Employee motivation is the passion, eagerness, energy level, commitment, and creativity that an employee brings to the organization on a daily basis.
Motivation is derived from the Latin word, “movere” which means movement.
Thus, all the descriptions that you come across in books or in dictionaries relate to the fact that motivation is a behaviour and one needs to embrace this behaviour in order to achieve desired goals.
Employee motivation is all about how engaged an employee feels towards the organization’s goals and how empowered she feels.Therefore, motivation of employees at all stages is the chief function of management.
Motivated employees form a behaviour towards the attainment of organizational goals.
There are two types of motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic. Organisation needs to understand for a fact that employees are not clones, they are individuals with different characteristics. Some employees respond better to intrinsic motivation while others may respond better to extrinsic motivation. Hence, motivating your employees will need a better understanding of the types and ways of motivation.
Intrinsic Motivation:
Intrinsic motivation means that an employee is motivated from within. She has the urge to perform well at the workplace because the results are in line with her belief system and an individual’s deep-rooted beliefs are always the strongest motivational factors. Such individuals show qualities like acceptance, curiosity, honour and desire to achieve success.
Research has proven that praise increases intrinsic motivation, so does positive employee feedback. So, if you are a manager, supervisor or in a leadership role, please be deliberate with positive feedback and recognising results. Make sure the environment is empowering by ensuring your employees know your expectations.
Extrinsic Motivation:
Extrinsic motivation means an individual’s motivation is controlled by external factors – rewards and recognition. Some people may never be motivated internally and only external motivation would work with them to get the work done.
Research shows that extrinsic rewards can boost the willingness in a person to work harder and do better. Similarly, rewards like bonuses, perks, awards, etc. can motivate people to increase efficiency in productivity.
Ways to Motivate Employees:
- Recognize Great Work – One of the most crucial factors that contribute to employee motivation is how their hard work and effort gets recognized. 70% of employees claim that motivation and self-esteem would improve massively with an increased recognition from the managers. The reason being – if the employee produces great results but their hard work isn’t recognized, why would they continue to be a high-performing employee?
- Set Small and Measurable Goals – We’ve all had projects and tasks that just go on and on, and never seem to end. It can be discouraging to be stuck in the same stuff for a long time, which is why seeing how you’ve made visible progress feels good. Tangible progress acts like an indicator that our work is making progress.
Setting clear, achievable goals provides a real push in motivation of employees each time one is conquered. And, it keeps the team on the right track. You can boost these effects by taking the next step and celebrating those achievements.
- Celebrate Results – Setting small and measurable goals is important because it provides plenty of opportunities to celebrate your team’s hard work and effort. This doesn’t mean you need to give a standing ovation to all the employees who made it to work on time, but it is extremely important to let everyone know exactly how each of their contributions moves the organization forward in achievement of its goal.
- Stay Healthy– It’s difficult to stay focused and driven when you’re not physically 100% fit. That’s it’s necessary for everyone to stay fed, hydrated, and in some cases, caffeinated. It’s normal for employees to get engrossed in work and make themselves so busy that they barely take time to take care of their health. Taking time out for physical and mental health is good for individuals and for organisational productivity.
- Take Regular Breaks – Taking a short break every hour or two can have a positive impact both physically and mentally. Don’t forget to get up from your desk and grab some fresh air. Get up, stretch your legs, rest your eyes, and come back to work with a refreshed body and mind.
- See and Share The Big Picture – You can motivate your employees in the workplace by ensuring your team understands how each of their efforts are valuable and impacts the organization, customers, and the community.
Completing a task normally provides a small sense of accomplishment, but knowing how that helped the organization and its customers is the real matter to consider.
- Offer frequent recognition– Rewarding employees for their hard work is a motivational tactic that works all the time without saying. Annual bonus is a common way many employers reward employees for their dedication towards work. Sometimes, they don’t often provide the motivation they’re intended to as it is once a year. Providing frequent rewards and recognition is a great way to boost motivation regularly over time.
- Offer Merit-Based Raises – No matter what else is motivating your employees, it’s quite obvious they come to work for a paycheck. If that paycheck gets bigger, they feel they’ve genuinely earned the raise – they’ll continue to work harder. It’s also a good example that hard work is rewarded.
That’s why it’s important to pay right to employees as per their performance and dedication.