9 ways to Motivate Your Startup Crew

Every new business needs a startup crew that believes fully in the company and its leaders. The crew needs to be loyal and they need to be happy. But, how does a new business owner keep his or her new employees happy and loyal through the trials and tribulations of growing a new company? You need to motivate employees in at least nine ways.

There are at least nine ways to keep a new company’s startup crew happy and loyal. Begin by hiring wisely to form a group of people who are motivated, energetic, knowledgeable, and skilled.

1. The first way to motivate a crew is to keep them fed and hydrated. The price of a few morning snacks and great coffee and other beverages is low compared to the boost it gives employees as they get to work and later in the day. In California, those beverages and snacks can come from coffee delivery companies such as Associated Services.

   Hiring a company that will dependably deliver beverages and snacks at the same time every day is a good first step. The morning coffee time can help new employees bond and form a cohesive group that’s better able to work together in harmony. Making those treats organic, healthy, and allergen-free is even better. Employees who have lunch options available at their workplace, may take shorter lunches. They save the travel time and eat on site.

2. Make your employees feel appreciated by inviting their input and suggestions for company improvement. Listen and ask questions to understand the input and use ideas if possible. Set clear goals and encourage employees to help set priorities and know what work has a priority. Make sure each employee has a clear idea about their role in achieving those goals. Go one step further and keep a file of each employee’s ideas and suggestions along with the efforts to implement those ideas. Employees whose ideas are implemented will feel more invested in the company’s success and stay longer.
3. From the beginning, pay employees a fair wage determined by checking wages paid by similar companies in your area. Pay them a little more than other companies to keep them on the job for the long term. Reward employees for hard work and a good job with fair bonuses. Pay people fairly for long hours and overtime work so they feel their extra effort is appreciated. Employees night be allowed to buy shares in your company as a reward for good work. There can also be a bonus system set up for when the company reaches set profit goals or for successful completion of important group projects.
4. Make sure your business building is a pleasant place to work. It is not costly to make sure your facility is clean and freshly painted. Take the time to arrange the space in an efficient, attractive way. This is a good place to ask for employee input and help. The goal is to have employees feel good. Another way to keep employees happy with their work environment is to consider having some employees work from home part of the time. Flexible work schedules are another idea that can work. Each company needs to work with employees to provide the best work environment for productive work.

   Creating a great work environment might be as simple as making sure employees have the equipment and supplies needed to accomplish their tasks. Make sure all the company equipment is in good, safe working order. Think about having a company workout room or gym memberships for employees. Healthy employees are better workers. Recognizing each employee’s birthday or other personal accomplishments with small celebrations also enhances employee morale.

5. Keep those employees happy by avoiding unproductive, long meetings. Carefully plan meetings with a written agenda and pass it out to the attendees in advance. Keep meetings short and include only the people who need to be there. Make an effort to keep your employees happy and satisfied with their jobs. Happy people are more enthusiastic and more productive. Don’t restrict meetings to a dreary room in the office building. move them to a nearby park, a popular restaurant, or another inspiring place.
6. Avoid extreme micromanagement once you have set clear goals and helped employees decide on a plan to achieve them. Avoid second guessing employee decisions or constantly looking over their shoulders. When employees do good work, reward them with recognition in public. But, know your employees and acknowledge their challenges, tragedies, and triumphs such as sick family members or children’s milestones.

   Learn to be a good coach for your employees, helping them to succeed without hounding them. Communication, support, honesty, and respect go a long way to get employee loyalty and better job performance.

7. When employees make honest mistakes while working to accomplish company goals, don’t punish them. Instead, make it a learning experience and encourage them to try again. If a project fails, don’t blame the team but work with them to learn why there was failure. Seek ways to reverse the failure and turn it into a success. Better yet, follow all projects and help struggling teams save the project before it fails. Then, reward the employees for turning failure into success.
8. Offer loyal employees ways to learn new skills and get more training to advance their careers. Help them gain knowledge about the latest technologies and skill sets for their area of expertise. New growth opportunities help both the employee and the growing new company. Pay for helpful books or courses for employees who want to become more productive or gain knowledge that will help your company.
9. Finally, share company financials with employees. Sales figures from month to month are good numbers to share and help employees gauge how the company is doing. Employees feel better if they know how the business they work for is doing and can feel secure in their jobs. If there are problems with the company, by sharing the information, the owner might get good ideas from employees about how to solve specific problems. A company with happy employees has a better chance of succeeding.