Motivating Employees about Quality

I come from the world of senior care, and one thing that matters more than anything else is “quality”. We always speak of “quality of life”, and “quality of care”. Regardless of the business you are in, quality matters, but how do we get our employees to make quality their top priority? Some employees live by it and others glide through their days, doing the minimal and collecting their paychecks. Let’s talk about how to motivate employees to deliver their best.

Focus on Quality

Leaders in any business should make the word “quality” a part of their everyday lingo. They should provide constant feedback to their employees concerning their output. Leaders are meant to identify areas that could be improved in a constructive manner. They should also provide whatever support is necessary to improve quality. Quality outcomes rely on the right people and tools, and leaders can be there to provide them. When high-quality outcomes are apparent, leaders need to provide praise for a job well done and instill a sense of accomplishment.

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Talk

Motivating employees means someone has to do some talking, and the talk should be positive and encouraging. Getting employees together every now and then to lift them up, provide a pep talk, and shifting their attention back to high quality outcomes can be very effective. Remember, too, that it is not always the message that is most important, but the messenger delivering the talk. Keep it positive.

Give Them Something

Employees like to be rewarded and recognized for their quality, so give them something that is symbolic to not only the employee but to the entire team that motivates them all to do better. What do employees want? It depends on a lot of factors, like their age. Older employees like bonuses, and Millennials like time off. You have to know your employees and what motivates them personally. Maybe they would be happy with an Employee of the Month parking space.

More Training and Education

Sometimes, what employees need to get motivated about is more training and education. If employees don’t have the basic skills to deliver, how can we expect them to be successful? After a while of not doing a good job, will the employee feel pride in their work? Will they go through the motions and simply become uninterested in their role at work? Leadership should continually assess for training and education needs of their employees. By providing it, employees can develop their abilities and skills and, in turn, increase quality.

Meet with Them

Not another meeting! Meetings can be a waste of time or they can be very focused and productive. Effective meetings provide information that can be taken away and applied. Leaders need to use their meetings with employees wisely. Every now and then, gather your team and discuss quality successes and failures. Provide examples. Point out how things are related and paint the big picture for your employees.

Cross-Train Them

A successful motivational technique that really gets employees to care about and focus on quality is to cross-train them in other roles, departments or positions. Let them wear a coworkers shoes for a while so that they see what is involved in other employees’ jobs. Not so easy, huh? Ask employees what they’d like to learn in the organization. You can also assign them to different departments for a while. This whole exercise develops deeper relationships, respect for what others do, and hopefully an increase in quality.

Final Words on Motivating Employees about Quality

Quality is the main ingredient for any business. Leaders focus on it. Marketers brag about it. But, do employees buy into it? Some will and some won’t. Regardless, you can do a lot to motivate employees to focus on quality. You can talk about it, train and educate them more, reward and recognize their accomplishments, gather them altogether, and cross-train them in different departments. The point is to do something, sooner than later. Quality is what everyone wants and most people aren’t patient enough to wait for it. If you don’t provide high quality, someone else will.