What Is Employee Motivation?
Herearethoughtsaboutencouragingandinspiring
Wanttoencourageandinspiremotivation?Youneed
toknowwhatmotivationisreally.
Motivationisanemployee'sintrinsicenthusiasm
aboutanddrivetoaccomplishactivitiesrelatedto
work.Motivationisthatinternaldrivethatcausesan
individualtodecidetotakeaction.
Anindividual'smotivationisinfluencedby
biological,intellectual,socialandemotionalfactors.
Assuch,motivationisacomplex,noteasilydefined,
intrinsicdrivingforcethatcanalsobeinfluencedby
externalfactors.
Everypersonismotivated.Everyemployeehas
activities,events,people,andgoalsinhisorherlife
thatheorshefindsmotivating.So,motivationabout
someaspectoflifeexistsineachperson's
consciousnessandactions.
How to Encourage Motivation at Work
Thetrickforemployersistofigureouthowtoinspire
employeemotivationatwork.Tocreateawork
environmentinwhichanemployeeismotivated
aboutworkinvolvesbothintrinsicallysatisfyingand
extrinsicallyencouragingfactors.
Employeemotivationisthecombinationoffulfilling
theemployee'sneedsandexpectationsfromworkand
theworkplacefactorsthatenableemployee
motivationornot.Thesevariablesmakemotivating
employeeschallenging.
Employersunderstandthattheyneedtoprovidea
workenvironmentthatcreatesmotivationinpeople.
But,manyemployersfailtounderstandthe
significanceofmotivationinaccomplishing
theirmissionandvision.
Evenwhentheyunderstandtheimportanceof
motivation,theylacktheskillandknowledgeto
provideaworkenvironmentthatfostersemployee
motivation.
Toooften,organizationsfailtopayattentiontothe
employeerelations,communication,recognition,and
involvementissuesthataremostimportanttopeople.
employeemotivationatwork.
10 Factors to Encourage Motivation
Thesearesomeofthefactorsthatarepresentina
workenvironmentthatmanyemployeesfind
motivating.Following,I'llcovertwooftheideasin
depth:minimizerulesandpoliciesandemployee
involvement.
Managementandleadershipactions
thatempoweremployees,
Transparentandregularcommunication
aboutfactorsimportanttoemployees,
Treatingemployeeswithrespect,
Involvingemployeesindecisionsabouttheir
workandjob.
Minimizingthenumberofrulesandpolicies
inanenvironmentthatdemonstratestrustfor
employeesandtreatsemployeeslikeadults.
Providingregularemployeerecognition,
Feedbackandcoachingfrommanagersand
leaders,
Aboveindustry
averagebenefitsandcompensation,
Providingemployeeperksandcompany
activities,and
Positivelymanagingemployeeswithina
successframeworkofgoals,measurements,
andclearexpectations.
Minimize Rules and Policies for Employee
Motivation
Thefirststepincreatingamotivatingwork
environmentistostoptakingactionsthatare
guaranteedtodemotivatepeople.
Identifyandtaketheactionsthatwillmotivate
people.Itsabalancingact.
Employerswalkafinelinebetweenmeetingthe
needsoftheorganizationanditscustomersand
meetingtheneedsofitsinternalstaff.Dobothwell
andthrive.
AnattentiongettingGallupPollaboutdisengaged
employeeswashighlightedintheWallStreet
Journal.Gallupfound19%of1,000people
interviewedactivelydisengagedatwork.These
workerscomplainthattheydon'thavethetoolsthey
needtodotheirjobs.Theydon'tknowwhatis
expectedofthem.Theirbossesdon'tlistentothem.
Basedontheseinterviewsandsurveydatafromits
consultingpractice,Gallupsaysactivelydisengaged
workerscostemployers$292billionto$355billiona
year.Furthermore,Gallupconcludedthatdisengaged
workersmissmoredaysofworkandarelessloyalto
employers.Withthisinmind,letslookatacouple
ofareasinwhichbalanceiscriticallyneededfor
employeemotivationinorganizationstoday.
