Your employees want to work hard for the company and produce results that blow your mind, but they need your help to do it. As a business owner or manager, surely you recognize that your employees are one of your most valuable assets, and because of this, it’s important to focus on ways to help them stay productive.

1. Motivate, Recognize and Appreciate : When you give your employees tasks, let them know that their work is meaningful, and demonstrate how it contributes to the overall success of the business. Be a cheerleader for your employees by motivating them to accomplish their daily tasks and to complete big projects. Celebrate successes in the company newsletter or on the company blog. Bonuses and appreciation lunches are also a good way to say “thanks.”

2. Show Your Trust: The best way to show your employees that you trust them is to delegate a task and let them do it without standing over their shoulders. Avoid micromanaging and trust that your employees will come to you if they run into a problem or have questions. Remember, you hired them because you were impressed by their knowledge, skills and attitude.

3. Ask for Feedback and Ideas: Make constant communication a priority, whether you have two employees or two floors of employees. Encourage employees to share ideas freely without fear of being ridiculed. Create various ways to communicate such as through wikis, internal blogs, newsletters, meetings.

4. Make Growth a Priority: One of the best rewards you can give your employees is an opportunity to grow within the company. From mentoring to them to trusting them with larger tasks, groom employees so that they learn the ins and outs of the company. Promote those employees who show their dedication and ability to complete a task effectively and ahead of the deadline. Give employees a chance to explore different aspects of the company to help identify their strengths and weaknesses.

5. Smile and Say Good Morning: Start the day with a smile and “good morning” to get your employees ready for the work day. Your attitude can help shape the mood and attitude of the workplace. A positive, productive day starts with you.

If you’re waiting for quarterly or annual reviews to provide your employees valuable feedback, you may be doing a disservice to your employees and your company. While you don’t have to take your employees for coffee every day to review their progress, it’s important to provide them with feedback on a regular basis. Providing feedback can keep employees focused, motivated and gives them a sense of truly belonging to the company. As a result, they may be more inclined to contribute to your company’s overall growth and success.

Check Your Attitude
Giving employees feedback isn’t always an exciting task for a manager. When an employee performs poorly on a task, or isn’t meeting his goals, you may not be in the best mood when you sit down to provide feedback. Check your attitude first to ensure that you’re ready to provide honest, constructive feedback. This way, you can avoid conflict and accomplish more.

Find a Way to Communicate
Feedback doesn’t always have to be a sit down conversation. Sometimes, a simple email to say “thanks” or to recognize contributions to a project are enough to show employees that you appreciate their efforts. Email is a great tool when providing good feedback, but if an employee’s performance is unfavorable, avoid sending an email, since it’s easy to misinterpret the tone of a message.

Emails, instant messages and handwritten letters don’t have the same effect as old fashioned, face-to-face communication. Schedule a coffee meeting, invite your employee out to lunch or schedule an in-office meeting when you want to provide feedback. If that feels too formal, stop by your employees desk to say, “great job in the meeting today” or “the report you gave me covered everything I needed” or just to say “thank you for your contributions”.

Be Direct and Specific
Give it to your employees straight and leave the fluff behind. Your employees will respect and appreciate your feedback more, if you’re direct and able to provide them with specific examples. General statements about performance won’t help employees make improvements.

Give Suggestions
Not only do your employees want to hear how you feel about their performance, they’d also like to know how they can make improvements. Offer recommendations that will help employees grow and advance within the company.