The definition of motivation is….
‘Desire or willingness to do something; enthusiasm’ for example “keep staff up to date and maintain interest and motivation“.
Motivation is Key
Lack of motivation will be reflected in unachieved goals, procrastination and a team that doesn’t work together. Generally, if staff are motivated, they are happier, which in turn gives the whole team more energy to achieve positive results and leads to a more successful organisation.
Employee Experience
Today, more than ever, your staff will place more importance on employee experience than in any other age. Mental health and wellbeing are a major focus in the workplace and motivation is a fundamental aspect to keep a positive atmosphere and surround yourself with positive, enthused people.
Finding the right motivators for your team is essential to improving the employee experience and the success of your organisation.
5 Key Motivators at Work
Communication
Effective communication is one of the best ways to motivate a team of people, the more a team discusses and interacts with each other, the better their performance will be. Not only does this create a team environment and support system but it reduces confusion and errors within your team and is conducive to enhanced performance.
Without open and honest lines of communication, your team is only a group of individuals. When these individuals communicate effectively, they become a team that is capable of great things.
Challenge & Support
Pushing employees outside of their comfort zone is always a challenge but will also help them grow. It keeps their roles interesting and dynamic and stops them from getting jaded and unmotivated.
Offering more meaningful work is one way to motivate and increase their feeling of value. A challenged employee is also an engaged employee. What challenging your team doesn’t mean is adding to an already heavy workload, it’s vital to ensure they feel supported and encouraged. Question what additional help they personally need to support them in completing the challenge and maintain the motivation.
Recognition & Praise
Here, a little really does go a long way, from a simple thank you and a well done to recognising with more tangible awards. Praising your staff for their achievements is one of the best ways to motivate your team.
Creating a positive employee experience designed around recognition will have a roll-on effect and encourage staff to go above and beyond on tasks. It can also motivate the whole team to contribute more and achieve bigger team goals.
Improve Team Spirit
This follows on suitably from recognising and praising a team, because a valued team will be a closer knit team. There’s also a bigger picture here, as when employees care about each other, in turn, they care more about the team and indeed the business they are a part of.
A harmonious team is a motivated team and boosting team spirit will bring your employees together. Building a culture that motivates staff to want to come to work each day will improve employee experience.
Self-Motivating Culture
There’s a time and a place for micro-managing, but if you’re confident in your team’s abilities, giving them freedom and independence can produce a self-motivating culture.
You can increase independence by setting clear goals for what you want your employees to achieve, but not how you want them to achieve them. This brings us back full circle to communication, as it’s crucial to ensure you regularly discuss your team’s progress, be supportive and give recognition when goals are achieved.
Motivation is about getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it. If you can achieve that result, then your organisation will thrive and benefit too.
It really is a win, win, win situation, for you as a manager, your team and the organisation.
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