One of the biggest costs in any business is the cost of labour – the amount you have to pay to have somebody perform a job. Many of the things which harm productivity and therefore bump up spending can’t even be measured. These include poor training, a dysfunctional working environment and negativity on the job.

There’s a simple, two-word answer to all of these vague problems – employee motivation. When your employees are motivated to do well at their job, you find other problems resolve themselves with little effort or interference from you. Here are five strategies for motivating employees that cost little to nothing.

Catch people doing something right – and create consequences

Some managers seem to have the impression that outstanding ingenuity and back-breaking work are simply expected of every employee. If you want to motivate them to keep going above and beyond, the most effective motivational technique is to catch them doing things right, and create a consequence for those actions. In other words, recognise and reward.

Make sure your employees know what the reward for certain actions will be. If someone saves a lot of time, give them some time off in return to motivate them to do it again. If a team has worked particularly physically hard, treat them to a massage. There are also the old standbys of bonuses based on profit, or salary increases.

Ask what they want from work, and give it to them

Obviously there is a little ‘Terms and conditions apply’ attached to this point. You won’t be able to give your employees everything they want out of work; however, you’d be surprised at how often what an employee wants and what management wants coincide.

Ask people at the beginning of every quarter-year what they would like to do in the next three months at work. They might want to take on some extra responsibilities, have more flexible working hours, be trained to take on extra duties, etc – and these motivational ‘rewards’ are often in the business interest, also.

Say ‘Thanks, you did a great job on that’ … and mean it

When you appreciate an employee’s hard work and the results gained, thank them for it. Be genuine – think of the benefit to the company and this should come naturally.

Be a shining example

If you don’t love your job, if you don’t take responsibility for your own actions and results, and if you don’t focus on productivity, you can’t expect your employees to do the same. Make the above points obvious to your employees; never moan and complain about your job, and talk to them about your own results in the course of conversation.

Broaden your view of motivation

Read the Checklist of Possible Motivators to help understand how broad the categories of motivational rewards are. You will need to find out which ones motivate employees on a case-by-case basis. This is most easily done by asking them, and getting people’s input in a team meeting.

Money isn’t necessary the sole, or even the major factor in employee satisfaction and motivation. If your employees get too little money, they will certainly feel resentful. However, past a certain baseline, other factors are usually the key to successfully motivating staff. Find out what key factors trigger your staff’s motivational levels and you may be on the way to a happier and healthier workplace.

Business coaching is ideal for people who need help in creating a vision and direction for their company, people who have started their own business but lack business acumen or management skills or managers who want to become more effective leaders.

What is business coaching?

A business coach is independent of your business and will act as a mentor or advisor to your business.

They will help you define the vision and purpose for the business, create a strategic business plan, help you set measurable goals, implement those goals and track your progress.

They can also act as a sounding board, brainstorm creative solutions to difficult problems, discuss day-to-day problems or help you make your business dreams become a reality.

What are the benefits of business coaching?

There are several benefits to business coaching. Some of these include:

• Strategic vision

Business coaching will empower you with the skills to develop a ‘bigger mentality’ that will you more time to look at the overall strategic plan of the business by trusting your staff and delegating responsibility.

• Motivated and happy staff

Business coaching improves the management skills of key players in the company which in return leads to happier staff who want to come to work and have a renewed interest in the company. This leads to an improved retention rate, reduced absenteeism, a higher level of motivation and increased productivity.

• Work-life balance

With increased productivity, better organisational skills and management of staff, this will inevitably lead to a work-life balance as workloads and deadlines are better managed. Business coaching will teach you to work smarter and not harder and find ways to reduce your workload but increase your productivity.

• Increased profits

Business coaching’s end result is to increase profits and the bottom line of a company. This is done by teaching the business owner or manager sound business principles such as the significance of strategic planning, the importance of promotion and marketing to a business and the value of having happier staff and an improved retention rate.

Are you ready for change?

For business coaching to be effective and to be worth the financial investment, your management team needs to attend the business coaching sessions with an open mind and be ready to change their business practices. Business agents act as a change agent and needs a 100% commitment to improving the process of the businesses and business management style of the organisation.

How do I find a good business coach?

Always ask a business coach for referrals or case studies. Ask to speak to these past clients if possible and ask them about their experience with a business coach. Try and find a business coach who is familiar with your industry. You may also want to speak to your local industry association and see if they can give you any recommendations for business coaches who have achieved success with similar businesses.

Business coaching focuses on changing the interpersonal skills of managers and business owners to ultimately increase productivity, time management, improve the retention rate of a company and ultimately improve the bottom line, turnover and profits of a company.

There are several reasons why good workers miss deadlines. If your team is consistently missing deadlines, you need to address the problem why. It may not lie with the incompetency of your staff members and not being able to meet deadlines. The problem may lie in the way that the way the deadlines are set and how employees are managed. Here are five common mistakes managers make when setting deadlines for projects.

Set realistic deadlines

A deadline must be realistic or the employee has failed before they have even started the task. Each individual deadline must take into account factors like:

• what the employee’s skill set is
• how long it will take them to complete the task
• what their current workload is and
• what additional resources are allocated to the project.

