Effective ways to Motivate Employees and Improve Performance
What is it that motivates a worker? What motivates an employee to want to accomplish their work, more specifically? After all, the answer to this question is crucial to employee motivation and employer satisfaction. Even more critical than understanding what motivates an employee is determining whether or not that motivation causes the employee to go through the motions of doing the job or instills a genuine desire for a job well done in the employee’s head.
To build effective, productive teams, the answers to these and other questions should be on every employer’s mind. As anyone will attest, a lack of motivation is a terrible killer.
- Did you know that learning through hands-on experience and interactive learning is anywhere from five to seven times more successful than learning through passive means such as reading or viewing course material?.
- According to a study, financial compensation and other advantages do not take the top spot on the list of things motivating people to work. Instead, some of the most essential elements tended to be things like feeling encouraged and recognized (13%), as well as being motivated by one’s peers (20%).
- When it comes to looking for a job, nearly half of the people who participated in a survey conducted by Forbes study, claimed that flexibility is the single most crucial quality. And businesses are taking notice: 86 percent of organizations that made Forbes’ list of the “Best Companies to Work For” in 2014 provided some form of schedule flexibility for their employees.
- According to the findings of a survey by Seamless, 57 percent of employees believe that receiving incentives related to food will make them feel more respected and appreciated in their jobs.
Show the Money or don’t Show the Money
Jerry Maguire, starring Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger, popularized the phrase. In today’s society, the phrase “show me the money” has become commonplace. And, in many cases, this is the foundation for what most people believe is the most critical factor in employee motivation. Is that true, though?
Naturally, more money is never a bad thing, and there isn’t a single person on the planet who could benefit from additional money. Money is a component that cannot be overlooked for various reasons, including bills, children, higher education, and personal goals, among others. It’s a requirement that we must all meet.
Many businesses utilize money as a motivational tool. Is this incorrect? Certainly not. Significant salary hikes and bonuses are always something a person can benefit from, and they are never turned down. Money is a powerful motivation that will never go out of style. And, if at all possible, money is a good motivator for employees because who doesn’t like money?
Respect and Recognition
Another type of incentive is recognition. If an employee only hears about the things they accomplish poorly, it will have the reverse effect of motivation. Of course, an employee will make mistakes occasionally, and they will, however, inevitably do things correctly. Always notify them when this occurs.
Another source of motivation is an employee’s perception that their peers and colleagues respect them. Negative comments should be avoided in the workplace, allowing employees to talk down and drag one another through the mud. Similarly, if other employees can observe it happening to a coworker, make sure you don’t do the same. This is horrible for morale and serves to undermine motivation.
Information
Another crucial aspect of employee motivation is keeping them informed. When an employee believes they are not informed about what is going on in the firm or their area, it sends the message, “You are not important.” That’s hardly the kind of message that inspires people to work harder. Maintain a steady flow of information to each employee; let them know what the company is doing and where it is headed.
Make your work enjoyable and stimulating. Allow everyone to address one another by their first names or hold a casual dress day. Encourage employees to create a work environment that is as comfortable as possible and not so office-like by bringing in personal pictures and things such as plants, for example. This will only promote creativity and, in the long run, increase motivation.
Communicate with your employee. Find out what interests them and what doesn’t. Speaking with an employee frequently shows that you care about them more than simply wanting them to keep up with productivity, which will increase employee motivation.
All in all, make sure that money isn’t the only thing you can offer employees to increase their motivation. If it is, then your employee’s motivation will increase working for the other company as soon as the money is better somewhere else.
