Motivation is a power key to drive success and profit making in any organization. Motivation is the word derived from the word 'motive' which means needs, desires, wants or drives within the individuals. It is the process of stimulating people to actions to accomplish the goals.
According to Lee, the journey to a motivated and engaged workforce isn’t seamless. Each employee is different, which means how you motivate and inspire them will also be unique.
Below are employee motivators and how you can implement them.
A Thriving Wage
When employees are underpaid, they’re stressed out, unable to focus on their duties, and constantly looking for a way out of your company. Additionally, they aren’t motivated to do anything for a company that can’t even pay them a livable wage.
Flexible Work Schedules and Duties
Flexibility is a huge employee motivator. Allowing employees control over where, when, and how they work perpetuates trust in the employer-employee relationship. Working from home on a full-time or hybrid basis comes with a unique set of challenges. For instance, remote employees may not have equal access to resources or have the same leadership support as in-office employees.
Recognition
Nothing sucks the motivation out of your employees quite like a lack of recognition. Unfortunately, most people will work at least one job in their life where they feel overworked and undervalued. It typically leads to disengagement – which can negatively affect the bottom line.
Here are a few ideas to ensure your employees get the recognition they deserve:
- Give out gift cards, extra time on lunch, or paid days off for achievements.
- Reward employees with certificates of achievement and recognition at company events.
- Celebrate milestones like birthdays, baby showers, weddings, promotions, and work anniversaries.
- Have frequent one-on-one meetings with your employees to create deep, meaningful relationships with them.
- Design a rewards system and enable peer-to-peer recognition.
- Trust high-performing employees with more responsibility (and higher wages.)
Advancement Opportunities
One of the best ways to motivate employees is to offer them ample advancement opportunities. Employees are encouraged to do their best work when they know their employers provide resources to drive their personal and professional growth. Most will appreciate being challenged and stay loyal to your company because you continue to help them achieve personal and professional goals.
Happiness
A disengaged employee is usually an unhappy one. When your workers are unhappy, they aren’t likely to do much more than their minimum job requirements, nor will they work well within a team.
If they state they’d be happier with more resources that support their holistic health, offer dedicated health and wellness resources like:
- Child care stipends
- Access to various support groups
- Company events that connect employees
- Discounts on counseling and therapy sessions
- Access to meditation, yoga, and other mindfulness classes
- Free gym memberships and sessions with a personal trainer
- Comprehensive healthcare benefits package that includes short and long-term disability coverage
An Inherently Positive Work Culture
Various factors impact workplace culture. For example, the social causes a company stands for and its commitment to closing the wage gap can influence how positive or negative its workplace culture is.
Stable and Secure Leadership
Employees want security and stability in their jobs, but they also want it in leadership. Unfortunately, many companies promote managers who take a dictatorial role rather than an empathetic one. It’s nearly impossible to feel secure and stable when your boss is constantly threatening punishment or firings.
SOURCE: BOSS MAGAZINE
