The Benefits of Motivated Employees

The world of work is changing, and with that, the expectation of what a job should be is changing.

Job-seekers nowadays have more options than ever, and in order to secure, and retain the very best talent, employers really need to up their game.

People are looking for more than just a job. They’re looking for something that inspires and motivates them to do work they’re proud of.

So, in this post, we’re going to look at why building a company culture that people want to be a part of will really allow everyone within your organization to reap the benefits of motivated employees.

What is the Definition of Employee Motivation?

Individually, employees are motivated by different things when it comes to their work and it will mean different things to different people.

Though, at its core, employee motivation is really defined by the level of energy, motivation, creativity, and enthusiasm that someone is bringing to their role each day.

The Factors Affecting Motivation

Many employers make the mistake of thinking that employees are driven purely by money, and although salary is an important part of a job, it’s been shown not to be a key factor in employee motivation.

In fact, this survey by Mckinsey showed that the second biggest factor affecting employee motivation is recognition, while salary was right at the bottom of the list.

Employees today are motivated and driven more by a positive work culture and the feeling that they belong and are contributing to something bigger.

Sure, money plays a part in recognizing and rewarding employees for their good work, but the motivation for them goes a lot deeper than that.

Creating a culture of high employee motivation isn’t something that will happen overnight and it’s going to be an ongoing effort to keep building on it as your organization grows.

However, the saying “if something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right” definitely applies in this case.

So, to help you get started, we’ve added some of our favorite strategies for boosting employee motivation within your organization.

Strategies for Maintaining Motivated Employees

Recognize good work

No matter the size of your organization, you need to be providing your employees with regular feedback on their performance - good and bad.

Many managers make the mistake of not providing enough detailed and constructive feedback - or simply only pointing out the areas for improvement.

To help your employees feel motivated to do better and work on those areas for improvement, however, they also need to know the areas they’re excelling in.

Even if this is the exact thing they’ve been hired to do and is something you take as a given that they should be doing well, a little recognition and having this affirmed will go a long way.

When providing employees with recognition and feedback on a job well done, it will be even better if you can provide tangible results that the organization has achieved thanks to their contribution.

Reward good work

Actions speak louder than words, and while ongoing feedback is necessary and recognition of a job well done is great, what’s even better is when you put some weight behind that recognition and offer a real reward.

Rewards can come in many forms, such as financial bonuses, promotions, or even a salary raise. 

When employees feel truly recognized for their work and that their efforts are paying off, you’ll find that their levels of motivation and engagement will become even higher than before.

Offer a rewards program

Gone are the days when free fruit and Friday beers were considered to be high-quality perks. Those things are nice to have, sure, but to really show your employees that you value them, you need to go a bit deeper than that.

That’s where an employee rewards program comes in. You can design and tailor your program however you want, giving employees access to things like discounts on groceries, digital gift cards to spend online, money off wellness days and hobbies, plus much more.

Prioritize downtime

With nearly 20% of the US workforce feeling that if they take a lunch break, their boss will think they’re not working hard enough, something has to change quickly. 

Not only are regular breaks necessary for concentration and overall health reasons, but they’ve been shown to significantly boost productivity and creativity which, in turn, creates employees who feel valued and come to work motivated and with more energy.

Benefits of Motivated Employees

As an employer, creating a culture where your employees feel motivated to come to work each day and consistently give their very best effort is a win-win situation for you and them.

Not only will your employees want to work harder, but employees who feel like their own values are aligned with that of the organization they work for will stay in their role for longer.

Here are some more benefits of motivated employees to helps you see how they might apply to your organization.

• Higher productivity levels - "Brains, like hearts, go where they are appreciated."  -Robert McNamara, Fmr. American Secretary of Defense. 

When your employees feel appreciated and valued, their motivation is higher, and in turn, this leads to them being more productive. 

• Better team engagement - Even in roles where direct team collaboration isn’t required, more minds working together towards a shared goal are always more effective than everyone working for themselves. 

Organizations that place an emphasis on recognizing and rewarding the achievements of their employees and promote a strong company culture will see teams more engaged and working together more effectively.

• Lower turnover and absenteeism - High levels of staff turnover and absenteeism are often a strong indicator that people don’t feel valued and recognized within an organization.

On the flip side, the ones that really focus on building a positive culture and nurturing employee motivation will find that they’re able to hire and retain the very best talent who are less likely to look for reasons to leave.

• Improved brand reputation - In this digital age, people are more than happy to share their experiences - positive and negative online. 

Employees can now easily add anonymous reviews of their experience working at your organization on sites like Glassdoor, and prospective employees and even competitors are paying attention.

When you have a company culture that’s focused on valuing and rewarding those who work for you, they’re going to want to share that experience and will become the best brand ambassadors you could ever wish for.