Staff motivation comes from many sources other than the whip and the carrot. (Click each image for an explanation )
Pay
You will probably pay your employee on a time-rated system. In other words, you will pay a set rate expressed as an hourly rate, weekly wage or annual salary. Incentive payment systems, where pay is linked to performance or productivity, are difficult to administer in small firms where an employee may have several different tasks to perform.
To be an attractive employer, you will have to pay higher rates for overtime hours.
You should set payment rates in accordance with current trends. Read job advertisements and ask business advisers when trying to set appropriate and attractive rates of pay for staff motivation.
Other Benefits
You can also reward your staff in the following ways:
Make contributions towards their pension scheme.
Offer a company car if their job involves a lot of driving.
Cover their expenses if they have to travel as part of the job. Some employers make additional payments for nights spent away from the normal workplace.
Pay bonuses if the business has performed well over the last year, or if the employee has helped secure new work for your business.
Flexible Working Hours
A good work-life balance consistently comes top of the list in surveys of what employees appreciate most in their working life. People need to balance their working hours with other parts of their life such as bringing up children or carrying out voluntary work, for example. Increasingly, people are more concerned with achieving this balance than with earning high levels of income.
Imagine you are a single parent with two children. Which of these would be attractive to you?
1
The chance to work a 25-hour week, starting at 9.30am and finishing at 3pm each day.
2
The chance to work overtime hours in the evening and receive higher pay.
3
The opportunity to work longer hours in the weeks before the mid-term holidays, and be able to take two days off during the holidays.
