6 ways to keep your team engaged & motivated

As a corporate events planning & management company, we have had the pleasure to have worked with hundreds of businesses and teams over the years. This experience has been eye-opening and extremely refreshing, as we have seen first-hand how some of the activities we are involved with can boost teams’ morale and bring them closer together.

Whether that’s a team activity, incentive trip or simply asking for your team’s input, there are many ways to keep your staff motivated and involved within your business. Keeping these in mind would not only be beneficial for your team’s mental health but it would also mean higher retention, productivity and energy levels.

Here are 6 simple ways we think can help to keep everyone as motivated as possible:

1 - Personal development

Encouraging professional development is an essential part of any role, but just as important is personal development! As an employer, knowing your team’s likes and dislikes, their hobbies and interests and what makes them tick is what will further strengthen your bond with them. 

By personally knowing your team, you will be able to better identify any areas within the business they may be best suited for, any specific training they could benefit from, what responsibilities they could take on or which activities they are more likely to be interested in. 

This will also help you tailor team building events to suit their specific interests, for example. You might have a team that prefers something closer to home rather than a whole weekend away so a day out rather than incentive travel might suit them better. Alternatively, your team may be a little bit more adventurous, so a city break could be just their cup of tea. 

Giving your team the opportunity to explore different aspects of your business based on their likes and interests and supporting them through this is highly valuable and a total win-win situation. 

2 - Reward your team’s hard work

A team that feels heard and seen is much more likely to engage and demonstrate their interest, increasing productivity levels and motivation. By recognising your team’s efforts you will be fostering the perfect condition for a high performance and quality environment. 

Recognition can take many forms and many don’t even require much - verbal recognition being one of the simplest ones. A ‘nice work!’ or ‘thank you for all you do!’ go a long way!

This helps create a safe space for your team where they feel seen and appreciated. 

If you wanted to take it to the next level, you could organise a meal out or a team event, such as go karting, a corporate party or even an incentive trip. When a team is recognised and rewarded for what they do, they tend to keep the momentum going and feel more keen to make that effort.

3 - Encourage creative freedom

Along with recognition comes creative freedom. Despite common belief, this is not only limited to creative industries. There are many ways we can be creative in the jobs we perform, whether that’s reinventing a task or system or even just organising things differently. 

Your team needs to feel comfortable enough to express themselves creatively and that they have enough freedom to contribute with new ideas.

They should feel confident that when they step forward with an inventive new way of doing something this will genuinely be taken into consideration and appreciated. 

Allowing your team to work outside the box will not only empower them but will also inspire proactivity and initiative. Meet new ideas with enthusiasm and you will have an incredibly creative, self-driven, motivated team by your side. 

4 - Encourage out of office time

You might have the most amazing team, with everybody getting along and working nicely together, but spending time away from the office will still be necessary to keep that bond going.

Going out for a meal or a drink at the pub together will mean quality time outside your work environment and help maintain the connection your team shares.

It also helps them to learn more about one another as people rather than just work colleagues. 

This could be in the form of a company Christmas party, a corporate summer event or a team activity on the weekend. All of these will instil a sense of community and belonging, which is absolutely priceless for any business. 

5 - Offer work flexibility

The world is an ever-changing place and so should be your work environment. Nothing stays the same forever and knowing when and how to adapt is crucial to maintaining a good level of satisfaction amongst your team. 

Allowing for flexibility is an important aspect in determining a team's motivation and it can go a long way. Especially after the pandemic, we have all had to adapt to new ways of working. It has been a long learning curve to many of us, but we have all managed to adjust in some way and offer a much needed level of flexibility. 

A flexible schedule allows for a better work/life balance and takes into consideration the fact that before colleagues, we’re also human beings, with lives and issues outside our offices. Maintaining a flexible approach will give your team better trust in you and more willingness to make an effort. 

6 - Prioritise team wellbeing 

And since we’re talking about work/life balance, wellbeing should be one of your top priorities when it comes to your team engagement. This encompasses every single point mentioned before, from time outside the office together and team building activities to offering flexibility and creative freedom.

Prioritising your team’s health and wellbeing will create a relationship based on both trust and communication that your team will absolutely appreciate.

This means encouraging physical and mental wellbeing through a number of activities, ranging from regular breaks to comfortable areas where they can relax. 

Nothing will strengthen your connection with your team more than them knowing you genuinely care for them. 

Can we help in bringing your team closer together?

Team bonding activities are one of the greatest ways of strengthening your team’s bond further. Giving your team a chance to get away from the office and do something fun together will make them feel prioritised and part of a community. If you’re looking at different ways you could bring your team together outside work, just get in touch with us!