video call of the week wearing pajamas to make it fun?
How Facebook motivates its employees
Unlike Google, which seems like paradise for any worker, Facebook is not so perfect. Many of its workers highlight the long hours it requires and how complicated it is for them to balance work and free time. In this sense, it is advisable that you make sure that your workers are not 24 hours in front of the screen, working, because, in the medium term can result in episodes of stress and anxiety that will only reduce their motivation and productivity.
Despite this, Facebook also offers many incentives to its employees. According to GlassDoor, a page that collects opinions from people who have worked or are currently working at a company, the most valued advantages of Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook are being surrounded by smart people, the good working environment and offering free food.
Other services offered by Facebook to its employees are: an arcade full of video games, four thousand dollars for new parents, free parking and recharging of electric cars or dry cleaning services. In addition, Facebook offers scholars free housing and amenities such as transport service to and from their Menlo Park offices or a housing allowance of $1,000 per month.
How Mars Iberia motivates its employees
Mars Iberia has been selected two years in a row as one of the best companies to work for in Spain (Best Workplaces España 2019 and 2020) and it is not a coincidence. Among other actions, the multinational carried out a gamification action in Spain that strengthened its sales teams and increased its sales by 11%. To achieve this, it used storytelling to motivate its employees through games designed from the real interests of potential players. Through a series of objectives and different levels of prizes, Mars encouraged competitiveness and team spirit.
These types of actions are easy to implement in an environment adapted to a home office, as they are virtual and each employee can play from his or her own device. In addition, they are a great tool for creating community and making work fun at a time when leisure alternatives are revaluing their position as welfare tools.
Take a look at: Successful gamification clients
How to motivate employees without money
We know it is interesting to value the cost for the company to motivate the employees. If you are worried about the bills or the budget you can invest in motivating your employees is limited, don’t worry! There are small measures that are simple to implement and will not require any budget adjust:
- Detect the strengths of each employee and assign them, whenever possible, tasks associated with them. Their productivity will increase if they dedicate their time to a task they like.
- Flexible schedules: As we have mentioned before, as long as the work is done, it is interesting to allow employees to manage their time. In a situation like the current one, if, in addition, they have to take care of children or combine their domestic obligations with their work, they will surely appreciate it.
- Giving your employees autonomy to perform their tasks will help motivate them, but they can also make mistakes. Try to be measured with your corrections and be willing to recognize their achievements. In a stressful situation like the one we are experiencing, nerves are on edge and, as a team leader, you must try to keep everyone calm.
- One of the factors that can help you the most at any time (and more so now that you are working from a distance), is group cohesion. A committed employee is 44% more productive than a satisfied worker.
- Work the inspiration: empower your employees’ creativity, encourage them to propose ideas and make them yours. Betting on their talent will inspire them to be more productive. For example, they can propose ways to organize work now that the team is at home. An inspired worker is almost 125% more productive than a satisfied one.
In a crisis you should not see an obstacle, but an opportunity. Take advantage of the exceptional situation we are experiencing and learn from the great ones to experiment with new organizational systems and new ways to motivate your employees. With initiative, your team will come out of this reinforced. At Playmotiv we are already working on different dynamics and games for when the store opens again. Do you want to be the first to discover them? Don’t hesitate to contact us!
