Staff motivation

Today’s increasingly competitive business world means that a highly-motivated workforce is vital for any organisation seeking to achieve the best results. Many firms are moving away from the “command and control” approach towards the “advise and consent” method as a preferable way of motivating staff. This shift in attitude began when employers recognised that rewarding good work is more effective than punitive measures for poor work.

For an employee, the chief advantage of being motivated is job satisfaction. For the employer, it means good quality work. Different people are motivated in different ways and it pays to ask your staff if any changes at work would help motivate them. Underperformance can be expensive!

Theories of motivation

Psychologists have developed theories of motivation that identify Motivating Factors and De-Motivating Factors that can influence staff perceptions and behaviour. Motivating Factors will drive people to achieve whilst failure to meet De-Motivating Factors will cause dissatisfaction. Examples of both are demonstrated in the table below.

Motivating Factors	De-Motivating Factors
Achievement	Salary and benefits
Recognition	Working conditions
Job interest	Company policy
Responsibility	Status and job security
Advancement	Supervision and autonomy

Signs of de-motivation

For many people, workplace de-motivation tends to be caused by poor systems or work overload. Clear signs of de-motivation include high levels of absenteeism and poor staff retention. Recognising the problem is pointless unless steps are taken to eradicate its causes.

Assessing staff morale

Measuring morale (attitude questionnaires, unstructured interviews, focus groups) in the workplace should be a continuous process
Exit interviews with departing staff can provide valuable insights into what is right or wrong about your motivational management

Building up motivation

Motivation depends on having clear objectives, which will be achieved by good management practices. Since motivation is personal, aim to align staff’s individual drives with the company’s purposes. This may be done with the following in mind:

Ensure office staff appreciate their role and importance
Keep work as varied as possible
Maintain a positive workplace environment
Use persuasion and influence to encourage self-motivation
Demonstrate trust in your staff and show yourself worthy of trust
Deal with personal problems in a sympathetic and positive manner
Check on morale levels by talking to staff on a regular basis

Improving lines of communication

Not communicating at all conveys a very powerful message – the last one that a committed manager wants to deliver. You can never communication too much but take care over the content and style of delivery so that it is received in the most beneficial way. It is important to be approachable at all times.

Encourage your staff to participate in decision-making
Keep staff informed wherever possible – uncertainty is destabilising and very de-motivating. False rumours should be quashed as soon as they surface
Always ask staff for their opinions about decisions that affect them

If you choose to punish failure or motivate by fear then you will not create lasting success. However, make it clear that tolerance of error has its limits. Repetition of the same error is inexcusable since it shows failure to learn from past mistakes.

Individuals acting as part of a group have needs that differ from those of the group. However, it is important for individuals to feel they belong. Find a way to balance the needs of the group with those of participating individuals.

Gaining trust and cooperation

Find the root cause of repeated complaints and eliminate it as an issue quickly
Follow up on suggestions, requests and comments made by others
Get feedback to ensure that what you say has been properly understood
Don’t neglect to provide the right resources if you want the right result
Don’t leave people without clear instructions and guidelines to follow

Free incentives to reinforce relations

Start by thanking people for a job well done
Acknowledge staff achievements

Encouraging initiative

A sure sign of high motivation is a lot of initiative. The ability to take initiative depends on empowerment as well as an environment that recognises contribution. The more you expect of people, the more they will give, as long as you support them.

Set high expectations and people will usually rise to the challenge
Encourage continuous improvement until it becomes second nature to the organisation
Give your staff a say in the setting of targets so that the goals will stretch them but are not unattainable
Ask colleagues with high performance records what systems they suggest and implement the best practice

Dealing with de-motivated people

Invite trouble-makers to a private meeting as soon as you become aware there is a problem
Causes may be stress, personal problems, the job itself or their approach to the job
The problem is often that good people are trapped in a bad system, rather than vice versa so attempt to cure any bad systems as a first step to conquering poor morale
Ask them whether they are happy with their working conditions and whether there are any aspects of their job they’d like to change. Try to identify the cause of their dissatisfaction and agree a resolution. Do you what you can to improve the situation and adhere to any promises you make
It is important not to let the situation deteriorate. If you can’t help, find someone who can.
As they depart the interview, remind them to come directly to you with any future problems
Emphasise to staff the benefits of reform, however unwelcome

Appraising effectively

Always start appraisals by emphasising the positive and progress made since last time
Never give negative personal feedback in public
Focus on one issue at a time and be highly specific about any past behaviour that has generated this feedback and the new behaviour that is expected

Enriching jobs and developing skills

The more varied the job content, the greater the interest levels and the need for new skills
Encourage everybody to regard their portable skills as personal capital and consider making the bonus system reward the acquisition of new skills
Staff members usually prefer a challenging job to a boring job!

Delegating authority

Being managed is in itself not a motivating experience
Sharing authority where appropriate helps to develop people’s own potential, so look for areas or tasks that you can safely delegate but be sure to retain overall control
Look for any chance to broaden staff confidence by giving people challenges that may lie outside their normal range of experience

Rewarding achievement

Achievement is its own reward but it’s not enough. You need to recognise exceptional performance. Even a simple ‘Thank You’ may be enough
Individuals do not need just money and rewards but also respect and interaction

Return to contents