Last week I received a call from a lovely gentleman who wanted to tell me how much he appreciated my article from last week, and how ‘spot on’ he thought it was. He spent a few minutes sharing his story and encouraging me in my pursuits as well.

I shared this occurrence on my personal Facebook page, and one of my friends responded with “So lovely! For someone to go out of their way to encourage another is a challenge for all of us to do it more!”. She, and the gentleman who called me, are exactly right.

It is amazing what simple, seemingly ‘little things’ can do for your business. I have had a few clients say to me recently “I tell everyone that you always reply quickly to emails”, because it impresses them that I do so as a matter of course.

Going out of our way to encourage, thank or assist people is something every business can do. However, let me state clearly: if your only motivation for doing something ‘nice’ for clients and colleagues is because of the benefits you expect to receive, think again! While you can integrate these things into your processes (and while they may benefit your business), unless it comes from a genuine motivation they are not likely to respond positively. That is, they will see through the charade!

An example of a gesture that I think is questionable is the ‘personalised’ birthday card from a large corporation, who you know has no personal contact with you, they simply have your birth date and name on file. Do you hang those birthday cards alongside the ones from family and friends? Probably not! Whereas a handwritten card from someone you deal with directly on a regular basis is much more likely to be taken for what it is: a genuine gesture. So any small business operators reading this, take advantage of your ‘smallness’ and do the little things that big business cannot do.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

Did you know that research has shown that while money is a motivator for employees, there are many other factors which can influence their productivity and loyalty? The bottom line is that staff who feel appreciated and acknowledged will in turn reap rewards for your business, as they will be more satisfied with their overall working experience.

Let’s face it, we all like to be told we have done a great job! And we are all more likely to do better next time, or aim for higher goals, if we are encouraged in our endeavours. As employers, it can be too easy to get absorbed in ‘running the business’ and forget that our greatest assets are our employees. You may be under the impression that providing more incentives and rewards will cost you money. But there are many no cost ways to increase motivation and retain your staff.

-       Offer the option for flexible work hours. In our age of 24/7 access, there are many tasks which can be done from home or outside of standard business hours. You may be missing out on some highly skilled staff if you insist on everything being done between 9am and 5pm.

-       Acknowledge the journey and say thank you. Not only do we sometimes forget to celebrate achievements, it is also important to provide encouragement as progress is made toward a goal. A simple thank you (for tasks big and small) can go a long way – especially if this is done in the form of a handwritten note.

-       Create some fun moments. This might include ‘casual Friday’ or giving staff a long lunch break once a week or monthly light-hearted ‘awards’.

We all know that finding great employees, and then retaining them, is vital not only for the costs involved in recruiting and training, but also for the impact on productivity. When you have got staff that you want to keep, make sure you do things that will make them want to stay!

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

Do you value your staff? There would be few business owners who would answer ‘no’, but their actions don’t always match their words. Although it may sound like an overused ‘sentiment’, the key to high performance and high retention rates is to make your staff feel valued and trusted. This means supporting their development, creating an environment that enables them to get the job done effectively, and providing opportunities for staff to use their talents. Without those factors in place, your staff are likely to burnout quickly, which ultimately affects your profits and overall business performance. But the good news is, it may not take much effort on your part to change your workplace culture. A major aspect of valuing your staff involves taking the time to find out what your staff think and showing that you are willing to communicate. And without intending to be patronising, we can also learn from some basic parenting strategies! I know that my children’s behaviour improves greatly when I take the time to give them positive feedback in a very intentional way. By looking them in the eye, recognising a ‘job well done’ and giving them specific recognition, my children feel better about themselves. They also understand what they’ve done well and they learn from the experience. This applies for your staff as well. When they feel competent and valued, their motivation increases. Find personal, specific ways to thank your staff for their work and let them know what an asset they are to your team. The benefits will be returned to you ten-fold.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender