smallbusiness.co.uk: Helping your business think big

Churcillian declarations and David Brent-style motivational speeches are the least favoured way to inspire employees, with SMEs preferring to motivate staff by involving them in decision-making.

In a poll by SmallBusiness.co.uk, 65 per cent of respondents said that the best way to motivate staff was by asking for their input, while 15 per cent said they used employee incentive schemes and only 5 per cent said they used speeches.

John Evans, CEO of pharmaceutical technology company Simcyp, says involving staff in decision-making has helped to develop the business. Says Evans: ‘We have a very talented team who naturally strive to do better and deliver exceptional service and products to our clients; it then becomes our job to support the team and involve them as much as possible in everything that happens within the company.’

Rebecca Clake, adviser at the Charterred Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD), says: ‘The results of this poll echo much of our research around the key drivers for staff engagement. Employees want to know that their ideas about the organisation and its future direction make a difference. And businesses can only benefit from encouraging feedback and participation.’

Of the 158 small businesses surveyed, 8 per cent said they didn’t need to motivate staff because they were already inspired by their work.

However, a recent study by talent assessment company SHL found that nearly one in five employees rarely feel fulfilled at work. 

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