Whenever somebody gets a job, they are filled with enthusiasm, hopes, and dreams. Unfortunately, our jobs become habits and very soon, these repetitions become tedious. The enthusiasm simply evaporates. We stop to feel like we are advancing; we feel like we are doing this to maintain our current lifestyle.

As an employer or as a manager, you need to reignite the spark of enthusiasm, to make your workers love and appreciate their job, and to restore the sense of achievement and advancement. In this article, we will discuss how to inspire your workers and how to motivate them to move forward.   

1. Make sure they have a sense of purpose
As mentioned, habits and repetition can instill the well-known “cog in the machine” feeling that is downright depressing to say the least. People were always bothered by this, but older generations were raised differently and had much better mechanisms to cope with the gravity of such a reality. Millennial workers on the other hand have very low tolerance for the status quo, and if they feel like a mundane worker, they are likely to leave.

So, monitor your employees, see what their strong points, interests, and hobbies are and see how you can utilize their potential. Create personalized projects that one or two workers are really qualified to tackle, and they will feel much more appreciated. You can do this on a weekly or monthly basis, depending on how many workers you have.

2. Share inspiring stories
Another way to inspire your workers is to share inspiring success stories. Surely, there is a team of people who started from the bottom, but managed to reach great heights. This will help them nourish a positive mind-set, and motivate them to try and do the same. None of the famous success or rags to riches stories begin with someone who already had a lot. The people there were common folk who focused on what they are good at in order to pull through.

For example, the story of Sam Ovens can be truly inspiring. He started as a consultant in New Zealand. He was not someone who created some groundbreaking social network, new devices or new software solutions. He was good at consulting and decided to share his gift. He created an online course that people really liked, and now he is a millionaire.    

3. Create an environment where they can advance

The working environment or working conditions are really important as well. Workers nowadays do not really like the idea that you need to work from nine to five. With more flexibility in terms of working hours, they are more likely to perform better. This does not mean that they are lazy; they simply prefer to do their work fully focused and devoted.

Also, weather conditions or illnesses might prevent them from coming to work, yet they do not want to cash in their sick days. So, if you use collaborative tools that allow them to work online, regardless of their location, feel free to use them. These tools make everyone’s job a little easier, and everyone has access to the information they need - always. You should still have working hours, you should not not be so strict about them.

4. Make them feel appreciated
Finally, your employees need to be truly appreciated for their contributions. In most cases, a good token of appreciation isn’t a simple paycheck bonus; they would much rather go for a really nice gesture. When a worker or a team of workers achieves a victory, you need to celebrate that victory.
Take some time off work and throw in a half an hour celebration, buy some cake and some drinks, and make everyone feel good because their co-workers did a nice job. This would mean so much more to them. Not only did they succeed, but they also got their own moment that everyone enjoys, and everyone is motivated to achieve the same. They feel more valuable, they know that their contributions matter, and they know you value them as your teammates.

To sum up, inspiring your workers is crucial for both their professional development and the development of your company.  They need to be reminded that they are not just people who work for you, but people who work alongside you.