Motivating Employees

8. Make the Work Interesting

8.1 You need to know which employees are ambitious and which are likely to be content to stay in the same jobs.

• Identify which employees have the capacity to learn new skills.

8.2 Take any opportunities that arise to make people's jobs more satisfying.

• Increasing the variety of tasks employees undertake makes work more stimulating.
• Giving employees the chance to shoulder more responsibility increases their sense of involvement.
• Swapping people around so they try each other's jobs and appreciate each other's roles develops versatility and team spirit.

8.3 You risk losing talented employees if they are under-used, frustrated or bored.

• Ask them what you could do to make their jobs more rewarding.
• Ask employees the key question: 'If you could improve just one thing about your work situation, what would it be?'