TRUST AND RESPECT Everyone, no matter who they are or what they do, knows something you don’t. The people on the front line actually keeping buildings clean often understand problems their managers don’t and could suggest solutions that supervisors wouldn’t think of. A manager who would be open to taking suggestions from staff would earn their trust and respect. One who took no counsel at all would have staff wrestling to get out the door. It doesn’t always have to be this complicated. A report published six years ago on mckinsey.com suggested that more people would be motivated by praise, opportunities to take the lead or even simple pleasantries than bonuses. That being said you don’t have to trust people to the extent Richard Branson does by allowing staff to set their own working hours and take unlimited holiday. Similarly Google’s famous “20 per cent” policy, where it encourages staff to devote a fifth of their time to projects of their choice wouldn’t work well in cleaning. OUTSIDE THE BOX So far we have covered fairly standard ideas which are easy to implement, and pose virtually no risk to your organisation. There are however plenty of quirkier theories that are popular at cutting edge organisations, or perhaps that should read organisations that want to be seen as cutting edge. Some of the latest trends in motivating without money are listed below. They’re not only applicable to cleaning, but they would certainly be relevant. EQUALITY People have gotten so used to working for a manager or supervisor that they almost can’t conceive of an alternative. However removing a project leader has been claimed to foster team spirit. It gives people more pride and responsibility. Apparently people try much harder to please team mates than managers and this leads to them working harder, faster and with more energy as well. 20 CLEANING HYGIENE TODAY SOCIALISING Many experts in motivation advise to regularly socialise with your employees, perhaps by taking them to lunch. This doesn’t just mean people who work just below you, but members of staff from across the organisation. It makes people feel like human beings and offers them the chance to pitch ideas and get to know the company they work for. CELEBRATE When your company does well, celebrate. Make it clear that your firm succeeds (and fails) as a team. You don’t have to go all Wolf of Wall Street and throw a coke-fuelled orgy in the office, but perhaps clocking off an hour early and handing out some drinks and nibbles could work. SWAPS Offer employees (even if it is only the best ones) the chance to pick their own responsibilities, within reason. Or let them trade roles with a colleague. As long as the member of staff is deserving and competent then it develops trust and a sense of freedom with no risk to the firm. FAMILIES Employers recognise that staff would rather be somewhere else. But perhaps they forget that there are other people who want them elsewhere as well. Many companies make a point of including staff’s families as part of the “workplace family” especially if the employee works long or unsociable hours, missing events at home. This can be as simple as inviting families to work parties or sending them Christmas cards. You don’t have to implement all of these ideas. In fact doing so would probably be considered really quite weird. But certainly there will be ideas and suggestions out there for how to motivate staff which would work for your organisation. At the very least you should be aware that simply handing out bonuses and pay rises won’t be enough, and if you believe the research, it could have the opposite effect than you were hoping for. FEATURE STAFF TURNOVER OCTOBER 2015 “People have gotten so used to working for a manager or supervisor that they almost can’t conceive of an alternative.”
Cleaning Hygiene Today October 2015
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