According to a 2017 study by Motivates, 29% of people said they were not motivated at work, which was an increase from previous years. No career progression, poor senior management communication and a lack of regular rewards were all cited as reasons for this. In fact, a fifth of people asked said that it was a poor work life balance that prevented them from feeling motivated at work. This can have a negative impact on the company as a whole, which is why business owners and managers need to take a serious look at how to motivate employees.

Why it’s Important to Have Motivated Employees

A lot of business owners and employers underestimate the importance of having motivated employees, even though it can make a huge difference to the success of the business as a whole. Motivated employees are likely to be more effective, efficient and productive at work. They are also less likely to take sick days and less likely to leave the business, which helps to create an experienced and loyal team.

As employees become less motivated, businesses need to work harder to ensure that individuals feel as though they have a reason to put their all into the work day. There are a number of ways of doing this, some of which we have detailed below.

Culture

When it comes to motivating employees, creating a working environment and culture that people want to work in is hugely beneficial. Employees are much more likely to put adequate time and energy into tasks if they enjoy being at work. Plus, having a good company culture helps to retain top talent, cutting down on the need for new hires and the time spent hiring them.

Supportive Management

Providing support for employees makes individuals feel valued in the workplace, and this should come from management. If someone has a problem at work, or they need some guidance, they should feel as though support is there.

Rewards/Incentives

One of the best ways to keep employees motivated is to provide financial incentives or additional holidays. This gives individuals something to work towards, directly rewarding them for putting in additional effort at work.

Recognise Good Work

It’s important to recognise good work and to positively reinforce a good performance, as this could give an employee the ‘push’ they need to continue working hard. Knowing that good work is being recognised and acknowledged is a good motivator.

Honest Feedback

Though it’s important to give employees positive feedback, that shouldn’t mean ignoring anything negative. Employees recognise the benefits of negative feedback, as this provides them with an accurate and honest response to their work.

Opportunities to Grow

A lot of people begin to feel unmotivated when they feel as though there is no progression within the company. Let employees know that there are opportunities to progress and develop themselves, as well as the chance of earning more money, as this can motivate them to work hard.