Employee motivation is the level of energy, commitment, and creativity that a company’s workers apply to their jobs. In the increasingly competitive business environment of recent years, finding ways to motivate employees has become a pressing concern for many managers.
Researchers have fond that employee commitment is highest during the first few days or weeks on the job. That’s when employees are most concerned about doing things right, pleasing his or her manager, and showing they are willing to go the extra mile.
Job factors cited as causing dissatisfaction are supervision, working conditions, interpersonal relationships, pay, job security, and company policies and administration. These factors reduce dissatisfaction when they are present to an acceptable degree.
Job enlargement or enrichment, can provide opportunities to make work more interesting by increasing the number and variety of activities performed, and job enrichment can also make work more interesting and provide opportunities for increased pay and responsibility. Secondments through out the business, improved social networks. mentoring and standing-in for colleagues on leave are suggested methods.
Job Match is another idea to provide the key to employee motivation and increased employee morale, but fail to introduce obvious routes to self improvement by any from of management and most businesses will be endangered. Any management process which seeks always to reduce staff roles to minimalistic job functions, and over computerized routine, and splits down each job role into simplified and more closely defined roles usually fails for this reason.
Organizations desiring to improve employee motivation need a system in place that consistently rewards employee achievements. I’m always surprised how few organizations have such a system. Organizations that wait for classroom instruction are on the trailing edge of technology.
Employee incentives are a good way of showing recognition to your workforce and they can help to keep workers motivated. In giving out employee rewards, you?re also demonstrating the types of behaviour, actions and performance that the company values most highly.
Managers must realize that “high staff turnover can prove costly, particularly to small businesses” (Oliver 1998), and a lack of motivation is a big staff loss and turnover creator.
What creates motivated, contributing people? Employees have to motivate and empower themselves. However, you can set up an environment where they best motivate and empower themselves.
Employee incentive programs work because they offer diverse rewards that meet the needs of the company as a whole.
Employee behavior is quite often a reflection of the guidance they receive from their superiors. So if managers are unmotivated, employees will be unmotivated. Employee turnover at most financial service companies is greater than 25 percent. It’s only 10 to 15 percent at the most motivational people companies, and that removes a huge burden on recruitment and training. Which itself builds into a company which can actually afford to be nicer to its employees. A virtuous circle really is possible within good companies in this way.
Employees who on average work longer in an organization are generally more capable to answer the questions of customers which builds better customer loyalty. Employees who understand the business, complain less, are more satisfied, and are more motivated.
Clear decision making should be coupled with a collaborative, collegiate approach, and a clear encouragement program. This entails taking people into your confidence and explicitly and openly valuing their contributions. Clearly, there is a link between core values and emotional commitment. Being clear about values will help to sustain someone through periods of anxiety or stress.
