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Happy workers are productive workers. But how do you motivate a group of employees to work hard and help your business grow? Luckily, motivating your employees doesn't take a lot of flare or even a lot of resources. In fact, it could require you to just schedule a few minutes on your schedule to say "hi."

As a small business owner, you need to maximize revenue and increase productivity, which means you need your staff to work as efficiently as possible. To get you off to a good start, follow these top ways to motivate your employees.

1. Communicate Better
If you're nothing more than a face on a newsletter or a name on an email, what motivation will your employees have to meet your goals? The importance of employee communications is often overlooked. You should communicate with them frequently, and actually speak with them face-to-face. Your staff needs to know they are valued, and communicating in person with them is the best way to show your appreciation for their hard work.

2. Be An Example
You can't expect your employees to work hard or behave the way you want them to if you don't lead by example. If you show your excitement about the company's goals, your employees will get on-board and work to achieve those goals. Good moods are always infectious -- especially in the workplace.

3. Empower Them
Give your employees more of a say in how they do their job. Ask for their input and get suggestions on how they can improve their performance. Most employees have ideas about how they can be more efficient, but they may not share them with you unless you specifically ask them. Use regular employee reviews to discuss these improvements, but don't just ask. If you really want to empower and motivate your employees, you need to take their advice and implement it. You should also give them the authority to make their own decisions, such as providing service for a client up to a certain point without needing to get prior approval.

4. Offer Opportunities For Advancement
Your employees are more motivated when they know they're working towards something. If they think there's no opportunity for advancement, they don't have much to work for. Nobody wants to work a dead-end job. Motivate your employees by offering training that gives them the skills they need to climb their career ladder. Grooming young employees to move on to better opportunities is valuable to you as well because it enables you to build your company's reputation as a great place to work.

5. Provide Incentives
Incentives are always motivation boosters -- and they don't have to be expensive. You can offer incentives like an extra paid day off, gift cards, tickets to the movies, or other low-cost ways to show your appreciation. Of course, cash rewards are always good incentives as well.

Motivation plays a key role in keeping your best employees, too. If you don't consistently motivate your employees, you're sure to experience a higher amount of turnover. Learn more about what you can do to motivate and retain your employees by getting a copy of Practical Tools to Manage Costly Employee Turnover.
Margaret Jacoby, SPHR, is the founder and president of MJ Management Solutions,a human resources consulting firm that provides small businesses with a wide range of virtual and onsite HR solutions to meet their immediate and long-term needs. From ensuring legal compliance to writing customized employee handbooks to conducting sexual harassment training, businesses depend on our expertise and cost-effective human resources services to help them thrive. This article first appeared on the MJ Management Solutions blog.
Let's connect: LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Google+

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Top 5 Ways to Motivate Your Employees (It's Easier Than You Think)

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Happy workers are productive workers. But how do you motivate a group of employees to work hard and help your business grow? Luckily, motivating your employees doesn't take a lot of flare or even a lot of resources. In fact, it could require you to just schedule a few minutes on your schedule to say "hi."

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What does a hotel manager do? Typical employers | Qualifications and training | Key skills

Specific duties and the amount of customer or staff contact vary according to the size of employer: hotel managers in larger organisations may be mostly office-based, whereas managers of smaller establishments often have frequent contact with both customers and employees. Typical responsibilities include:

recruiting, training and supervising staff

managing budgets

maintaining statistical and financial records

planning maintenance work, events and room bookings

handling customer complaints and queries

promoting and marketing the business

ensuring compliance with health and safety legislation and licensing laws.

Rapid career progression into higher managerial roles is possible both within the UK and overseas. Promotional opportunities are generally best for employees who are willing or able to change job location, to specialise in one area such as marketing, sales or human resources, or to move into related areas of employment.

Hotel chains

Independent hotels and motels

Residential clubs

Resorts

Inns

Hotel and leisure groups

Vacancies are advertised by recruitment agencies, in local and national newspapers and in publications including Hotel Business, The Caterer and their respective websites. Several large hotel chains also run graduate management schemes.

There are routes into this career for both university graduates and school leavers.

A hotel/catering management or hospitality qualification can be advantageous. Graduates without relevant degrees could obtain a postgraduate diploma in hotel management or build up an extensive amount of experience. A management, languages, leisure, business studies, travel or tourism degree may also be helpful.

Relevant work experience is essential for entry into the profession; this can include hotel, catering, retailing, waitressing or bar work.

To find out how to get into a career in this area via a school leaver route, visit the hospitality and travel section of TARGETcareers, our website aimed at school leavers.

Reliability and stamina are essential in hotel management. You will also need excellent numerical, verbal and written communication skills. Numeracy is particularly important for finance-related and office-based roles, while good interpersonal skills and customer service are vital for roles involving contact with clients. Knowledge of foreign languages can be an advantage.

Next: search graduate jobs and internships

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What does a hotel manager do? Typical employers | Qualifications and training | Key skills Specific duties and the amount of customer or staff contact vary according to the size of employer: hotel managers in larger organisations may be mostly office-based, whereas managers of smaller establishments often have frequent contact with both customers and employees.

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Starting a business is a concentrated experience. Everything you do is more immediate, more definitive, more tied to your eventual success.

It's critical that you not only know your business but also understand leadership. That means real leadership, not some watered-down corporate version. Here are the five skills you need the most:

1. The skill of self-awareness

Success begins within. When you have a sense of who you are, it invites you to do something about it. Having self-awareness amounts to being better advised. The more you know yourself, the closer you can become to being all you can be.

2. The skill of business acumen--and then some

Success begins with keenness and quickness in understanding and dealing with a business situation in a manner that is likely to lead to a good outcome. In the competitive environment of business, being the best at what you do is good, making good decisions is great-;but a clear, comprehensive understanding of the business environment you're operating in is invaluable.

3. The skill of relationship-building

Building lasting relationships is the cornerstone of all business success, and respect is at the heart of building business relationships. It is the glue that holds together the functioning of teams, partnerships, and managing relationships. Even with the best products and business practices, you still need strong relationships to succeed.

4. The ability to create an inspired culture

A culture of inspiration and motivation influences others to perform at their best. One of the most important assets of any enterprise and every business are the employees and its culture. Together they create a system of shared passion and commitment, which creates an environment that breeds, talent, growth, development, and creativity.

5. The skill of agility and adaptability

Adapting to change requires the willingness to manage change and to stay open to new ideas, it means to be adaptable to new situations, handle unexpected demands with aplomb, and be ready to pivot at any moment. To maneuver through changes is to learn to be adaptable and agile. So where do you stand with your leadership skills?

Ask yourself the following: What do I need to do to keep up with the pace of business with the increasing complexity of today's workplace? What can I do today to hone in on my leadership skills to be successful?

There are many leadership skills and competencies that, when combined and applied, go toward making you an effective leader. It is best to remember you have the ability to develop each of these skills within yourself. It's always up to you.

Follow Lolly on Linkedin or Twitter and her blog at www.lollydaskal.com

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5 Leadership Skills You Must Have to Succeed

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Starting a business is a concentrated experience. Everything you do is more immediate, more definitive, more tied to your eventual success. It's critical that you not only know your business but also understand leadership. That means real leadership, not some watered-down corporate version. Here are the five skills you need the most: Success begins within.

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How to hire and provide training to an Employee? II HR Recruiting Tips