In the epic movie Ben Hur, Charlton Heston and his fellow slaves had to row a Roman galley in time with the beating of a drum. When they needed to row faster, the drummer would drum faster.

Your business doesn't use drums to motivate employees, although that might be nice at times. Employees bring their own agendas with them and are only motivated to get as much work done as will benefit them. That's certainly not to suggest that employees don't work hard or try to advance, but there needs to be a tangible benefit to push them on.

As you review your motivation tactics, look to see if you are rewarding them for completing a lot of good work or for just showing up.

Your payment system is the first step in rewarding employee efficiency (or inefficiency). If you pay a salary without any other kind of incentive, you're inviting the possibility that the employee will only do the minimum amount required. After all, there is no reward for doing more.

Instead, consider a reward for efficiency or an incentive to complete more. For example, if your employees can complete a week's worth of assigned work in just 4 days, they don't have to come in on Friday. Another additional incentive might be to tie a commission-based wage to the profitability of the company, giving them a sense of ownership.

There's a (possibly) apocryphal account of doctors in ancient China who were paid not for the number of sick people they treated, but rather for the number of healthy people living in their territory. Regardless of whether this is true or not, it's a great example of shifting the focus of rewards and motivation to the work you actually want done.

Beyond wages and motivational rewards, there are other ways to improve efficiency in your office. Here are some ideas:

• Make it a fun place. This will keep people's attitudes positive and they'll want to come to work.
• Be flexible with shifts. If possible, don't have everyone come in from 9-5 (or whatever your hours are). Offer employees other options, including flextime (minimum of 8 hours worked in a 15 hour window), split shifts, or even work-at-home arrangements. These options often end up saving you money!
• Learn what your employees need on a regular basis and make it available to them. If many employees head down to the building's cafeteria for a soft drink, why not put a vending machine right in your office? If employees leave their desk to use the office stapler, put a stapler on their desk.
• Use time tracking, collaboration, and project management software to keep everyone "on task" and aware of what they're doing and what they'll need to do next.
• Make people aware of the system and how they fit into it. Often, people under-perform when they don't realize that others are relying on them. If they understand that they fit into a system like a gear in a clock, they'll contribute more for the sake of the team.
• Use a flowchart to track the workflow in your office. Are people touching papers or packages more than once? Is a document going through unnecessary steps? If it's been a while since you reviewed your workflow, do it now because workflow can change and become inefficient quickly, even if you initially set it up to be very efficient.