"If you've to police an employee to make him perform, you've got the wrong person"

Flexible working hours: Allow employees to manage their time without monitoring attendance and hours spent in the office. It not only makes them more productive, but also loyal to the company. If you have to police an individual to make him/her perform, you’ve probably got the wrong people working in your company.

Over-communicate: Keep telling employees what’s happening in the company — good and bad. Communicate the same message through different media and forums on a regular basis. The worst thing for an employee’s motivation is the uncertainty caused by not knowing what the company is doing and which way it’s headed. 

Don’t lose focus on the average performers: Companies often end up focusing too much on the top performers when it comes to rewards and opportunities. However, the company’s progress is significantly driven by the mid-raters, and it’s important to ensure that they perform well through recognition programmes, job rotation and even assessment for hidden leadership potential.

Train people managers: Invest in learning and development programmes for people managers in the company. They will inevitably need help in this area, even if they feel they don’t. The old adage ‘People work for people’ is very true, and applies across industries.

Fun in office: It’s important for employees to let their hair down at work once in a while. The company can facilitate this by having a fun event on the last Friday of every month, for example. Even an hour’s organised activity (all the better if it’s competitive) can help everyone go back to their desks with a lighter mind.