How do you keep your employees motivated? Long hours, high pressure, tight deadlines, and all the other stresses and strains of employment can contribute to the deflation of employee motivation. Your recognition/reward systems are typically the counter to this depreciation.
The problem with motivating a workforce is that individuals are not necessarily motivated by the same criteria. So rather than implement watered-down attempts at catch-all solutions that cater to the lowest common denominator, it is advisable to determine and apply motivators on an individual basis. In larger companies, however, this is often impossible.
#1 Money Matters!
The one motivator that applies to every employee is, of course, money. Remuneration is the primary reason why we work. A fair, living wage is the cornerstone of the motivated employees that underpin a successful business. All other motivators are built on this one. Without it, they are useless.
However, let’s assume you pay your employees well. What else can you do to decrease employee turnover and increase loyalty, morale, and productivity?
#2 Supervisor Appreciation
Though money is well established as the primary motivator, many studies have shown that employees often rank supervisor appreciation higher. For example, the motivational guru, Bob Nelson, mentioned in his Workforce article, “More than anything else, employees want to be valued for a job well done by those they hold in high esteem.”
#3 Control
People like to have some semblance of control over their work, to avoid feeling like mindless automatons. Having an input on decision making and a clearly defined roster of responsibility enhances an employee’s self-worth, which acts as its own motivator.
#4 Belonging
Hierarchical transparency enables employees to feel like they are part of a group working towards a common goal. If management share their decision-making processes with the workforce it invariably breeds inclusion and group harmony, which in turn foster communal motivation and all its satellite benefits.
#5 Growth and Development
The opportunity to learn new skills and develop existing ones is a prime motivator for most people in a personal development capacity. Education and training allow us to realize a closer proximity to our potential that increases personal satisfaction and subsequently acts as a great motivator.
#6 Clearly Defined Leadership
Employees prefer a clear structure to work with. Distinct expectations and well-defined goals give them a framework that can optimize their performance. This structure is provided by effective communication from strong leadership.
#7 Performance Recognition
In addition to the typical bonus schemes employed by many companies, employees also want underperformers fired or at least, downgraded in pay. Performance-dependant pay has been shown to be one of the premier motivators available.
Ira Kay and Bruce Pfau’s The Human Capital Edge illustrated that employers underrate the importance of flexible work schedules and advancement opportunities to employees. This means that many employers focus their motivational efforts in areas that don’t connect quite as well with their employees. If you can accurately determine what your employees actually want, rather than what you think they want, you may find a surprising discrepancy.
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My name is Ciprian Ginghina and I’m a full time web developer with more then 5 years experience under LAMP platform, JQuery framework and other goodies like that. I'm also involved in online marketing field.