Rules and Policies
Wanttobeacop?Thatshowsomesupervisorsfeel
inorganizationsthatoperateontheassumptionthat
peopleareuntrustworthy.Youveseenthecompany
handbooksthatlistpagesandpagesofrules.Stepout
ofline?
Soundfamiliar?Iveheardthesereasons
andmanymoretojustifytheneedforhundredsof
rulesandpoliciesinorganizations.
Guidelines for a Motivating Work Environment
Makeonlytheminimumnumberofrules
andpoliciesneededtoprotectyour
organizationlegallyandcreateorderin
theworkplace.
Publishtherulesandpoliciesandeducateall
employees.
Withtheinvolvementofmanyemployees,
identifyorganizationalvaluesandwrite
valuestatementsandaprofessionalcodeof
conduct.
Developguidelinesformanagersand
educatethemaboutthefairandconsistent
applicationofthefewrulesandpolicies.
Addressindividualdysfunctionalbehaviors
onaneedtobasiswith
counseling,progressivediscipline,
andperformanceimprovementplans.
Clearlycommunicateworkplace
expectationsandguidelinesforprofessional
behavior.

Fiftysevenpotentialinfractions,withresultant Helpful Hints for Employee Motivation about

punishment,arelistedonpage74.Needtimeofffor Policies
yourgrandmasfuneral?Yougetthreepaiddaysoff
totravel600miles.Haveaquestion?Wehave
Solicitemployeefeedbackonpotential
answers.Infact,wevegotpoliciesthatanswer
policies,areasinwhichpoliciesareneeded,
almosteveryquestion.
andsoon.(Donot,asonecompanydid
recently,announceanewattendancepolicy
Supervisorydiscretion?Whatsthat?Wevegot bypostingitonabulletinboard.)
employeeswho,lefttotheirowndevices,willchoose
todobadthings.Youcanttrustsupervisorstotreat
employeesfairlyandconsistentlyeither.

Johninaccountingisasofty.Peoplewhoworkfor
himgetawaywithanything,everything.Ifyouwork
forBethinsales,however,youcancountonthe
rulebookguidingeverydecision.
 Ifyoudecidetoadheretoandhold
employeesaccountableforanexisting
policy,dontambushyourcompany
members.Ifyouhavenotenforcedthe
policyinthepast,meetwithemployeesand
explainthepolicy,theintentofthepolicy,
whythepolicyisnecessary,andwhyitwas
notenforcedinthepast.Then,telleveryone
thatfollowingthemeeting,everyoneis
accountableforadherencetothepolicy.
Youllbesurprisedhowmuchsupportfor
legitimatepoliciesandrulesyou'llreceive
fromthepeopleinyourorganization.People
likeawellorganizedworkplaceinwhich
expectationsareclear.Peoplethrivein
aworkplaceinwhichallemployeesliveby
thesamerules.
Ifyoucreateanenvironmentthatisviewedasfair
andconsistent,yougivepeoplelittletopushagainst.
Youopenupaspaceinwhichpeoplearefocusedon
contributionandproductiveactivitiesratherthan
gossip,unrest,andunhappiness.Whichworkplace
wouldyouchoose?
Involve People to Inspire Employee Motivation
Inoneuniversitydepartment,acommitteeoften
peoplemetforseveralmonthsand
thenrecommendedspaceusetotheirdean.Hehad
formedthecommittee,providedguidelines,and
requestedtheirfeedback.
Talkingtoacommitteememberseveralmonthsafter
theysubmittedtheirrecommendations,Iwas
informedtheyhadneverreceivedanyfeedbackabout
theirwork.
Theyhadrepeatedlyaskedforfeedbackand
decisionsbutreceivednone.Theyfeltasiftheir
recommendationshadgoneintoadarkhole,neverto
beseenagain.Demotivated?Youbet.Thesestaff
membersareloathtovolunteerforanothercommittee
inthefuture,aswell.Foolmeonce,poorme;foolme
twice
Mostpeoplewantinvolvementindecisionsthat
affecttheirwork.Somemaynotwantthefinal
accountability.Askwhy.Havepeoplebeenpunished
fordecisionstheymadeinthepast?
