Motivation can be said to be the process of inducing an individual or a group of people to act in a certain way. It is the effort put into making people behave in a desired way.
The effort business owners and leaders put into their relationships with workers to make them productive or more productive.
This article contains 6 ways of achieving workforce motivation and it has deliberately sought to simplify them for better understanding.
Let’s dive straight in.
- Respect them: This is having due regard for the feelings, wishes, and rights of others. When business owners and leaders relate with workers in a way that communicates that their feelings and rights are always considered, employees have extra reasons to give more of themselves.
Another definition of respect is deep admiration for people due to their abilities. Business owners and Leaders must show workers that the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities they bring to the workplace are valued.
Talk to them respectfully and allow them to use their skills/ knowledge to move the organization forward. Give them the freedom to do their jobs without breathing down their necks always and when you need to correct them, do it as humanely as possible.
When the workplace has a culture of respect, motivation is always high.
- Commend them: To express warm approval or admiration. The word “express” is a verb that means it can only be done through action.
Say it all the time. Publish it and place it everywhere, celebrate and reward them one way or the other. Let your employees know that they are valued. What obtains in most workplaces is the highlighting of errors and mistakes of workers and the absence of acknowledgment/ validation when they get it right. Let’s flip it the other way. Make noise when they are doing a good job and treat errors seriously but not with unnecessary noise. This assures the workers that they have room for growth.
- Relate with them: To relate is to make or show a connection. It is always strange to me when I see leaders who prefer to distance themselves from those they are leading because they feel it breeds respect. A case of an HR manager who will never eat at the cafeteria while others are eating. He eats alone in the cafeteria. Senior managers who eat in their cafeteria without going to the junior staff cafeteria at all. If you want to be respected based only on your title or position, this approach is good but if you want your influence to transcend the workplace, you must do otherwise. The more the leaders relate and communicate with the people they are leading, the more motivated they are to give their best. Read more about Richard Branson and how relatable he is with all members of staff and you will understand why his companies are always doing well. Your employees bring their A-game to work when they have highly relatable leaders.
Be relatable!
- Pay Them: Pay in this context is money due for work done. This is agreed upon in most quarters as the best way to motivate workers. Paying employees adequately for a job done is a huge source of motivation. My advice is for organizations to strive not to be at the lower level when comparing remuneration in their sector. They should try to be close to the top levels if they can’t be at the very top. When employees discover that what they earn is in the lower industry range, they lose motivation easily and immediately start searching for greener pastures. If they are paid towards the top range, many will stay. Particularly, if this payment is backed with other attractive compensations. How much you pay your workers is a reflection of the value you place on them and this has a direct impact on their level of motivation. It has been argued that money isn’t the only means of motivation but it remains a fact that it is a major source of motivation. I mean, why are we working?
- Reward them: Reward is a thing given in recognition of service, effort, or achievement. As simple as this is, it tends to be overlooked. Employee rewards alallowrganizations to be very creative. Nothing is cast in stones and people managers can come up with various ideas to give things to employees in appreciation of a job well done. It must be consistently and fairly implemented. It is most effective when it is well communicated so that everyone knows what is obtainable when they perform to certain levels. Holidays, shopping vouchers, dinners, plaques and so much more. They don’t have to be very expensive but if the organization can afford to spoil deserving employees, they should do so. This doesn’t just motivate the recipients but their colleagues too. If well implemented, the momentum that will be created will lead to greater profits for the organization.
- Develop them: To develop is to grow or cause to grow. Someone once said that the moment you stop growing, you start dying. An organization that creates room for personal and career growth won’t be short on needed motivation. Humans desire growth and progress. It is inherent and we keep searching until we find it. Investing in quality pieces of training for employees and creating room for internal promotion is a veritable tool for motivating the workforce. When there is a vacancy, allowing people within to fill the post as against always bringing personnel from outside tells the staff that there is room for growth. Developing the workforce through training, mentoring, and coaching may be expensive but the rewards will bring more to the coffers of the organization. A well-developed workforce is a well-oiled organization. It will work better and more efficiently.
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Fatubaro Temitope is the lead trainer of Gestalt Consult, a training organization based in Lagos, Nigeria.
