Factors Affecting Employee Motivation


Increase Employee Performance by Harnessing the Power of Motivation

Employee motivation and productivity can be enhanced and improved by creating a work environment that maximizes the factors that affect performance. These factors are simple to understand, easy to measure, and can add tremendous value to any organization that is willing to implement them. Use these 10 tips to make sure that your employees are energized and inspired to produce the best results possible.

1. Interesting Work

Intrinsic motivation comes from the shear joy and pleasure of doing a task. When you read a great book, no one has to pay for each page you read. It is a pleasure to learn how the story unfolds and watch the plot develop. It is the same way with employee motivation. To maximize employee performance, find out what employees like about their jobs and then try to add more tasks that align with their own natural interests and talents.

2. Appreciation & Recognition

William James said, "The deepest desire in human nature is to be appreciated." It does not matter how much you pay someone, everyone want to know that their efforts are being seen and appreciated, especially by their manager. Don't just send them a thank you e-mail - that just means you care enough to hit the "Enter" key. If you really want to thank someone buy them a real "Thank You" card and describe how their behavior and performance has added value to the team and organization. Make it a point to catch people doing things right and they will inevitably do things right more often.

3. Feeling Involved In the Work Process

Research shows that when people get to participate in creating a system or process, they are much more likely to follow it than one simply imposed upon them by an outside expert. Recognize that the people doing the job have the knowledge of how things can be done better, faster, and cheaper. If you want them to tell you, then make it easy for them to offer suggestions and reward employees who contribute ideas that add value to the bottom line.

4. Achievement

Napoleon once remarked, "It is amazing how willing men are to risk their lives for a little bit of tin and ribbon to wear upon their chest." Awards and prizes can serve as a great motivator to harness the power of healthy competition. It is always better to use rewards that are meaningful and inspiring. When an employee exceeds your expectations, then make sure you recognize their achievement. On the day someone retires, they will pack up these awards and prizes to serve as fond reminders of a wonderful career.

5. Job Security

If everybody had what it takes to be an entrepreneur, then there would be no General Electric or Toyota and we would all be buying products from artisans and craftworkers. Thankfully, many people prefer to be part of a large organization and can be more productive when they get to focus on doing their job instead of worrying about developing a business plan or marketing strategy. Telling people that they are lucky to have a job creates an atmosphere of fear and worry that decreases job performance. Instead, tell your employees that the company is lucky to have such a skilled and committed workforce and people will take pride in their work and their company.

6. Increased Responsibility

We all know that some employees lack ambition and have no desire to advance on the job, but the vast majority of workers want a chance to take on more responsibility and add more value to the organization. Always be aware of opportunities for training that will equip your employees with the skills and tools they will need to advance in their career. Always try to fill open positions with internal applicants before looking for an outside candidate. This will create a culture of career development and preserve institutional memory and organizational knowledge so that it can be transferred to rising employees as they advance in their own career.

7. Good Wages

Robert Bosch, founder of the world's largest automobile parts supplier, said, "I do not pay good wages because I have a lot of money; I have a lot of money because I pay good wages." If you want motivated, high productive employees you have to pay such people according to their ability and performance. Good employees are motivated by more than just good wages, but never allow low wages to be the wedge a competitor can use to steal away your best people.

8. Good Working Conditions

If you want to get the most out of people you need to create an environment that facilitates success. At the minimum, you must offer a safe, clean, and sanitary work site. To get the most out of employees, help them take pride in their workspace, even if it is only a cubicle or workstation. Allow people to personalize their own work sites with photos or small trinkets so they will feel like they have a place that belongs solely to them.

9. Being Part of a Team

Being part of a dysfunctional team is an emotionally draining experience that results in low morale, low productivity, and high turnover. The great coach, Vince Lombardi, once remarked, "Individual commitment to a group effort -- that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work." We are all social beings and we all want to be part of a healthy team where we can give and receive support, help, and encouragement. Organizations can harness this natural human desire by aligning employee efforts to achieve goals that are mutually beneficial to both the organization and its employees.

10. Help with Personal Problems

How many times have you heard about a bad boss who told their employees to leave their problems at the door so they could focus on their job? Unfortunately, they probably left their motivation and productivity at the door as well. Smart managers know that it is not their job to be a counselor or therapist, but it is there job to recognize when one of their employees is having personal problems that are affecting their job performance. They need to have open lines of honest communication so that employees can feel encouraged to ask for help and then be directed to their Human Resources Department or their Employee Assistance Programs.