Haveorganizationleadersprovidedthetime,tools,
andinformationneededtomakegooddecisions?Or
havepeoplemadedecisionsthatwereoverriddenby
theirmanagers?
Doestheclearexpectationforemployeeinvolvement
existinyourworkplace?Arethepeoplewhomake
decisionsandcontributeideasrewardedand
recognized?Thesearecriticalquestionsifyouwant
involved,motivatedemployees.
Make Employee Involvement a Plus in Employee
Motivation
Toooftenemployeeinvolvementisabadword.
Peoplethinkofemployeeinvolvementassomething
thatisdoneasidefromtheirrealworkinyour
organization.Thebestemployeeinvolvementdoes
notrequireteams,specialcommittees,andsuggestion
boxes.
Itistheexpectationthatpeoplearecompetentto
makedecisionsabouttheirworkeverysingledayon
thejob.Teamsandcommitteesallowbroad
participationfromallpeoplewhomayowna
particularworkprocessorprocedure.Theyarenot
thebackboneofemployeeinvolvementinyour
organization.
Usethesetipstocreateaworkenvironmentthat
emphasizesemployeemotivationthroughemployee
involvement.
Expresstheexpectationthatpeoplemake
decisionsthatwillimprovetheirwork.
Rewardandrecognizethepeoplewhomake
decisionsaboutandimprovementsintheir
workasheroes.
Makecertainemployeesknowand
understandyour
organization'smission,vision,values,goals,
andguidelinessotheycanfunneltheir
involvementinappropriatedirections.
Education,communication,measurement
feedbackandcoachingkeepemployee
involvementfrombecomingafreeforall.
Neverpunishathoughtfuldecision.Youcan
coachandcounselandprovidetrainingand
 informationfollowingthedecision.Dont
underminetheemployeesconfidencethat
youaretrulysupportiveofherinvolvement.
Ifyouareasupervisorandpeoplecometo
youcontinuallytoaskpermissionand
receiveinstructionsabouttheirwork,ask
yourselfthisquestion.WhatamIdoingthat
makespeoplebelievetheymustcometome
foreachdecisionorpermission?Youare
probablycommunicatingamixedmessage
whichconfusespeopleaboutyourreal
intentions.
Whenanemployeecomestoyou,askhim
whathethinksheshoulddointhesituation.
Assuminghisresponseisreasonable,tell
himhisapproachsoundsfineandthathe
doesntneedtoconsultwithyouaboutthis
typeofdecisioninthefuture.
Ifyoucanassisttheemployeetofinda
betteranswer,actasaconsultantwithout
takingthemonkeyontoyourownshoulders.
Youwillreinforcehisbeliefinhisown
decisionmakingability.Youalsoreinforce
hisbeliefthatyouaretellingthetruthabout
trustinghiscompetency.
Ifyouseeanemployeeembarkonacourse
ofactionyouknowwillfailorcausea
problemforacustomer,interveneasa
coach.Askgoodquestionsthathelpthe
individualfindabetterapproach.Never
allowapersontofailtoteachheralesson.
Helpful Hints
Ifyoualreadyknowwhatyouwilldoina
particularsituation,dontsolicitideasand
feedback.Youinsultyouremployees,create
anatmosphereofdistrust,andguarantee
unrest,unhappiness,andlowmotivationin
yourworkplace.
Ifyouaregenuinelyopentoideasand
feedback,youremployeeswillknow.Itis
notsomuchwhatyousayaswhatyoudo
thatcommunicatesyourwishesand
intentionstothem.
Ifyouarenotopentofeedback,stepback
andaskyourself,"Why?"Almostany
decisionisimprovedwithfeedbackand
input.Evenmoreimportantly,thepeople
whohavetolivewithorimplementthe
decisionwillownthedecision.This
ownershipcreatesmotivationandchannels
energyinthedirectionsthatwillhelpyour
organizationsucceed.
