Business Lesson 14: Teamwork

Business Lesson 14
Teamwork

Team Work Idioms and Motivation

Motivating employees really boils down to finding out what your employees want and finding a way to give it to them or to enable them to earn it. The most common misconception is that employees can only be motivated by money. Happiness in the workplace is influenced by many factors. Below are four techniques created to provide non-monetary motivation:

1. Recognition/attention

Whenever an employee accomplishes something, they have achieved something; your words of encouragement are a part of that achievement. Most supervisors skip this step because they themselves never receive enough recognition. This is no excuse, recognition is free and vital to employee morale, become a giver.

2. Applause

Yes, this is a form of recognition, but a very specific one. Physically applauding your employees goes a long way, especially if you implement this strategy properly. Don’t be afraid to applaud anywhere at any time. This means: mid-shift, beginning or end, social gatherings, luncheons, etc..

3. One-on-One Coaching

Coaching contributes to employee development. Coaching takes time and dedicating your time shows that you genuinely care (remember, in business time is money). Positive feedback should be done in a public and open space so that the words may act as a natural stimulant for the other workers.  Constructive criticism should be given privately, and don’t forget that criticism should always be constructive. Your goal is to give them suggestions and advice for improvement, not to point out all their flaws.

4. Training

Even if you feel as though your employees are very well trained, it is important that you understand that you can never overtrain and that training is never finished. Periodic ‘tune-up’ sessions should be held and led by either yourself or a supervisor who shows a particular strength in the skills taught.
This method is just as effective in a group or project work setting as it is in a company setting. As a project coordinator or team leader, it is important that the group works together and is not afraid to ask for assistance from other team members if needed. Here are some team work idioms designed to emphasise a team-based environment:
* A chain is only as strong as its weakest link
* A whole is the sum of its parts
* There is no ‘I’ in team
* We’re all in this together
* We all have each other’s backs
Your group members need to know that they can rely on you as group leader to assist them when needed. Ending a meeting with ‘I’m here to help’ can make a world of a difference to Teamwork and increased efficiency.

Vocabulary List