Employee motivation is not always the easiest of tasks, but it does pay off for you, your customers and the employee. Recognition is ranked the number one motivating factor when it comes to employee motivation in the workplace. If you want to maintain motivated employees, and encourage others to do better, recognizing them publicly may save yourself the time and money of having to find and re-train new staff.
Employee motivation is not always the easiest of tasks, but it does pay off for you, your customers and the employee.
Recognition is ranked the number one motivating factor when it comes to employee motivation in the workplace. If you want to maintain motivated employees, and encourage others to do better, recognizing them publicly may save yourself the time and money of having to find and re-train new staff.
One of the best techniques to build and maintain employee motivation is to make it a practice to have an event or period end staff meeting, followed by a employee, & maybe spouse dinner, staff recognition awards and a closing party. This will build and maintain employee motivation though ongoing sincere recognition and deserving reward.
You may find it hard to believe, but recognition is the most powerful employee motivator of all. Research has shown that there is a stronger need in society today for recognition than there is for sex and money. Now, that says something about employee motivation.
Let's think about it.
We could provide employee motivation through a bonus in the form of money at the end of a period. Sure they'll be happy and thankful. They may even perform better, but what are their expectations at the end of the next period? Right; more money. External employee motivation is temporary - it is never lasting.
Money is an external employee motivator and it is never lasting. It's an incentive that once acquired, leads to expectations for more, bigger or better. But if you have a bad period will they care? They'll want a bonus at least equal to what they got last year, but preferably more, not less.
A survey of thousands of workers around the world compared rankings by supervisors and employees on employee motivating factors. The typical supervisory group ranked the factors in the following order:
1. High wages
2. Job security
3. Promotion in the organization
4. Good working conditions
5. Interesting work
6. Personal loyalty of supervisor
7. Tactful discipline
8. Full appreciation of work done
9. Help on personal problems
10. Feeling of being in on things
However, when employees were given the same exercise and asked what affects their morale and employee motivation the most, their answers followed this pattern;
1. Full appreciation of work done
2. Feeling of being in on things
3. Help on personal problems
4. Job security
5. High wages
6. Interesting work
7. Promotion in the organization
8. Personal Loyalty of supervisor
9. Good working conditions
10. Tactful discipline
Note that the top three employee motivating factors marked by the employees are the last three felt to be important for them by their supervisors.
Do you think it would be any different in your business?
So it is fair to say that money, over and above wages, is not a main motivating factor, but full appreciation of work done is. This is recognition: the number one employee motivating factor in building and maintaining a motivated employee.
Why is it so important?
When someone gives you a compliment or recognizes you for doing something, how do you feel? Imagine, for a moment, being complimented by all your family, friends, staff and customers all day, every day.
What would it do to your self-esteem your self confidence and your self respect? Without it going to your head, how do you think you would perform? Would you be outstanding or what? Is this not the basis of employee motivation?
Employee motivation through recognition is positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement of actions gets those actions repeated. Recognition and praise reinforces our beliefs about ourselves and helps make us think we are better than we thought we were. That is what employee motivation is all about.
Employee motivation is positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcements is what builds our self-esteem. Our self-esteem is the way we see and feel about ourselves either internally, through our own beliefs, or externally through what we accept as the beliefs of others.
If we feel good about ourselves and we believe others feel good about us, we perform better than we would when we see the opposite side of the coin. Employee motivation starts from within.
People perform in a manner that is consistent with how they see themselves conceptually. So, the key is to help people build their self-esteem. That is the foundation of employee motivation.
How To Increase Team Morale And Productivity During Times Of Change
During these changing times, everyone is concerned about tomorrow and many people are living in fear of the unknown. This fear is causing unreliable hearsay, low team morale and less productivity. However, there is a solution and it is centred on one word - attitude. Read more to find out how does Attitude able to increase team morale and productivity during times of change
The Foundation to Sales Success in Today's Economy
Selling in today's economy requires a strong foundation in order to succeed. Your attitude, which stems from your individual beliefs, is the foundation for productivity and sales. Do you believe in yourself? Do you have faith in your organization, the team, and the products and services that you sell? Do you trust there is a market out there for your goods and services? Read more to increase your sales success today!
Self Help is more Important than dwelling on the Economic Crisis
No matter what has happened to you or what will happen to you in 2009, it simply happens and there is little you can do about it. Learn to accept the economic crisis for what it is and realize it is not within your control unless you made it happen.
