How do I motivate the employees that I supervise?

Question

I supervise 5 nurse aids and they are getting very lazy. We work for an adult day care and the clients are just entertaining themselves. I have never been in a position with authority before. I really need some good ideas on how to motivate them, make sure the clients needs are met and hopefully without losing any of the staff. They are really nice people, but the work isn't hard and it has just gradually made them lazy. Thanks for your help.

Answer 1

Call them and tell clearly about you told us in your question.

Be honest, comprehensive, and at the final of your explanation, tell them that if needed, you shall take some measures to fix the problem....

From this meeting on, handle regularly monthly performance evaluation meetings...

Hope this can be a good solution.

Answer 2

I supervise 25 route drivers and it is a full time job keeping them motivated. Most of the people that work for me respect me and that makes it easier. I have a very open door to all of them and they all know that I look out for them. I am very task oriented and lead from the front as much as I can so most of them try to please me and I in turn help them whether it be with money, days off or other things they need. Some people cannot be motivated no matter what you do, so pick the ones that can and try to assemble a good team around you. I think the best "prize" is one that the team earns in their performance as a team, not individual honors. If someone really excels, reward them for it with movie coupons, dinner coupons or something they will use. I don't have nurses aides but people are people, the ones that want to perform will and the ones who don't never will consistently.

Answer 3

A once a month meeting with the group is good - find out what is going on. From there - start to get a feel for the folks that are truly lazy and will not get their act together.

Sometimes, people get complacent and then grow bored because they are unchallenged. Change things up (schedules, responsiblities, etc...)

Once you've done this, you should be able to see who is a valuable member of your team and who isn't. Those who aren't should be dealt with as your company sees fit (ie written up, warning, etc...). You cannot motivate others, they can only motivate themselves.

Nice is great - but they weren't hired and paid to be nice. They were hired to do their jobs effectively and take care of your patients.

Answer 4

Here is a twist.... How to De-Motivate Your Employees!
This is a list of the most common mistakes new managers make so you can avoid making them too!.

1) Think you know everything.
If you were just promoted to Manager, you may feel you know everything about your department. Even if that were true, and it isn't, you sure don't know everything about the most important part of your new job, managing people. Listen to the people around you. Ask for their input when appropriate. Keep an open mind.

2) Show everyone who's in charge.
Trust me, everyone in your group knows who the new manager is. You don't have to make a big show about being "the boss". You do, however, have to demonstrate that, as the boss, you are making a positive difference.

3) Change everything.
Don't re-invent the wheel. Just because the way something is done isn't the way you would do it, it isn't necessarily wrong. Learn the difference between "different" and "wrong".

4) Be afraid to do anything.
Maybe you didn't ask for the promotion. Maybe you are not sure you can do the job. Don't let that keep you from doing the job the best you can. Upper management wouldn't have put you into the job if they didn't have confidence that you could handle it.

5) Don't take time to get to know your people.
Maybe you worked alongside these people for years. That doesn't mean you know them. Learn what makes them excited, how to motivate them, what they fear or worry about. Get to know them as individuals, because that's the only way you can effectively manage them. Your people are what will make or break you in your quest to be a good manager. Give them your attention and time.

6) Don't waste time with your boss.
Since he/she just promoted you, surely he/she understands how busy you are and won't need any of your time, right? Wrong. Your job, just like it was before you became a manager, is to help your boss. Make sure to budget time to meet with him/her to both give information and to receive guidance and training.

7) Don't worry about problems or problem employees.
You can no longer avoid problems or hope they will work themselves out. When something comes up, it is your job to figure out the best solution and get it done. That doesn't mean you can't ask for other's input or assistance, but it does mean you are the person who has to see it gets taken care of.

8) Don't let yourself be human.
Just because you are the boss doesn't mean you can be human, that you can't laugh, or show emotion, or make an occassional mistake.

9) Don't protect your people.
The people in your group will be under pressure from every direction. Other departments may want to blame you for failed interfaces. Your boss may want to dump all the unpleasant jobs on your department. HR may decide the job classifications in your area are overpaid. It's your job to stand up for your people and make sure they are treated as fairly as possible. They will return the loyalty.

10) Avoid responsibility for anything.
Like it or not, as the manager you are responsible for everything that happens in your group, whether you did it, or knew about it, or not. Anything anyone in your group does, or doesn't do, reflects on you. You have to build the communications so there are no surprises, but also be prepared to shoulder the responsibility. It goes hand-in-hand with the authority.

Golden Rule: Leadership, Leadership, Leadership

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Answer 5

I think that when you involve a person in the planning they feel a sense of being in charge. They feel that the outcome was a direct reflection on them.
I'd do a couple things: I'd pick a person each month as the person directly under your charge. It is up to them to plan new activities and get their co-workers involved.
I would also make your employees compete against eachother for new and innovative ideas. Give rewards for the best.
You could give them themes such as "plan an activity day" or "come up with the best craft". etc.

Answer 6

Ask your employees to come up with some ideas about what is expected of them. Create a list with your ideas and the ones you like of theirs. Then ask for suggestions on what they think they can do to make the place better for your clients. Create a list next to the first. Then post the list in the employee lounge.

Getting employees involved in self-management is the best way to motivate IMHO

Answer 7

Hold performance reviews, if someone isn't performing to standards tell them in private. Try to get the most popular employee the so called "informal leader" on your side. You need to remember that they aren't your friends, and they work for you. If they are not working up to what you precieve to be baseline standards, then give them a chance to resolve the problem, if they don't then fire them. Eventually other employee's will get the point that you aren't messing around and they will fall in line. It is important to be fair, and treat everyone the same. But it is also good to give recognition to those who go above and beyond what is expected.

Answer 8

Develop, with them, a vision of how the place should operate, what exciting objectives the team should have.

Then agree how this will be achieved as a team, and then discuss each individuals role in this.

Give them a sense of purpose, and then regularly monitor progress against the objectives, on an individual and team basis.

Do some research on team building.

The previous answers re sacking people are just archaic.

Answer 9

revise the plan of care for the clients...make sure that they are getting plenty of outside activities done for them and have the aides initial their work and write how many hours they put in....make sure that there are house hold cleaning tasks also in the care plans, and that they are being signed off on....ask the clients, if they are able, to tell you some of the things that they would like to see change with the aides.
be firm with the aides...if you have to, tell them that there have been state changes and that so many hours have to spent on doing care and socialization and that they need to be done and documented.

Answer 10

Okay, a good way to motivate your employees is to hold regular performance meetings like monthly where you can set targets with your staff and discuss any concerns that you or they have. This is a great way to motivate staff and you should reward them if the targets are met. Rewards should be financial and small but worth giving. ;) Hope this helps and trust me, it really works !

Answer 11

I would suggest some sort of incentive. Their job of serving people should be incentive enough, but unfortunately most people lose sight of this. You can lead by example. Offer a gift card to the person you see working the hardest, publically commend them. This will convict a lot of people to work harder.