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?Employee-Motivation---10-Tips-to-Boost-Job-Performance&id=1011144

Motivation Mystery: How to Keep Employees Productive

In my previous post, I explored the importance of positive work environments and one key benefit is that great workplaces can help motivate employees.
It makes sense. Employees that are happy tend to be more productive, which is better for a business’ bottom line. Lots of research has shown the relationship between employee satisfaction/perception and a company’s success.
I’ve seen it firsthand for more than two decades. Motivated employees can make all the difference in a successful company.
There are a number of incentives that I’ve found to be helpful. Here are five:
  • Bonuses: Employees usually respond to bonuses and other financial incentives as a way to reward great performances.
  • Perks: I saw good responses to perks that weren’t simply financial, such as casual days at the office, half days, office parties, and social activities outside of the office.
  • Amenities: Workplace amenities – like a gym, cafeteria, or daycare center – are nice incentives for employees to come to work and to stay focused on their projects.
  • Education: I believe that people respond to educational incentives and a number of companies offer incentives that pay for additional education. They’re great because your workforce can become more skilled and you’re creating loyalty.
  • Positive recognition: Recognizing someone in public for a job well done can make a big difference. I think it’s important to provide positive reinforcement. Programs that recognize employees can go a long way toward motivating someone.
And there are so many more ways to motivate employees. Entire books have been written on the subject. These five suggestions are just meant to get you thinking about ways to motivate employees.
Although entrepreneurs should remember that motivating employees is very important, it’s also important to keep them happy. Obviously, an unhappy employee is hard to keep motivated.
Zappos is a perfect example. The company is a true innovator and Tony Hsieh, its CEO, is brilliant. Zappos might not offer the most lavish perks for employees, but Tony is focused on creating acorporate culture that makes employees happy and builds loyalty. I couldn’t agree more and have seen the effects of similar approaches.
Motivating employees is good, but keeping them happy is the real secret.
I’ve found that the right combination of incentives/motivation and a positive work environment can keep employees happy and more productive.

Source:http://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickhull/2013/05/23/motivation-mystery-how-to-keep-employees-productive

5 Easy Ways To Motivate And Demotivate Employees

5 Easy Ways To Motivate And Demotivate Employees
Accordingly, here are 5 easy ways to motivate and demotivate employees.

1. Align individual economic interests with company performance – Okay, so this first one isn’t quite as easy as the others;  it does take more doing at the highest management levels than the rest.   But incentive compensation programs that give employees at all levels of an organization a chance to benefit when a company prospers… can naturally boost motivation (always assuming solid individual performance in order for one to share in financial rewards).

2. Take a genuine interest in the future path of an employee’s career  – It does wonders for an employee’s attitude to believe that a manager really cares about where his or her career is headed.  Mentoring, coaching, suggesting additional training or coursework -  all of these can be helpful to employees, and highly valued.

3. Take a genuine interest in their work-life balance – To the extent that managers can offer some flexibility in schedules… and be understanding about family commitments, doctors’ appointments and so on – such sensitivity can be greatly appreciated.  Small gestures often make a big difference.

4.  Listen - This is an easy one: Just listen thoughtfully.   To employees’ ideas for job improvement… or their problems, concerns, frustrations, conflicts, dramas, kids’ issues, parents’ issues, grandparents’ issues – you name it, I’ve heard it.   Okay, so you do have to separate the wheat from the chaff and as a manager it can wear you out at times – but within reason, intelligent listening is an integral part of the job.  (If someone is a chronic malingerer, and carps for the sake of carping, just tell them to knock it off and get back to work.  But if someone is a good employee… well, people appreciate being heard.)

5. Do unto others as you would have done unto you -  When it comes to treatment of subordinates, this is as basic as it gets.  But powerful too – still as valid today as it was a few thousand years ago.   It shows you respect your employees as individuals, and for the job they do.

Now about those easy ways to demotivate someone…

1.  Use your positional power as a manager in a way that shows you don’t fully respect your employees as individuals -  This is the reverse of number 5 and it can be subtle.  Be chronically late for employee meetings.  Don’t return their messages.  Ignore their suggestions for how to improve operations.  These may seem like small things to an executive with weightier issues on his or her mind… but the reality is people resent them.  As noted above, small things can make a big difference in one’s feelings about work.

2. Take credit for a project one of your employees actually did most of the work on -  This is guaranteed to make people crazy.  Good managers are secure enough to give full credit where it’s due.

3.  Lose your temper -  A nasty cousin of  number 1) above.  It’s just human nature: People dislike being on the wrong end of this sort of thing.  Lost tempers are often followed by lost loyalty.

4. Don’t stand up for your employees when under personal or organizational attack -  Assuming the attacks  aren’t merited – just personal or organizational nonsense (which has been known to occur) – your employees will want and expect you to back them up.  If you don’t, they’ll remember it.

5. Be emotionally stingy -  People like praise.  They want to know they’re doing a good job and are valued.  (Assuming they are doing a good job, of course.  If they’re not, then telling them they are does nothing except erode your credibility.)   But if they are doing well, simple words of encouragement are easy, inexpensive and can be motivational.

All of these suggestions (other than the first one on aligning economic interests) have the same cost: nothing.  And this list is by no means all-inclusive.  When it comes to motivating employees, you’re limited only by your imagination.

Source:http://www.forbes.com/sites/victorlipman/2013/03/18/5-easy-ways-to-motivate-and-demotivate-employees

Help with Personal Problems


How many times have you heard about a bad boss who told their employees to leave their problems at the door so they could focus on their job? Unfortunately, they probably left their motivation and productivity at the door as well. Smart managers know that it is not their job to be a counselor or therapist, but it is there job to recognize when one of their employees is having personal problems that are affecting their job performance. They need to have open lines of honest communication so that employees can feel encouraged to ask for help and then be directed to their Human Resources Department or their Employee Assistance Programs.