If your team are happy, they are more productive and produce better outcomes. It’s that simple, really. Happy employees means reduced absenteeism, and ultimately leads to higher productivity; a win-win for all. However, ensuring employee well being and motivation is not simple. It doesn’t happen naturally and there are a few things that a studio will need to do in order to foster an environment that breeds motivation. Thankfully, there are a number of proven methods which are not too difficult to implement.
Lead by example
If your staff see a highly motivated, passionate leadership team that strives to improve every project every time, they are more inclined to follow a similar pattern. You can’t expect your team to care about the goals unless the senior team are demonstrably passionate about them too.
Empowerment and self-management
If you’re not holding regular one-to-one meetings with employees in some capacity, you’re already missing out on one of the most powerful motivational tools out there. Giving team members a say in how their job is done gives them a sense of autonomy, and after all, they have the greatest insight into the exigencies of their day-to-day tasks. As such, they are best positioned to identify ways in which the Studio’s and project teams approach can be improved and fine-tuned. Adopting their recommendations can generate a virtuous circle in which motivated team members identify and implement improvements to individual tasks which, in turn, fosters engagement and improves motivation.
Give them a ladder
The desire for career progression is almost universal and your staff will want to know that there are opportunities to climb the career ladder as their time with the business passes. Giving people chances for advancement not only develops them as professionals and may satisfy some of the requirements of continuing professional development, but results in a more efficient and productive staff member.
Deliver honest feedback
Don’t sit on feedback or sugar-coat it. Sometimes a design is great from an artistic standpoint, but not so much from a client’s standpoint. If a client doesn’t like something, keeping that from an Architect to protect their feelings only serves to further endanger the project.
Incentive packages – be relevant
Everybody loves a suitably targeted incentive or rewards programme. Vouchers and coupons are popular options, particularly for perceived luxury items such as a meal out at a prestigious restaurant. Thinking outside of the box can be extremely powerful too; just think about incentives that your team will actually find useful in the context of daily life. This might be allowing people to work towards adding an extra day’s holiday, or offering a childcare voucher scheme. Listen to your employees and you’ll soon find out what perks and rewards drive them; use these insights to build unique incentives that make them feel valued.
While the above points are by no means exhaustive, they are a great starting point for any architectural firm which feels as though it has fallen short in driving employee satisfaction and motivation. The most important thing to remember is that supporting your workforce is absolutely essential to consistent and sustainable growth as a business.