Beat the workplace blues with these tips on how to stay motivated for the rest of the year.

Ask for a pay rise
Not getting a raise and feeling undervalued is one of the most popular reasons employees leave their jobs. Although it may be nerve-racking, it may pay off.

Find a mentor
Mentorship at work is so important that 71% of Fortune 500 companies have formal mentoring programmes for their employees.
Ask your HR manager to implement a mentoring scheme. To help, we host a coaching & mentoring course which will provide mentors with the skills they need to pass on their knowledge and inspire their mentee.

Get involved in team-work
Team-work strengthens work relationships and creates a more positive environment. Get stuck in a team-away day or become part of your companies professional team.

Upskill yourself
Keeping up with the latest learning and development skills and trends will increase productivity, satisfaction and most importantly motivation. For a full list of courses to improve your skill set, click here.

Use your vacation days
Holidays are good for your health. Book a holiday and take some time to unwind and relax outside of the office.

Take care of your mental health
Approximately 1 in 4 people in the UK experiences anxiety, depression or stress each year. Prioritise your mental health, take rests, eat well, exercise and get lots of sleep.

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Team building activities are often favoured by many businesses as they increase morale, improve productivity and develop team skills. One of the many ways employees benefit from completing a team away day is through a sense of achievement and accomplishment. Team building also allows employees to return to the office feeling reinvigorated, often with a new set of problem-solving skills and improved working relationships.

Improve Communication Skills

Team building is incredibly useful for strengthening existing relationships and welcoming new colleagues. By working through an activity as a group, it allows people to apply their skills and break down any barriers between individuals.

People who are not used to working together get a chance to work as part of a team and by working through a task, the wealth of skills within the team is highlighted and the group learns new and varied ways of working together.

Develop team roles

Each team member has the opportunity to take ownership in a team away day. It provides individuals with a platform to focus and develop on what they are best at, and allows them to find their niche within a team so that everyone can best contribute as an individual while still performing together.

Often, an advantage to a company team away day, is that you will be able to get to know your employees better and tap into their potential. Part of participating in a team building day, is that you can learn new things about yourself and others that you may not have previously realised.

Improved relationships

In a busy, high-pressured environment, it can be often difficult for employees to find time to develop new skills and relationships. Away from the office, team building activities allow each member of the team a chance to get to know one another and their strengths and weaknesses.

Long-term benefits

Team building is invaluable, especially because it promotes better working relationships, offers a shared positive experience and allows people to better understand their strengths and weakness. Once these have been identified, you can then look to improve weaknesses. 

Positive relationships

Team building provides an opportunity for the team to participate in activities together in an experience where everyone starts with an equal level of knowledge about the given tasks. The day often requires people to use their initiative in order to complete the task successfully. Working on task together, helps to develop relationships quickly, as well as boost morale.

Value your employees

Team building events and away days are among the most effective ways of increasing levels of engagement within an organisation. If employees feel that their contribution is valued, they will be more encouraged to demonstrate effort and commitment to the organisation. 

If your team are looking participate in a team away day experience, we can help whatever your location or goals.

The changing seasons can often have an effect on workplace productivity, however by noticing what makes people happy as well as successful in their careers, leaders can help both themselves and their employees towards greater productivity within the workplace.

Here are four simple tips to create positive environments that promote wellbeing, energy and happiness.

Give people the opportunity to take a break from tasks as this will keep their energy high. Breaks lead to fresher minds, greater problem-solving and improved creative thinking. Encourage employees to take breaks whenever they see fit (within reason). Set up a dedicated break room, and fill it with things that will take your employees minds off their work for a few minutes - complimentary coffee, fruit or even a game.

Celebrate achievements

Recognise achievements and embrace them! Whenever a team or individual hits a major goal, or when the business reaches a milestone, treat them. You don’t have to spend vast amounts of money or for it even to take up a lot of time, but hosting a mini gathering makes a big impact. It helps people to reflect on their hard work, spend time together and feel good about the progress the business has made.

Upskill

Ensuring employees develop new skills and hone expertise is both rewarding and profitable, and proves an excellent way to boost engagement.

Get people to take ownership and invest in their own skills, with training and creative sessions that provide a break from the admin that often dominates workloads. This can be in the form of a bespoke training programme, spending the day out of the office learning a different skill or a team building exercise. 

Share with your team

Creating a collaborative process with your team has wide-ranging effects, and all are positive. When leaders share ideas and updates with their employees, open communication becomes second nature, and everyone feels equally invested in the company’s overall goals and values.

When all ideas are heard and considered, each member of the team feels valued, and ultimately more satisfied with the workplace. Include your employees in decisions and discussions whenever possible, and try to be transparent about the reasoning behind your decisions.

When leaders are transparent about the current health and future goals of the company, employees often have an improved understanding of their role within the bigger picture. This can lead to innovative solutions and problem-solving. Leaders should also promote a culture of continuous improvement where it's common practice for everyone to give and receive feedback.

Although 2015 is firmly behind us, we nonetheless can make important comparisons from last year. From an independent study conducted among 2,006 British employees in 2015, it was found that the two areas that became a focus for many businesses’ to improve were engagement and productivity.

According to the Office for National Statistics, workforces are 31% less productive than those of the US with engagement and productivity affected by various obstacles, one of these being employee motivation.

The independent study also found that half of the UK workforce did not feel positively about their job last year and staff are only going to become engaged and have a better output if their employer makes them feel driven and inspired.

What motivated staff in 2015?

• 45% a good work/life balance
• 25% a motivating boss who’s very good at their job
• 19% great peers who always motivate you
• 17% boss saying thank you
• 16% the office environment