How to motivate

Motivation is key to sustained individual and team performance. Directly motivating a person can sometimes prove difficult, yet setting a president to help motivate people is possible. Promoting motivation internally will benefit not only businesses but also individuals, as there are a number of factors which can satisfy employees. Aspects such as the opportunity for personal development, achievement, recognition, responsibility and promotion all contribute towards happy employees.

A bit of background 

Frederick Herzberg, a psychologist, was interested in the relationship between employee attitude and workplace motivation. Herzberg wanted to find out what made people feel satisfied and unsatisfied within the workplace. After countless research, Herzberg developed a theory of workplace motivation called the two-factor theory. This theory is based on the assumption that there are two sets of factors which influence motivation in the workplace.

The first factor is known as the hygiene factor. Herzberg used the term 'hygiene' to describe factors that cause dissatisfaction in the workplace and are linked to things such as supervision, supervisory relationships, working conditions, salary and company policy. According to Herzberg, these factors do not motivate employees. However, if they are missing or inadequate, it can cause serious dissatisfaction. These primary factors are about making an employee feel comfortable, secure and happy. When hygiene factors are not fulfilled, it feels like something is missing.

The second factor of Herzberg’s theory is 'motivators' otherwise known as satisfiers. These are linked to employee motivation and arise from dependent conditions from the job itself. Factors for satisfaction include responsibility, job satisfaction, recognition, achievement, opportunities for growth, and advancement. Assuming that hygiene factors are being positively met, these factors are what truly inspires and motivates employees.

The six major motivators;

• Work: Work should be challenging and fulfilling, allowing the employee to feel motivated and interested
• Achievement: Employees having a sense of achievement and that they are accomplishing something that is important to the business
• Recognition: Being appreciated and recognised by management for contributions to the business
• Personal development: Employees should feel they have opportunities to develop their skills and within the organisation as a whole
• Responsibility: Management should give the employee ownership and minimize supervisory time spent
• Progression: Having the opportunity to advance from current responsibilities is very appealing.

The obvious choice to motivate people would be to reward, however research reveals that rewarding disengaged employees will not boost their engagement. Instead, the above list involves fundamental elements which can be woven into a company’s values, job enrichment and motivational management which are often less costly and benefit the company and employee.

Research reveals that the more trust employers give their staff to perform personal tasks, the more engaged and motivated they will be. Staff who are not allowed to perform personal tasks at work are only a quarter highly engaged.

Research indicates that simple hygiene factors such as where employees work and the tools they are given to work with have a much bigger impact on motivation than employers’ may think. The most motivational elements that create memorable moments with staff appear under the four categories: achieved, challenged, gained knowledge and recognised.

Let your employees achieve something this year, give them a challenge outside their comfort zone, make regular training available to them, and thank them regularly for their hard work, inevitably improving productivity in the UK.

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Source

Red Letter Days. Employee Motivation. Who came out on top in 2015?