Examineyourbeliefsaboutpeople.The
majorityofpeopledonotgetupinthe
morningandcometoworkwiththe
intentionofcausingproblems.Howmany
peopledoyouknowwhowanttogohome
attheendofaworkdayfeelingasifthey
failedallday?Notmany,ifany.
Whenyouexperienceaproblematwork,
askyourselftheDr.W.EdwardsDeming
attributedquestion,Whataboutthework
systemcausedthispersontofail?You'llbe
happyyoutookthisapproachwhen
employeessolveproblemsratherthan
pointingfingersandplacingblame.
Ivecoveredtwocriticalaspectsofcreatingawork
environmentinwhichpeoplewillchooseto
contributeandsucceed.Workplacesthatare
successfulinfosteringemployeemotivationstrikea
balancebetweenneededpoliciesandruleoverkill.
Theycreatetheexpectationforemployee
involvement.Theygiveemployeescontrolover
decisionsthataffecttheirworkwithoutturningthe
workplaceintoafreeforall.
Theseworkenvironmentsareperceivedasfairand
structuredjustenoughforperceivedemotionalsafety.
Atthesametime,yourmorecourageousemployees
feelunfetteredandencouragedintheireffortsto
makeadifference.Setthemfree.
Removethebarriersthat
discourageworkplacemotivation.Consequent
actionsandmotivationdisplayedbyordinarypeople
willamazeandgratifyyou.Canitgetanybetterthan
this?
14 Highly Effective Ways to Motivate Employees
Your employees may not be as motivated
as you are. Here are 14 tips from
entrepreneurs on how to better motivate
your staff.
By Ilya Pozin
Founder, Pluto TV@ilyaNeverSleeps
2 COMMENTS
CREDIT: Getty Images
You believe in your company
wholeheartedly. There's an entrepreneurial
fire burning strong inside that motivates
you to work harder each day.
Unfortunately, the same cannot always be
said about your employees. In a
2015 SHRM Employee Job Satisfaction and
Engagement survey, only 69 percent of
employees felt they were consistently
putting all their effort into their work.
If you've tried a variety of incentives but
are still seeing the negative side effects of
low motivation, you're not alone.
Sometimes even the best managers have
to think outside the box to find creative
and reliable ways to motivate their
employees.
Here are 14 unique motivational
techniques from other entrepreneurs that
you can try with your employees:
1. Gamify and Incentivize
ADVERTISEMENT
Although we haven't implemented it yet,
we're developing a feedback system that
rewards employees for engaging with our
wiki and for learning how to use our
application via our training videos. We
further reward performance based on
meeting certain goals. A proven motivator
for students and employees alike is
earning a "badge" or points for committing
to certain tasks.--Blair
Thomas, EMerchantBroker
2. Let Them Know You Trust Them
If you let them know you trust and depend
on them, they will fill those shoes sooner
than you think. A vote of confidence can
go a long way. Let them know you trust
them to do the best job possible and they
will rarely disappoint you. Try it.--Ayelet
Noff, Blonde 2.0
3. Set Smaller Weekly Goals
You want lofty ambitions, but set up
smaller goals along the way to keep
people in it. Rather than make a billion
this year, focus on getting 100 new
customers this week-something that will
get you to that billion. Then reward the
team for achieving the goal with an
afternoon off, a party, etc. They will see
that your goals are realistic and everyone
benefits from working hard.--Nicolas
Gremion, Free-eBooks.net
4. Give Your Employees Purpose
I am able to motivate my employees by
giving them a purpose. When you
accomplish that, they understand the
vision better and are able to execute more
strongly. In addition, by understanding
their purpose and the purpose of the
business, an employee is better able to
understand how they fit into the big
picture. --Vlad Moldavskiy, Mabbly, LLC
5. Radiate Positivity
I'm always pumping energy through the
office. I'm really enthusiastic and want my
staff to feed off that positive energy.
