The human resources office is the cornerstone of every good company culture. If you’re looking to boost team members’ morale, you want to ensure that HR is there to help. With this strategy, you can help encourage better productivity.

With that said, what role does HR have when it comes to helping improve employee motivation and performance? How can they do it? Here’s everything you need to know.

HR Helps Build Better Communication

Our culture thrives on communication. It helps us share ideas, collaborate, and help each other. As humans, we communicate with one another every day; whether it’s family, friends, or colleagues, we rely on our ability to communicate.

However, when it comes to our teams, our communications aren’t always as smooth as we’d hope. Many employees say their manager does not effectively communicate, which can take extra time to resolve.

Whether you’re looking to improve the team’s performance, boost staff engagement, or simply take some of the burden off managers, you’ll need to get everyone talking. That’s where your HR department can help. 

Your company can ensure all key stakeholders are on the same page by instilling different communication opportunities. 

They can even help foster an open environment where everyone has the opportunity to voice their opinion and be heard. This will increase trust between all staff members, but it can also help improve your productivity and retention. 

Implement Performance Goals

Getting your team to set goals together is one way to improve communication and teamwork. When each person knows what they want to achieve, they feel more comfortable and confident in their role. Human resources need to provide the right performance goals to aid employee development.

Almost every company has performance metrics for your team and your business’s overall success. These can include anything from sales to customer satisfaction to project completion time. 

However, your metrics only go so far. While they help you measure business performance and track progress, they don’t do much to help your employees grow. 

This is where your HR professionals come in. Using their performance management tools, they can develop specific goals for each employee. These can vary from individual to team-based and based on yearly and monthly objectives. 

By setting these targets, your teams will have something to work towards. From increased production to improved time management, your goals will help drive results.  

Recognize Positive Attitudes Within Employees

It never hurts to recognize a job well done. But, it’s important to note that it’s not always about the result. For better or worse, some tasks that seem insignificant can be a huge source of joy.

Everyone wants to be recognized for their hard work. When an employee put in extra effort, they should be rewarded. Unfortunately, many companies have trouble remembering their employees, impacting their motivation and work.

Your company should implement some type of rewards program. This can range from a simple pat on the back, to bonuses, to time off. Regardless of what you choose, the key here is making sure it motivates and resonates with your people.  

Create a Positive Environment 

While it may sound simple, creating a positive environment is one of the best ways for your business to increase productivity, motivation, and performance. 

Think about your workplace. Would you enjoy working there? Do you feel safe, welcome, and appreciated? If not, it may be time to make some changes. 

You want to create an environment where each team member feels valued and appreciated. So, how do you make that? You need to focus on creating a culture that everyone can identify with, for starters.  

This means ensuring opportunities for your people to learn and grow. This could mean giving them free training or allowing them to attend industry events. You could even encourage them to publish their own content. 

One way to create a positive environment is by implementing workplace wellness programs. This could include everything from an on-site gym to healthy snack stations to meditation rooms. 

Your workplace should be a safe place where all employees are treated with respect and dignity. They should feel comfortable and safe coming to you with questions or concerns. 

Find A Happy Medium With Management

If there’s one thing that can kill the motivation of your colleagues, it’s time. Whether it’s work overload or too many meetings, too much work is often overwhelming. Many leaders struggle with this; after all, it’s hard to say no, but you must do it. 

As for HR, employees are their responsibility, and the last thing they want to do is pile on more work. Instead, management needs to find a balance between work and life. This can be tough, but there are ways to help them.  

One option is allowing your workers to work from home. With remote working becoming more popular, your management team will be more flexible. They can control their schedule, balance their work and home lives, and ensure their team is productive. 

Another way is finding a better work-life balance, which may mean letting your people need some time off or adjusting their hours. By giving your leadership team some flexibility, they’ll be able to lead more effectively.  

Motivate Employees To Train and Upskill

Training is essential, and this should be the case for your workforce. That’s why it’s essential to invest in your people and their careers.  

Companies that invest in their teams have a competitive advantage. Your people will feel more motivated, engaged, and invested in your company. Plus, they’ll be more committed to professional development. 

HR needs to motivate its employees to do safety training and other critical upskilling programs. This can include learning on the job, attending workshops, or even taking online training courses. 

While your training program should benefit your staff, it must also be cost-effective. Your program should deliver high-quality training sessions but shouldn’t cost a fortune. 

The Bottom Line

Your goal as human resources is to motivate and help your people do their jobs well. While you can’t always guarantee how an individual will perform, you can influence their outcomes.

By listening to your workers’ everyday concerns and desires and encouraging them to have a voice, you can create a team that functions effectively.

While you may feel like you’re constantly putting out fires, remember that your job is to keep your people on board. By providing the right tools, you can ensure your whole team is as motivated and driven as you are.