The Inevitable Truth - Why Motivating Employees is a Must!
Motivating employees can be one of your biggest challenges as an employer, but learning how to inspire your workforce is the key to a successful organization. Constant pressure to increase productivity, profitability and revenue growth can often overshadow the importance of how an unengaged workforce can negatively affect corporate performance.
This article will provide you with tips for motivating employees that will help your organization unlock human potential. Whether you're an executive, a manager or a team leader, you too know that motivating employees is a must!
Nationwide studies have shown that up to 80% of employees are not motivated by their work. Now that's a staggering number! Take a look around your office; how many people seem actively motivated and engaged in what they are doing?
Many organizations continuously face the problems associated with decreased employee motivation including complacency, declining morale, and widespread discouragement in the workplace. If allowed to continue, these problems can reduce productivity, earnings and competitiveness in your business.
Motivating employees is crucial to the success of our rapidly changing workplaces. Motivated employees help organizations survive by being more productive. Effective managers need to understand what motivates each individual employee within the context of their job. Of all the functions a manager performs, motivating employees is arguably the most complex due to the fact that what motivates employees changes constantly.
Motivating employees will help you improve employee engagement in your workforce so that you can maintain a productive, successful business.
Help yourself find ways to improve low employee motivation by identifying what drives them and teach them to live up to their full potential, which creates an environment for increased productivity and employee morale.
Did you know that money is often not the biggest motivator for an employee?
A recent survey found that only 15% of employees left their jobs because of inadequate salary and benefits. The same study also found that of those who left their jobs:
- 30% were unhappy with management and the way they managed
- 25% felt they received no respect for good work
- 20% complained of limited opportunities for advancement
- 15% cited inadequate salary and benefits
- 5% were bored with the job
- 5% cited other reasons (retirement, career change, sabbatical, travel)
These are all things that you can work and have an effect on! See a recent post on How to Motivate without Money.
By motivating employees, your organization can gain the following benefits:
- Increased understanding, awareness and changed perspectives
- Stronger workplace relationships
- Improvement in skills and competency
- Increased confidence, job satisfaction and morale
- Improved individual performance and self-motivation
- Increased employee retention and productivity
- Improved decision-making
When people are placed in jobs that match their own abilities, interests and personalities, employee turnover decreases dramatically, and productivity increases exponentially. This is the key to employee motivation and increased employee morale. Learn more about how assessments can help you gain insight into what drives your people.
How important is employee motivation in your organization? As a manager, are you actively engaging in activities to drive your people? As an employee, are your managers communicating with you and succeeding in motivating you?
Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below or on Facebook or Twitter.
Want to know if your employees feel appreciated? We encourage you to test drive our Workplace Engagement Survey - 100% risk free!
Information sourced from the Profiles Research Institute