In a day and age where many people feel fortunate just to have a job, you might think that motivation isn’t much of an an issue. Surely the current economy is enough to scare anyone into working their hardest. After all, the alternative might easily be no work at all.
The fact is, though, that the threat of losing a job is only motivational in a limited way. If the only thing keeping an employee coming to work every day is the thought that otherwise they’ll get fired, that person is never going to be a top-performing worker. The threat of negative consequences is a short-term motivator at best, lasting only as long as the individual’s fear is active. It can always be reactivated by a renewed threat, but then the work atmosphere becomes one of fear and intimidation ?#147; which is far from motivational. Who wants to work hard for bullies?
Motivating Your Team
Here are three keys to ensuring that your employees get and stay engaged and motivated:
1. COMMUNICATION - Communication is vitally important fostering employee engagement. Employees who don’t know what they are supposed to be doing or why things happen the way they do will feel confused and helpless. Without complete information, management decisions can seem callous or arbitrary to employees, which breeds discontent and low morale.
Make sure your team members get all the information they need to fully understand what they are expected to do, the reasons why, and what is going on within the company. Provide - and invite - regular feedback. Give them context, both for what they are doing and what management is doing. Let them see how everything fits together. When they understand their place in the big picture, they will become more engaged and motivated to perform well.
2. INCENTIVES ?#147; Getting a regular paycheck is always some incentive, especially in a bad economy. However, its main effect is to ensure that employees show up to work every day ?#147; not necessarily that they will give 100% once they get there. If all they have to look forward to is a paycheck, what reason does your team have to do their best?
The trick for most managers is figuring out what incentives will best motivate their employees. Some people respond well to monetary rewards like raises and bonuses, while others would be happier with more vacation time, or a team pizza party celebrating the completion of a big project. The main thing is to ensure that your employees feel valued, and to demonstrate that management notices and appreciates their good work. Even verbal encouragement goes a long way.
3. OPPORTUNITIES ?#147; Nothing is as demotivating as feeling “stuck.” If your employees have nothing to work towards, if every day is just like the day before and the day after, with no change and with no end in sight ?#147; small wonder if they work like shambling zombies. There are two methods for countering the zombie effect ?#147; encouraging creativity and offering career enhancement.
Employees have ideas. Be receptive, and listen to all of them; some of them will be good! Innovations by staff can be extremely beneficial to the company and are definitely motivational for employees. Implement changes when they are appropriate, and reward creativity. Make sure credit goes where it is due ?#147; when management takes credit for employee ideas it crushes morale like a grape.
Career opportunities can take several forms. The most obvious is advancement, a clear path where employees can apply for higher-level positions or anticipate promotions. However, offering other opportunities such as special projects, delegated tasks, or team leadership roles can also be very effective. Evaluate your employees’ strengths and offer them the chance to capitalize on them. You may be surprised at the results.
The Golden Rule of Motivation
Communication fosters engagement, incentives encourage reaching for a goal, and opportunities show a way forward. The primary thing to remember about motivation is to pay attention to what your employees do and respond appropriately. Nothing is as motivational as being recognized for what you do well.
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