You need to set firm deadlines for your employees and stick to those deadlines. Deadlines should not be brought forward at a whim or a moment’s notice because you have decided that you have time in your afternoon to read a draft of the annual report.

Get your systems right

There is software available like project management software that will map out a schedule of work, manage cost control and budgets, resource allocation and documentation. Each company has their own individual systems and software to organise projects which may be commercial software or individually built for the organisation. Other standard tools like Microsoft Outlook are useful are scheduling meetings, tasks and reminders for deadlines. Using this software consistently and correctly will result in a greater chance of deadlines being met.

Keep your eye on the ball

Schedule regular work in progress meetings for long term projects to make sure that your employees are hitting their deadlines at each phase of the project. Don’t wait until the day before the project is due to have a last minute catch up with your team.  It will most likely be too late to address any problems that may result in a missed deadline. Regular meetings should be held to discuss any problems with projects or obstacles that may hinder deadlines or cause deadlines to be missed or pushed back.

Allocate adequate resources

A major reason why deadlines are missed because there are not enough resources allocated to a project. Initially there may be enough resources allocated but due to extenuating circumstances such as requests for additional work not specified in the original brief or complications such as the weather, sick employees or materials lost in transit which may slow down the workload. In this instance, more resources should be allocated or deadlines should be moved in order to complete the work in a timely manner.

Reward people for meeting deadlines

There is always a debriefing when a mishap happens, deadlines are not met or something goes wrong but there also needs to be a debriefing when things go right at work. If a project is completed successfully, have a meeting to discuss the positives about the projects and to learn how to manage similar projects in the future. If an employee has met their deadline early, acknowledge their work and reward them for their hard work by giving them the afternoon off or time in lieu. Employees who feel valued and appreciated are less likely to miss deadlines.

Setting deadlines is one of the most important tasks of management. A missed deadline or a deadline that is pushed back may lead to costs blown out for a project, a lack of motivation or team spirit as employees are constantly overloaded or working around the clock to meet the deadline or the worst case scenario, the loss of a client or major account.

Time must be taken at the start of the project to set realistic deadlines, allocate adequate resources to a project and allow for any contingencies. This must be monitored throughout every stage of the project to ensure a project is completed within time, within budget and to the client’s satisfaction.

Here are five essential wardrobe staples for women and men that will take you from the boardroom to the bar with only a few strategically placed accessories.

Women

Little black dress

If Audrey Hepburn has taught us anything, it’s that a little black dress is essential in any woman’s wardrobe. Worn with the right shoes and accessories, this multi-purpose dress is timeless and a perfect RSVP for any invitation.

Classic white shirt

The classic white shirt is a foundation piece on which to build an outfit. Pair a white shirt with a pair of pants for a stylish work ensemble or team it up with jeans for a more casual look. Three elements to look for when purchasing a white shirt are wearability, style and tailoring. There are a variety of styles that you can choose from such as classic man tailored shirts, the wrap shirt or ruffled shirts.

Trench coat

A trench coat gives you a ‘don’t mess with me’ attitude that no PowerPoint presentation or well written strategy can ever accomplish. Trench coats earn their keep at work and over time at after work drinks. Buy a trench coat in a neutral colour like basic black or cream that will transcend all season’s trends.

Jeans

A well fitting pair of jeans is an essential wardrobe item and can be dressed up or dressed down depending on the occasion. Buy jeans in a classic dark blue colour and avoid embellishments as they do not always translate well into next season. There are a variety of cuts to suit any body shape from skinny jeans to boyfriend jeans.

Peep toe pumps

A pair of classic black, peep toe pumps looks equally at home with a pair of jeans, work pants or dress. Peep-toe shoes can be worn virtually all-year round; the exposed toe is perfect to wear in warmer months, or paired with tights for an updated winter look

Men

Suit

A well cut suit is your calling card. Make sure it makes a statement and not a question about your abilities. A suit is an investment and it’s better to buy one well designed suit or tailored suit than three ill fitting ones.

White shirt

A crisp, white shirt is an essential item in any man’s wardrobe. The clean lines of a freshly ironed man’s white shirt has an understated elegance, charm and long lasting appeal. Three important elements in a white shirt are a luxurious fabric, beautiful design and expert tailoring. For the best investment, buy a white shirt in 100% cotton. You won’t regret it.

Jeans

You can’t go wrong with a pair of well fitting, straight leg denim jeans in dark navy and a simple pocket design. You don’t really need to break the bank to buy the trendiest pair of jeans, just make sure they fit well and they are comfortable. A darker denim is a more versatile colour and a classic look in any man’s wardrobe.

Shoes and belt

Every man needs a pair of well polished black or brown shoes and belt in his wardrobe. Invest in a quality leather pair of shoes and belt that will last the distance. As the adage says, you can tell a lot about a man by his shoes.

Tie

A tie in a solid colour such as grey or black is a functional and stylish core wardrobe staple. Leave the gaudy prints for the work Christmas party.

Your wardrobe ideally should consist of 70% classical items of clothing and 30% trend based clothing. If you invest in wardrobe staples that will last you for a few seasons, you’ll never wake up in the morning wondering what you’re going to wear.