Managers play an very important role in motivating employee performance that can generate many benefits to business organizations including:

  • Increased productivity
  • Improved quality of work
  • Higher client satisfaction
  • Added efficiency and commitment to solve problems
  • Achieved targets and results
  • And more

Building a strong workplace culture is an important contributor to a motivated workforce and when organizations create the right work environment it can have a tremendous influence on cultivating self motivation within employees. Motivation cannot be mandated or directed but it can be nurtured if the right circumstances and work experiences are designed and generated.

But how does a business ensure employees are motivated every day throughout the year? Motivation levels, just like engagement levels, can fluctuate up and down depending on the circumstances yet given the benefits of motivated employees it can be vital if not critical to business success and cannot be taken lightly.

Salaries, rewards, benefits and other incentives do not always generate high motivation, and in many cases are just expected as part of the employment contract. Research on the Self Determination Theory provides some guidelines on motivation and there have been many books written about motivation as well (Drive by Daniel Pink, Primed to Perform by Neel Doshi and Lindsay McGregor, etc.) that can offer good insight into how to build motivation levels within your workforce that are well worth the read.

Here are six steps every manager can take to help motivate their employees:

  1. Give employees some flexibility and autonomy in how they handle and complete their responsibilities and goals. Although the deliverables need to be clear many employees would value freedom in how they achieve these deliverables.
  2. Help employees grow and develop their skills and knowledge. This can include coaching or mentoring, specific training and courses that will bring new skills and abilities, cultivating teamwork and diversity to bring new perspective and important ideas to their work role. Managers, in conjunction with the HR department and the organization, should pay regular attention to their employee’s career through a development plan that gets discussed and worked on frequently. This will help drive motivation as the employee feels valued their manager has an interest in their success and a career path (that aligns with their interests and goals) they are working towards.
  3. Enabling employees to work with their strength and passions by giving them assignments they would find challenging and align with their interests.
  4. Recognizing and appreciating employees for their effort and contribution. This can serve many purposes such as cultivating new ideas, building pride, improving work quality, etc.
  5. Bringing purpose and meaning to the employee’s work. Take time to explain the employee’s role and how their assignments and goals make a major contribution to the organization and its mission and vision.
  6. Take time to celebrate personal and team successes so that everyone can enjoy the achievement, feel that they had an important part in the accomplishment and that their contribution was valued.

Educating and training managers on the steps and actions they can take to motivate their workforce can pay significant dividends to business organizations and is well worth the time and investment.

Engaged2Perform has been empowering companies to achieve new levels of productivity, growth, and profit for more than 30 years.  We assist managers in creating motivating work environments through a range of process-driven strategic management tools, leadership training, and educational resources. Give us a call today at 519-656-1066 for a free consultation or send us a quick note.