Because culture is so important to me, I
play music, have fun, joke around, and
play games. We work hard, but we play
hard too. You have to be in the moment
and high-energy all the time! --Josh
York, GYMGUYZ
6. Be Transparent
I am very open with employees about
what's happening at the highest level so
there are no surprises and everyone has a
chance to ask questions and give
feedback. I want employees to feel
included in big decisions and committed to
the direction our company takes. This has
helped to sustain motivation and
increased company loyalty and pride.--
Martina Welke, Zealyst
7. Motivate Individuals Rather Than the
Team
Aligned incentives are the only true way to
ensure everyone on a team is working
toward a common goal. Framing the
strategy in multiple ways ensures each
stakeholder has a clear, personal
understanding of how working together
benefits himself and the team. This
technique allows you to motivate the team
to accomplish amazing things.--Ross
Resnick, Roaming Hunger
8. Learn What Makes Each Employee Tick
Ask what they do and don't like working
on, share the big picture company goals,
and respond to their questions. Discern
their goals and then invest in their
professional growth. During one-on-one
check-ins, listen to their ideas, because
they're the best at what they do. Respect
their personal schedules and non-work
time, and don't ever pit their
goals/timelines against each other.--
Heather McGough, Lean Startup Company
9. Reward Based on Feedback
We developed Valuebot-an app for Slack
that calculates how many times each
employee was praised-in order to send
daily and monthly summaries. Whoever
garners the most kudos wins various
awards and recognition. Valuebot has
helped us to visualize our culture and
reiterate how much we support one
another. The positive energy we create in
the office helps us to attract and retain
talent.--Stephen
Gill, http://www.50onred.com
10. Prioritize Work-Life Balance
We have a few fun incentives, like an in-
office "phone booth" style machine that
lets you grab dollar bills. It's a fun little
motivator that the sales team uses on a
smaller scale. Otherwise, it's also
important to encourage employees to take
vacation time. A culture that prioritizes
work-life balance, yields increased
productivity and overall happiness in the
workplace.--Jesse Lipson, Citrix
11. Have an Open-Door Policy
It's amazing how a simple "please" and
"thank you" fares with employees. We
simply speak to staff the way we would
want to be spoken to. We also have an
open-door policy when it comes to
suggestions and ideas. When employees
feel that their voice matters, they in turn
feel confident about their positions in the
company and that they have more at
stake than just a paycheck.--Justin
Beegel, Infographic World, Inc.
12. Let Them Lead
Motivating employees is not just about
giving them vacation time-it's about
showing them they make a difference and
are valued. Every time we have a meeting,
whether large or small, we let a different
team member lead the conversation and
the topics discussed. Not only can they
share their opinions and be heard this
way, but they are motivated to make their
words and ideas happen afterwards.--Miles
Jennings, Recruiter.com
13. Show Them the Bigger Picture
It's important that employees understand
the bigger picture and can see how what
they are doing in the moment will
eventually contribute to an end goal. Give
them tasks and projects to work on and
make sure they understand how this fits
into the big picture. Talented employees
will go above and beyond what you expect
of them.--Brian David Crane, Caller Smart
Inc.
14. Create Recognition Rituals
At Convene, every management and
executive meeting starts off with each
department lead recognizing someone
from their team who has gone above and
beyond for the company or a client. This
positive feedback loop motivates team
members, and it holds management
accountable for staff recognition.--
Christopher Kelly, Convene
These are the top results from a survey of
entrepreneurs on the topic of employee
motivation tips provided by the Young
Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only
organization comprised of the world's
most promising young entrepreneurs. In
partnership with Citi, YEC recently
launched BusinessCollective, a free virtual
mentorship program that helps millions of
entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.
ERGONOMICS...
The term "ergonomics" is derived from two
Greek words: "ergon," meaning work, and
"nomoi," meaning natural laws. Ergonomists
study human capabilities in relationship to work
demands.
POSTURE...
In recent years, ergonomists have attempted to
define postures which minimize unnecessary
static work and reduce the forces acting on the
body. All of us could significantly reduce our risk
of injury if we could adhere to the following
ergonomic principles:
All work activities should permit the
worker to adopt several different, but
equally healthy and safe postures.
