Do Motivators Seem Lacking in Your Company? Are You Having Trouble Retaining Your Staff?
Maybe you’re seeing increased turnover in your company. Perhaps you’re confused about how to keep your staff happy. We’re here to help.
Motivation in the workplace can be a challenging aspect of managing others. However, it doesn’t have to be. Once we understand what key motivators are, we can look at ways of introducing them to our workplace.
In today’s work climate, we see people looking for new job opportunities sooner than in previous decades. Gone are the days when people stay with a company for 40 years and then retire. We want to add new blood to the team mix from time to time. But we also want some long-tenured staff with knowledge and experience of the company as well. We need to find ways of finding that balance. Motivators can help us achieve that.
The Meaning of Motivators
Motivators are factors that can keep people happy and content in their work. If these factors are missing, we see an increase in dissatisfied staff and a loss of morale. Motivators provide a purpose for people to push themselves towards goals. They also create a reason to work harder and try better. Motivators are a key reason that staff retention is high in many companies around the world.
In order for us to get better results, we need to have the right motivators in place. We see the following when motivators are missing.
- Increased mistakes and complaints.
- Higher turnover.
- Increased stress and tension.
- Unhealthy work environment.
- Breakdown in communication.
- Less teamwork and collaboration.
- Lower customer satisfaction.
- Decreased revenue.
If you see these happening in your company, you need to address motivation now. In fact, it’s better for us to have motivators in place to avoid these negative attributes in the first place.
Motivators make a real difference. Therefore, time, effort, and, in some cases, money are all needed to make them happen. Let’s have a look at some of the important motivators to implement.
Top Workplace Motivators
There are many motivators that impact your workforce. Here we will look at 10 top motivators to consider, in no particular order. Some will be easy to implement, while others will be more challenging. The main point is to know what they are and how they make a difference. This will help you to decide which are best to introduce or enhance in your company.
Effective Communication
Think about a time at work when something went wrong because of poor communication. How did it make you feel? What could have been done to prevent it from happening? Communication is a key element for achieving success.
Effective communication is about getting the right information to the right people at the right time. It also includes having a system of 2-way information in place. This allows for questions to be asked and answered to create clarity.
When communication breaks down, it leads to frustration and conflict. The blame game will start and energy is used for all the wrong reasons. Just wait for the motivation to start dropping down.
As a motivator, clear and concise communication will keep staff on track in terms of achieving results. When people feel free to communicate at work, this builds up trust within the team. Also, staff feels better when they are listened to by their peers and older people. Therefore, communication is a key motivator that impacts everyone.
Effective Leadership
Another top motivator is our leaders. The leaders are supposed to set the tone for the team to follow. Also, they should be the ones we go to for help, advice, and support. However, that’s not always the case. In fact, many people leave their jobs not because of the job itself but because of their “leader”. No matter how great the job or team is, if the leader creates problems, staff don’t want to be there.
So, what can we do in terms of leadership? First, try to avoid overusing one specific leadership style. For example, a constantly autocratic leader will create an unhealthy work environment. All you will have is one-way communication and continuous orders being issued. There will be no teamwork, creativity, or idea-sharing. Another example is the laissez-faire approach where the leader is very hands-off. This can lead to some staff feeling neglected and unsupported. This can have a very negative impact on some members of the team, especially those who are new to their roles. So, it’s best for us to find the right mix of styles that suit different situations.
Also, for leadership to be an effective motivator, we need to see certain qualities in them. They should be open, honest, trustworthy, and supportive. They also need to be able to inspire others while setting individual and team goals. Strong leaders promote individual development, team success, and a positive work environment. They also inspire us to be passionate and driven about what we are trying to achieve. Poor leadership has the reverse effect.
Being Valued – Recognition, and Praise
We all like to receive recognition and praise for a job well done. It encourages us to continue performing well and pushes us to do even better. We feel valued and appreciated. Also, we know that our contribution counts for something. What can feel better at work?
As a motivator, we should not underestimate the importance of recognition. This can take many forms. We can communicate this praise in verbal or written form. A thank you note from your senior can be very rewarding. It can be in the form of a reward, such as a gift. Another approach can be through development and, later, promotion.
Senior management needs to find effective ways of recognising their staff when they perform well. This will keep them motivated and ready to do more. And it can be so simple to do. You should take a look at how you recognise others and what more you can be doing. Remember, praise is earned and not just given without a reason.
Getting Ahead – Career Opportunities
Nobody wants to stand still for the duration of their career. We all want to have the chance to progress and move forward. Of course, this takes time, planning, and development. Some managers make the mistake of thinking that everyone is happy just where they are. This can be a big mistake and is another reason why strong members of our team move on.
It can be very demotivating to have no chance of being promoted and climbing up the career ladder. We can avoid falling into this trap by having succession planning in place in our company. You don’t have to have the person identified straight away. Instead, you can have the plan in place and then apply it to the person who best fits the role you are looking to fill. A lot of people will stick with the company even when the career development plans are long-term. It gives them something important to work towards.
Job Safety and Security
We all know about this challenge, especially over the last 20+ months. It hasn’t been possible to keep every position during the pandemic. However, it might be possible to adjust positions rather than lose them completely.
When we know that our job is safe, we are less stressed and better able to perform properly. Facing the unknown about whether our position is secure causes a whole set of problems for us to face. In this case, transparency is the best approach. If you know a position is at risk, speak to the person directly and in a timely manner. You can explain the situation and what the outcome might be.
