A common problem facing all employers is how to create a motivated and engaged workforce, and not only that, once you have created it, how do you maintain it? It is a well-known fact that a workforce that has fully bought-in to their career and the organisation they work for will offer more loyalty to that business, but it goes far beyond that. A motivated workforce will also result in:
- reduced absenteeism
- attracting and retaining better quality employees
- improved employee/employer relations
- better quality performance, leading to less errors/costs etc
- better efficiency and productivity
While every organisation is different and faces varying challenges, there are common factors which can be considered in creating a happier, more focused and engaged workforce. So here we will look at some of these factors where they can be applied to your business.
1 Create a comfortable environment
It is an employer’s duty to create a safe and comfortable working environment, but a good employer will go far beyond the basics of health and safety and hygiene welfare. If an employee feels their needs are being looked at in a fair and considerate way, they will perform better and feel more motivated. This could be ensuring a workstation is ergonomically comfortable to an individual, investing in air conditioning, providing good canteen and refreshment facilities, providing breakout facilities where employees can gather and relax or providing a structure for social functions.
2 Create a structure for rewarding employees
This is often linked to appraisal systems and annual objectives set for employees by their line manager. Effectively, if you give an employee something to aim for over a set period – daily, weekly, monthly, annually – they will be more focused and able to track their own progress. The reward can be anything, as long as it is fair, achievable and tangible so that progress towards it can be measured and visible. Inevitably this will create healthy competition within the workforce, which adds to the point that any system introduced has to be fair and simple, so that everyone has a comparable opportunity.
3 Providing a friendly environment
While this is not something you can quantify or always be sure you have been successful with, it is crucial in creating a motivated workforce and hence is an important factor that any business should work towards. A happy workplace is somewhere people will want to go to and will want to perform for, so providing a friendly environment breeds loyalty and contentment. This can be achieved by ensuring inclusivity, creating a structure whereby employees are listened to and their views acted upon, providing a structure where performance is rewarded and where career progression is visible and achievable. This goes hand-in-hand with the other factors listed above, but also includes avoiding cliques forming and basic management actions such as monitoring bullying and discrimination.
4 Salary Sacrifice Schemes
Providing a non-cash benefit in exchange for a portion of an employee’s salary is a proven factor in improving motivation, loyalty and engagement. These can be extra holidays, additional pension contributions, childcare or the most common is low-emission vehicle leasing. These deductions can be taken pre-tax on some benefits, and hence the employee benefits financially. This creates an attachment between the employee and the organisation beyond the normal employee/employer relationship, because the employee’s performance has provided a benefit which impacts on their lifestyle and family, and which is far more than simply being paid.
At Pink Salary Exchange we have designed a ‘next generation’ salary sacrifice car scheme which offers a flexible product designed from over 20 years’ experience in the industry. We use multi-bid funding to ensure electric vehicle drivers are always benefitting from the best currently available leasing deals, and our 12-48 month deals mean the employee can choose a lease deal which suits their personal circumstances. Furthermore, our deals are low-risk in that if an employee does leave the organisation, they are not tied to the lease deal and financially liable for it.
Of the many ways an employer can motivate and engage their employees, salary sacrifice schemes have emerged as an innovative mechanism through which better and more efficient performance can be achieved and maintained. Furthermore, the tried and trusted experience of Pink Salary Exchange has resulted in a product which benefits all parties and creates a dynamic environment which gets the best out of everyone. Contact Pink Salary Exchange to learn more about our salary sacrifice car scheme.