Question:
As a senior VP in a financial services’ firm, most of my team’s work is rather rigid and dry in nature, with regular day-to-day tasks and activities that are more or less the same and rarely ever change. This in turn negatively affects my employees and causes them to eventually get bored from doing what they do. What advice should I follow in order to add creativity to such rigid job tasks and avoid the employees’ dissatisfaction?
Answer:
Good question. Bayt.com’s latest Employee Loyalty, Job Satisfaction and Engagement in the Middle East Survey investigates the factors which drive employee loyalty, engagement and job satisfaction in the Middle East and North Africa and shows how managing these elements can maximize employee retention and minimize volatility and turnover in the Middle East workplace. Here are some of the Bayt.com career experts’ top tips to increase employee satisfaction and enhance workplace creativity:
-Get the employees to know each other better:
Forming relationships with colleagues is one way to take a break and get out of the routine. The employee has to be loyal to the company, in the sense that every day they go to the company they are looking forward to meeting their co-workers and starting a brand new day at work. This can be done by planning a monthly cultural event for instance, or celebrating employees’ birthdays and special occasions at the office. Mingling with employees outside of work hours through company sports or culture events will further strengthen this bond, if they have good healthy relationships at work they should become significantly less bored with what they do.
-Engage employees in new job tasks regularly:
An employee does not need to stick to their defined job description all the time. It is often beneficial for all parties to allocate a variety of new tasks every once in a while in order to relieve the stress and encourage new learning and creativity while creating a sense of challenge and growth. For example, an accountant who is in charge of receivables might be encouraged to leave the office on a client meeting occasionally or be immersed in an interdisciplinary project where their accounting skills are well utilised. In either case the accountant is doing their essential job but also gets to meet new people and try out new tasks involving a higher level of social interaction rather than focusing purely on solitary analysis of figures and finances.
-Motivational rewards:
Set clear targets for your employees and let them know that the first one to hit the target or whoever best achieves the target within the specified period of time will receive a relevant reward such as being sent abroad for a training course, or to attend a prestigious seminar/workshop locally. This will encourage competitiveness and excellence and employees will become more productive and while retaining another incentive to work hard beside money. When the course is over excited employee will return with news skills and a contagious level of excitement and energy.
-Pat them on the back:
It is necessary that you give your employees a pat on the back every once in a while. Let them know that they are doing a terrific job. Studies and research have proven that positive constructive feedback increases employees’ productivity by boosting their self-confidence and making them feel better about what they do. The higher morale and positive energy should result in heightened loyalty and productivity.
