How companies motivate frontline employees

How can companies effectively motivate front-line employees

1. Respect employees

In the past, companies paid more attention to how to respect managers and did not pay enough attention to front-line operators. For example, the work clothes of front-line staff are different from those of management staff, and the quality and style are much poorer; the canteen is also different, and the environment and food quality are very poor. For example, a certain company has always been troubled by the high employee turnover rate. After a survey, it was found that the biggest reason for employee resignation was poor food.

Another example is that the working environment of employees is extremely bad, dirty and messy, and there is no even basic labor protection. Work-related accidents may occur at any time. After a day’s work, the whole body is dirty, and others hide when they see it. When he was far away, his family felt that he had no future and urged him to change jobs quickly. There is also a system of punishment-based management, where managers are rudely scolded and fined arbitrarily. In this environment, employees have no feeling of respect at all, let alone enthusiasm for work. As soon as other companies do a slightly better job, they will leave immediately.

Many companies think that doing this can save costs. In fact, if you carefully calculate it, it will cost more, such as increased recruitment costs, increased efficiency losses and losses caused by the loss of skilled employees, low employee morale leading to reduced output, etc. .

Japanese companies are worth learning from in this regard, such as the uniformity of work clothes and canteens, clean and tidy working environment, politeness of leaders to employees, paid holidays with managers, and opportunities for outstanding employees Dinner with the top leader, etc. Although the salary level of Japanese companies does not have obvious advantages over China, their staff turnover rate is very low.

2. Cultivate a sense of identity

Both children and adults need to be affirmed, but many people ignore this. For example, a child finally draws a picture or makes a handicraft, and runs over to show it to his parents or teachers. The parents or teachers wave their hands and say: "Go aside, don't you see that I am busy?" After a few times, this The child will definitely not show it to them again, and will even lose interest in painting or doing crafts. He does not need any material rewards from parents or teachers for doing this, but wants to be affirmed: "You did a great job!"

Similarly, front-line employees also need this kind of affirmation. Even if it is just a word or a pat on the shoulder, they will feel that their value has been recognized by others/boss, and they will be more motivated to work. The proposal improvement system commonly implemented by Japanese companies is not really intended to bring much benefit to the company. The level of benefit depends more on the management. Instead, it is intended to use this method to mobilize the enthusiasm of employees to participate in management and let them gain benefits. Recognition from the company: You are not a dispensable person, your knowledge and skills can contribute to the company!

3. Establish a fair and effective incentive mechanism

Leaders must set an example and treat subordinates fairly and equitably. The standards for rewards and punishments such as material incentives must be transparent, scientific and reasonable, and long-term incentives must be combined with short-term incentives. Many domestic companies like to adopt the piece-rate wage system, believing that it is fair and reasonable, provides more rewards for more work, and is easier to manage. In fact, it is not the case. It is difficult to set a fair and reasonable piece-rate unit price. Those with high unit prices rush to work, while those with low unit prices are left alone. Everyone only cares about themselves and does not care about others, which causes great difficulties in mutual cooperation. More importantly, employees feel I am a temporary worker. I work for a day and earn a day's wages. If I get sick or ask for leave for something else, I will get nothing. I have no sense of stability in my life and have no affection for the company. As soon as I hear about where I can earn a few more dollars, I will leave immediately. .

Therefore, companies need to rethink the salary system of front-line employees and add long-term incentive factors, such as fixed job salaries, continuous salary increases, and even promotions as working years increase, skills improve, and performance is good. , use good career development to attract and retain core employees. The high level of employee loyalty in Japanese companies is largely related to their lifelong employment system and annual merit salary system.

With the changes in the employment environment, if companies want to attract and retain core front-line employees, they need to change their incentive methods and transfer the incentive mechanism that was only used for managers in the past to front-line employees. Let them truly feel respected and recognized, with reasonable remuneration and good career development.