Building a harmonious, motivated team is a long process that requires a lot of work and commitment. However, it is even more difficult to keep this motivation at the highest level. Motivation is not certain. Even the strongest motivation can disappear if we don't nurture it. Wondering how to motivate your team? Here are 4 simple tips to keep your employees working at full capacity at all times.

Strength in a group: the benefits of teamwork

It is not known from today that teamwork can bring the greatest benefits. Working in an organized group allows you to create synergy. This means that employees through cooperation are able to achieve a greater effect than the sum of individual separate actions. In other words, a well-coordinated team can do what is hard to do alone. Using the skills, potential, experience and knowledge of each member, it can look for unconventional solutions and perform professional tasks in the best possible way.

A strong, well-coordinated team easily overcomes obstacles, quickly achieves set goals and achieves successes. Efficient group work is beneficial for both individual employees and the entire company. The employees draw the best from the knowledge and experience of their colleagues, constantly develop and achieve personal success. The company achieves excellent results, climbs the market hierarchy and builds its stable position in the industry.

However, the work of the team will not be effective when it lacks motivation to act. Effectively motivating employees should be an integral part of the duties of the leader, manager, employer or other person managing the group. Thanks to motivation, the team challenges itself, willingly engages in additional tasks, and this makes it achieve the best results and achieve spectacular successes. How to motivate the team?

How to motivate the team to work?

Motivating a team is an art. It requires a lot of commitment, technical skills and a lot of assertiveness and empathy. As an employer, you should treat your employees as one well-functioning organism, and at the same time it is important to remember that each is a separate entity. Everyone is an individualist who strives to achieve personal goals. Therefore, the idea of motivating employees to act is the selection of systems and forms of motivation that will affect the entire group and, at the same time, each individual.

So how to motivate the team to work so that they can easily carry out the assigned tasks and be successful? First of all, you should:

• set clear, achievable goals,
• take care of a clear motivation system,
• maintain a good atmosphere in the company,
• organize integration meetings outside the company walls.

Set clear goals 

Employees need to know what they are aiming for. Therefore, reliable determination of the company's goals should be a priority for every employer. First of all, you should clearly and clearly communicate to the group the philosophy of the entire company and its mission that will guide their actions. The second important aspect is the short and long-term goals strictly related to the team's work. Long-term goals (e.g. 5-year, annual) will be the basis for the team's operation, short-term goals (quarterly, monthly, and even weekly or daily) will guide their work on a daily basis. When setting goals, follow the SMART principle According to it, the goal should be:

• specific - clear for everyone to understand, unambiguous, one that leaves no room for loose interpretation,
• measurable - formulated in such a way that it can be measured,
• achievable - ambitious but achievable, 
• relevant - valuable for the team, constituting an important step forward,
• time-bound – with a set execution time, but the deadline must be appropriately adjusted to the specificity and difficulty of the goal.

How to motivate the team? Take care of a clear motivation system!

When thinking about how to motivate a team, the first thing that comes to mind are incentive systems. And rightly so! Properly selected, specific motivators at work increase the efficiency of employees' activities and arouse in them the desire to constantly develop, search for new solutions and achieve spectacular results.

Motivation systems can be divided into financial and non-financial. Among the first we will mention, among others:

• raise - a permanent increase in salary as an appreciation of excellent work performed for a long time,
• performance-based bonus – additional financial benefits awarded according to clearly defined indicators for measuring the achieved results,
• awards - additional bonuses for outstanding achievements.

A non-financial motivator may be additional benefits granted to employees for good work and achieving excellent results. Popular additional benefits include: private medical care, a car for private use, or access cards to sports facilities. 

How else can you motivate your team? A non-wage motivation system is also caring for the mental comfort of employees, i.e. introducing a shorter working day, open communication, support from the supervisor, maintaining work-life balance. 

Maintain a good atmosphere in the company

As numerous studies show, good atmosphere at work, has a huge impact on the motivation and quality of team activities. In a nice, friendly atmosphere, work is more pleasant, more accurate and more efficient. People who feel great in the company of their co-workers and get along great with them are more likely to engage in additional projects, easily achieve all goals, and thanks to this they are successful. Importantly, the efficient work of the team is beneficial for the entire company, which can develop and strive to build/maintain a competitive advantage on the market.

What does the atmosphere in the company depend on? A good atmosphere is created by:

• fair treatment of employees,
• open communication,
• clear division of duties,
• superior support,
• quick resolution of emerging conflicts,
• no unhealthy competition
• mutual respect.

However, relations between employees and between employers and employees are undoubtedly of the greatest importance, and they are best built outside the company's walls.

How to motivate a team - meetings in an employee group

Meetings with employees outside the company walls are one of the most effective motivators for action. Joint outings de-stress and add energy. In addition, they facilitate better getting to know colleagues from the other, private side and strengthening bonds.

Company meetings can take various forms - from going out to a restaurant in the company of employees, through trips to matches, group games (e.g. in the rope park), until the joint celebration of Christmas Eve and other events. An interesting way to integrate are several days company trips filled to the brim with interesting attractions. On departure can be arranged integration hearthcompany Olympic Games or an interesting themed evening. The most important thing is that the event should provide employees with a huge dose of great fun, help them build friendly relations and effectively motivate them to work. 

Constantly motivating the team to act requires a lot of work and patience. However, it is definitely worth getting involved in the process. Thanks to motivation, the team works more efficiently and achieves better results, which has a positive impact on the entire company.