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Whether making New Year’s resolutions, looking at past accomplishments, or setting goals, the New Year always seems to be a time of reflection for many. As a business manager, one area that you may be reflecting on is how best to motivate your employees to drive business objectives in 2012.

Any good manager knows that there are proactive steps you can take to ensure you are getting the most out of your workforce, and these steps often encourage the productivity and sense of workplace inclusion necessary for success.

Maintain a positive attitude. If you are looking to motivate your staff, you play the key role. One of the first and most important steps you can take is maintaining a positive attitude. As a manager, employees will look to your direction. When you offer a combination of leadership, communication and productive collaboration you develop the employees – and teams – that work well together and succeed.

Establish a good work environment. Everything from their general office space to overall working conditions influence employees’ satisfaction with their jobs. If they are working in an uncomfortable setting, like cluttered or noisy areas, they may be more focused on their discomfort versus the job at hand. A comfortable work space is important to wellness and productivity.

Clearly Define Rules and Policies. Another central factor of building a positive workplace culture is establishing clear–cut rules and policies. Each new employee should be provided with clear instructions and guidance on their job duties and what is expected from them, now and in the future. Existing employees should be reminded of workplace standards that will lead to better talent management and less disruption among the ranks. Clearly defining each team member’s role, recognizing individual achievements, and encouraging collaboration will lead to individual and team success.

Establish objectives and goals. Employees need to be presented with clear goals and objectives in order to succeed. If the goal of a project isn’t clear from the onste, many hours will be wasted in frustration. When you clearly outline work roles and the projected end result of projects, your employees are better able to perform their job. And employees that feel they are doing a good job perform at their best.

Define career paths. Employees who feel they are working toward a career plan will be more motivated to succeed. Each employee should have a clear understanding of career opportunities within their team, or the company as a whole. Set up quarterly or yearly meetings with each employee to review their accomplishments, areas for growth, and present them with clearly outlined career plans.

Offer on–the–job learning programs. Providing employees access to seminars, trade events or continuing education programs is a great way to not only motivate your employees to learn, but ensures that you are staffed with a team armed with the most up–to–date learning and tools that will benefit your business.

Be flexible. When it comes to motivating employees, being flexible is a great trait of managers. Depending on your company and its business needs, this can be as small as letting staff come in late one day a week, rotating half–day Fridays to raffling a “day off”. Allowing some form of flexibility, at whatever level is reasonable for your business can go a long way in engendering workplace contentment.

Get social. Schedule in–office gatherings, encourage the organization of groups based on interested, coordinate offsite events – any of these will enhance bonding which in turn helps team spirit, and ultimately impacts your positive work environment.

For more recruiting advice, or to post your job openings, visit us today at circaworks.com.

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