What is employee motivation?
Employee motivation is the amount of vigor, dedication, and innovation that employees bring to their work. Your motivated employees are the ones who jump out of bed eager to go to work and take on new tasks practically every morning.
They relish the opportunity to expand their knowledge base, push their physical limits, and assume new responsibilities.
Benefits of motivated employees
1. Handle uncertainty better
Because motivated employees are much more engaged, they are also more self-confident in what they do. Consequently, they know how to react in difficult situations.
2. Are better problem-solvers
Problem-solving skills are something most employers look for in their employees. If you havemotivated employeesd, they will also work harder to solve problems and challenges.
3. Are more innovative and creative
When employees are motivated and engaged, they think about innovative ideas that could help optimize business performance.
4. Are proactive
Motivated employees proactively look for new solutions to eliminate challenges and achieve goals. They don’t wait for feedback, and they often evaluate their work.
5. Are more productive
More motivation and engagement often lead to more productivity. Therefore, companies with motivated employees are often more productive than others. Hay Group’s research on employee motivation proved that offices with engaged employees are 43% more productive.
6. Understand the company’s goals better
Motivated employees want to understand how their work contributes to the overall company’s success. Therefore, they always want to understand what the company’s mission, vision, and objectives are.
7. Work towards achieving their own goals
By understanding the company’s goals, motivated employees are excellent at understanding and achieving their own goals.
8. Work towards achieving the company’s goals
In addition to working hard to achieve their own goals, motivated employees also care about achieving team and company goals.
9. Are more customer-centric
Whether you are in B2B or B2C business, more engaged employees will always care about your customer satisfaction.
10. Stay with the company longer
Fluctuation is one of the biggest workforce problems. Businesses with engaged employees have an 87% higher employee retention rate.
11. Are more adaptable and open to changes
Agility is something every employer is trying to achieve. Employees with higher motivation rates are more open to change and are more prompt to an agile way of working.
12. Are better team players
As most motivated employees are driven by the company’s goals and objectives, they are more likely to be team players than solo players.
13. Have a good impact on other employees
Disengaged employees often hurt others. In addition, their negativity may create an unhealthy company culture.
14. Tend to be healthier
A report on the financial cost of employee disengagement showed that businesses with low employee engagement report 62% more accidents than those with high engagement.
15. Are brand ambassadors
Motivated employees are often emotionally connected to their companies. Furthermore, emotionally connected employees are 3 times more likely to become brand ambassadors. Turning your employees into brand ambassadors can help your increase awareness, and sales and attract talent to your company.
10 ways to motivate employees
1. Proper Training
How can you expect your employees to complete a task given to them if they have no prior knowledge or experience with the assignment? Take the time, spend the money and provide your employees with proper training. Training and development in the workforce provide the organization as whole benefits that make the cost and time worthwhile. Some organizations will even provide free, live software training.
2. Great Listening
Employees often just need someone to talk to. It’s difficult to be motivated about work when you feel like your boss doesn’t even hear you, your concerns, or your wishes.
3. Open Door Policy
This method seems self-explanatory, but the true reasons behind it are often hidden. Forbes has provided four benefits behind the “open door policy” that we believe are surefire ways to keep motivation high. They include accessibility, an open flow of communication, fast access to information, and closer working relationships.
4. Creating a Comfortable Working Environment
In a survey conducted by Robert Half International Inc., in 1993 only 9% of executives surveyed said the work environment was important in keeping employees satisfied. In today’s business world, one-third of the executives surveyed believe the work environment is the most critical factor in keeping employees satisfied. When thinking about your work environment, think about yourself. Would you be comfortable reaching your goals, speaking up, or being motivated in your current workplace? Putting yourself in your employees’ shoes leads us directly to the next method of motivation.
5. Following the Golden Rule
The Golden Rule says, “Do unto others and you would have them do unto you.” We’ve heard it since we were children, but we often forget the true importance of it, especially in the workforce. Here are a couple of examples on how to follow the Golden Rule in your workplace:
- Be mindful of the deadlines you set. Ask yourself, “When would I be able to accomplish this?” before delegating to your employees.
- Take a minute to breathe when you’re heated. If you’re having a bad day for reasons not work-related, take a step back and think about how you would feel if you were doing everything you can to impress your boss and he/she lashes out at you for something you haven’t done.
6. Languages of Appreciation
The number 1 New York Times bestselling author Gary Chapman teamed up with Dr. Paul White to coauthor The Five Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace. “Work has become a barely bearable chore, with only 45 percent of workers in a recent survey saying they were happy with their careers,” said White. In fact, in the 21st century, a business that thrives is based on solid relationships. So what are the languages of appreciation and how do they help?
- Words of Affirmation – using words to affirm people
- Acts of Service – sometimes actions speak louder than words
- Receiving Gifts – people like things to feel appreciated
- Quality Time – giving someone undivided attention
- Physical Touch – appropriate touch (pats on the back)
7. Implementing Barcode Software
Manually tracking assets, using a manual time and attendance system, and even manually creating labels for packages can become a time-consuming, cumbersome task for employees. Implementing barcode technology in your organization can make those everyday tasks easy to accomplish while saving your organization time, money, and error. One of the greatest ways to motivate an employee is by allowing them to see quick, accurate results right at the click of a button.
8. Mutual Energy
It’s unfair to expect your employees to stay energized and motivated when you are moping around all day in the workplace. Lead by the example you set for your employees. If your energy is high, they will follow.
9. Trust In Your Employee’s Skills
It’s easy to want to do everything yourself because you trust yourself and you often want tasks done a certain way. If you’ve provided proper training for your employees, trust them. Delegate tasks to them and believe in them. Your confidence in their skills is a great source of motivation.
10. Provide Opportunities for Competition
If done correctly, this method could be extremely successful in motivating your employees. Ever taken part in a little bit of a friendly workplace competition? Offer your employees the opportunity to compete for a reward. Be very careful in the competition you create to avoid employees becoming overworked or stressed. There are ways to create healthy competition that will ultimately motivate your employees. Your employee motivation is ultimately up to you and how you run your organization. Take the time, invest the money and treat your employees in ways that allow them to be efficient workers who feel appreciated and generate motivation. After all, simply having motivated employees can easily produce success and revenue increase for your business.