Also, take this time to set out an expected time frame. If the position is being cut, you can help by offering support and help to find a new position. Another option, you can offer time for the person to start looking for something new while being able to cover their existing tasks for the team.
If there is still uncertainty about what will happen with the position, we can discuss this openly with those who are involved. Perhaps the company can look at merging positions to retain some, if not all, of the staff it affects. This can create development opportunities for staff into areas they haven’t experienced before, which can be a great motivator.
Your Work Environment
If our work environment is toxic, we cannot function at our optimal levels. We need to have an environment where we can flourish. This is in terms of team collaboration, our physical environment, and the need for harmony. The team dynamic will play a big part in creating the right work atmosphere. We can help boost the team dynamic by having some different approaches in place.
Team building activities can be a way of creating improved communication, better collaboration, and increased productivity. You can introduce brainstorming as an exercise for idea-sharing. Also, you can have the team working on problem-solving together. These Team Building Events activities can give staff the chance to share their suggestions and work together to see how they can achieve results.
In another way, leaders can introduce a better physical ambience for the team. This can be in terms of décor, furnishings, or layout. This can help the team feel physically comfortable and better able to do their job. Be sure to have the right tools and resources available for them to complete tasks. Missing or broken equipment can be very frustrating and lead to dissatisfaction.
Finally, in terms of the work environment, leaders need to be able to handle conflict effectively. We cannot allow disgruntled workers to negatively influence others. Also, we need to be able to avoid hostilities from overflowing and taking over the team. Healthy competition and debates are fine. We can’t agree with everyone all of the time. However, when conflict takes over the whole team can be affected. Division will occur and people will take sides. We need to avoid problems from escalating that far.
Challenging Projects and Tasks
People become frustrated with boring, routine work. They want something that challenges them and gives them the chance to stretch their skills. As a motivator, we need to have these exciting challenges available.
One approach we can take is to have development opportunities in place for people to upskill. This can be a training course or programme or on-the-job training.
Another way is to delegate tasks to junior staff. This helps them learn new tasks for a more senior role. This is a part of career development and can greatly motivate some staff. Beware of over-delegating. This can cause stress if the workload becomes overwhelming, Also, the staff might see you as doing less while they are doing more, leading to resentment.
Making a Difference
What real impact does my job make? Does my role make a real difference? If I didn’t do this job, would it really matter? These are questions that many staff asks themselves. Sometimes, their contribution does not appear very obvious. It’s important that people in your team know that what they do has a purpose.
Leaders can use this as a motivator by making it clear to their team what difference they are making. You can do this by showing how their part fits into the overall company results. For example, maybe your storeroom staff don’t understand how important their roles are. We can show them the supply chain process and where they fit into it. We can also give examples of how results would be affected if their roles were not there.
Customers can also show the impact people make. It’s important that positive customer feedback is shared with the team. Customer comments can be a great way of motivating staff. It encourages them to continue giving their full effort.
Being a Part of the Think-Tank
People work harder towards ideas they have come up with themselves. This doesn’t have to be a huge project. It can be a small task or part of a bigger effort. We should get staff to contribute their ideas. From there, further analysis of these suggestions can help decide which can move forward. We need to recognise them for any ideas that they have contributed that get used.
In terms of personal development, we should sit with our team members to understand where they want to go. They should feel comfortable sharing with us what they want for their career. From that point, we can create more effective development plans that they will more likely commit to. This is because their input has been taken into account. Also, they will be more interested in topics they have helped to choose.
Offer Incentives and Other Benefits
We mentioned rewards as part of the recognition effort. We should also have documented benefits and incentives in place for staff to work towards. This might be for an increase in revenue through upselling or cross-selling. It might be a long service award for loyalty to the company.
These incentives and benefits should appeal to the team as a whole as much as possible. One I have seen is an additional day off for your birthday once you have completed 12 months with the company. Another incentive I have seen is the possibility of joining leadership training courses depending on your length of service with the company. There are many options available so we should try to be creative.
Getting the Right Balance of Motivators at Work
Every member of your team is motivated in different ways at different times. What motivates Mary might not work for John. Motivators used in the wrong way are just as ineffective as having none at all. Also, while money can motivate some people, it won’t work for the majority of your team. This is why we’re not discussing it as an option here. So, we need to make sure we have a few ideas in place.
First, have a selection of motivators in place to meet the needs of the team. There isn’t one that suits everyone. Therefore, we need to have different options available. Next, we can adjust our motivators as needed. We can see what motivators work at different times.
Finally, you need to ask your team. Get them to tell you what they’re looking for in terms of motivation. We can create open platforms for them to have their say. This can be through face-to-face conversations. One approach is having a coffee morning between junior and senior team members. Another approach can be to have one-to-one informal chats about what people want. Alternatively, you can create a staff survey for people to share their ideas in written form. It’s good
Summary
All in all, motivators are essential in all companies and teams. We need to have a selection of these in place to retain staff, create engagement, and achieve results.
We will achieve better motivation once we remember that everyone is motivated in different ways. Get to know your team members and understand what motivates each of them. Then we can start matching the motivators to the individual or team, depending on their preferences.
We know motivation comes from actions and behaviours. We can’t tell someone to be happy but we can create an atmosphere where they feel happy. These motivators make that happen. So, let’s go and make it happen.
