Employees are the biggest asset for an organization. Without a skilled and motivated workforce, getting new and retaining old clients and leaving the competition behind would be an uphill battle no organization can think of winning.

Stress and demotivation don’t let anyone work in the office. Even if they work, their efforts do not ripe and give favorable results.

Even your best performing employees could fall prey to stress, because of which they can develop lack of motivation and dedication at work. And realizing their poor performance, best you think you can do is to terminate them.

But, would that be the only solution?

Causes of Stress and Demotivation

An article by Travis Bradberry on entrepreneur.com clearly mentions that the lack of motivation is prevalent at workplaces around the world. Citing a research from Gallup, the article says that about 70% of employees consider themselves unengaged at work.

Bradberry, the co-author of the bestselling book Emotional Intelligence 2.0, further writes that it is important for an organization to figure out the causes of underperformance of their employees. There could be something within the organization raising the stress meter of their employees.

Another reason why you should work on this particular factor is – stress is contagious, it passes from one through another. It can cover all your valuable assets. Even worse, it can take your best people away from you.

In an insightful piece, forbes.com gives some of the biggest causes of stress at workplace. According to Kristy Hedegs, entrepreneur and Forbes Magazine coordinator, micromanagement, lack of appreciation, insecurity, poor employee-employer communication, relationships, work overload, and unpleasant coworkers are some of those factors.

So how do I keep my employees happy, stress-free and motivated?

Once you notice your best guys are dull and not doing good since days, it is time to implement the following best practices to see a sea-change in their motivation level-

Appreciate.

Leave no chance to pat the back of your hirelings. A single word of appreciation - for those who deserve - can do wonders and uplift their contentment and comfort level.

A day in an employee’s life is a hard one. Per an article live on Monster.com, showing appreciation to an employee who isn’t actually a great performer can motivate his soul and bring him out of stress. Lessons of psychology also stress on this reasoning.

A simple Thank You can be a great help in this regard.

Giving out gifts with custom, funny labels is a new way of appreciating the performance and achievements of your employees.

Now can you imagine what effect it would bring on your hardworking team members if you appreciate them often?

Show them your vision and their role in it.

Always be open to explain your team what you expect from them. Do not forget to talk about their role and future in your organization.

Never force your employees to do a certain task. Just work with them and show them how it is done and what will be the outcome.

Instead of forcing them, tell the benefits of the assignment and how it is going to help them in their career. Yes, as a boss, friend and mentor, you should be open to offer career advice to your subordinates.

Be strong. Not harsh.

A boss’s staying polite and courteous helps his employees stay!

Some bosses fail to differentiate between being strong and harsh. If you are one of those, you need to work on it, and stay polite with your team members.

You are here to win market battles. You certainly haven’t in the business to start a war of words with your employees. First, it doesn’t go well with the image of an entrepreneur. Secondly, you could be pushing your best people away from your grip.

Show that you care.

This is May. And the 1^st of May is observed as the International Day of Labor. Be mindful enough to respect the international norms of labor.

Tell your employees the importance of work-life balance, having an after-work life, and family.

Ask them about their daily routine and tell them about the importance of sleep hygiene, and how sleep deprivation and deficiency can affect their performance at work. Sleep has a big role to play in the performance of your workers.

Good health of your employees is also an essential element if you want them to hit the targets given. So, be a well-wisher of your hires.

Suggest them to avoid alcoholism.

Though a direct talk in this regard could be mistaken as interference in personal life, you should act as a friend and mentor and encourage them to survive such addictions.

In conclusion, the most important piece of advice is - don’t be a boss figure! Do talk about targets, achievements, personal developments, and interests; go out with them for lunch or dinner; participate in engagement activities to make your employees feel comfortable and confident. So, communication – verbal, psychological or physical communication - is the key, which means, you will have to listen as well as speak!