Where muscular force has to be exerted
it should be done by the largest
appropriate muscle groups available.
Work activities should be performed with
the joints at about mid-point of their
range of movement. This applies
particularly to the head, trunk, and upper
limbs.
THE PROBLEM...
Here, however, we arrive at a problem - and a
serious challenge to conventional ergonomic
thinking: In order to put these recommendations
into practice, a person would have to be a skilled
observer of his or her own joint and muscle
functioning and would have to be able to change
his or her posture to a healthier one at will. No
one develops this sort of highly refined sensory
awareness without special training. Therefore, in
order to derive the benefits of ergonomic
research, we must learn how to observe our
bodies in a new way.*
Any attempt to improve workplace conditions
can have only limited success if this issue is
ignored.
A SOLUTION...
One training program that cultivates precisely
these skills is the Alexander Technique. It has a
long history of helping people develop the subtle
coordination of thought and physical action
required to monitor and alter harmful patterns of
posture and movement. In short, it enables its
students to put ergonomic principles into
practice, and thus helps them reduce their risk of
developing a repetitive strain injury and other
stress-related injuries. For example,
a comprehensive study published by the British
Medical Journal in 2008 offers overwhelming
evidence that the Alexander Technique is a very
effective way of alleviating backpain.
The Alexander Technique was developed in the
early 20th century before ergonomics became a
recognized science and has been applied since
then by people all ages and professions. The
Technique can be described as a simple and
practical educational method which alerts people
to ways in which they are misusing their bodies,
and how their everyday habits of work may be
harming them. It teaches people how to avoid
work habits which create excessive amounts of
static work and how to reduce the amount of
unnecessary muscular force they are applying to
their bodies. Stated another way, the Technique
teaches the use of the appropriate amount of
effort for a particular activity.
What is Ergonomics?
Ergonomics is the process of designing or
arranging workplaces, products and
systems so that they fit the people who
use them.
Most people have heard of ergonomics
and think it is something to do with
seating or with the design of car controls
and instruments and it is but it is so
much more. Ergonomics applies to
the design of anything that involves
people workspaces, sports and
leisure, health and safety.
Ergonomics (or human factors as it is
referred to in North America) is a branch
of science that aims to learn about human
abilities and limitations, and then apply
this learning to improve peoples
interaction with products, systems and
environments.
Ergonomics aims to improve workspaces
and environments to minimise risk of
injury or harm. So as technologies
change, so too does the need to ensure
that the tools we access for work, rest and
play are designed for our bodys
requirements.
Why is Ergonomics important?
In the workplace: According to Safe Work
Australia, the total economic cost of work-
related injuries and illnesses is estimated
to be $60 billion dollars. Recent
research has shown that lower back pain
is the worlds most common work-related
disability affecting employees from
offices, building sites and in the highest
risk category, agriculture.
Ergonomics aims to create safe,
comfortable and productive workspaces by
bringing human abilities and limitations
into the design of a workspace, including
the individuals body size, strength, skill,
speed, sensory abilities (vision, hearing),
and even attitudes.
In the greater population: The number of
people in Australia aged 75 and over is
forecast to double over the next 50 years.
With this, equipment, services and
systems will need to be designed to
accommodate the increasing needs of the
ageing population, applying to public
transport, building facilities, and living
spaces.
How does ergonomics work?
Ergonomics is a relatively new branch of
science which celebrates its 50th
anniversary in 1999, but relies on
research carried out in many other older,
established scientific areas, such as
engineering, physiology and psychology.
To achieve best practice design,
Ergonomists use the data and techniques
of several disciplines:
anthropometry: body sizes, shapes;
populations and variations
biomechanics: muscles, levers,
forces, strength
environmental physics: noise, light,
heat, cold, radiation, vibration body
systems: hearing, vision, sensations
applied psychology: skill, learning,
errors, differences
social psychology: groups,
communication, learning, behaviours.