“New year, new me!” – proudly shouted a billion people all across the world, and then promptly kicked their New Year’s resolutions the next day.
But not you. Not today, not tomorrow. You will keep your New Year’s resolutions this year. You will hold yourself accountable. You will take full responsibility for your actions. You will make yourself proud. Read more 5 min
If there’s one thing that keeps a doctor away – besides apples, of course – it’s exercise.
In addition to improving one’s mood and shedding those extra pounds, being physically active on a regular basis helps prevent and manage a wide range of health problems, including stroke, type 2 diabetes, depression – the list goes on and on.
But I know what you’re going to say.
You’re spending long hours at work, so there’s no time to exercise. Kids happened, so there’s no time to exercise. You’re just so tired from all the side projects, duties, even the awful weather – so guess what. There’s no time to exercise!
It won’t come as a surprise that more and more people these days struggle to find the motivation to wake up in the morning. A large amount drive themselves to work, then sit in the car procrastinating and not wanting to get out and walk into the office.
Usually, there’s nothing particularly wrong with the job they’re doing. They’re just not happy.
Now, imagine yourself waking up every single morning with a sense of excitement and happiness, ready for whatever the day has prepared for you. That’s what Japanese people call ”Ikigai” or the “reason for being” – and they’ve found the secret formula for it.
Employee motivation at the workplace seems to be a problem nowadays.
A study on employee engagement has found that 70% of employees are disengaged at work. For a manager whose success depends on the productivity of their employees, these statistics don’t exactly inspire confidence.
The chances are that your employees are counting down the minutes until they can shut down their computers and call it a day. That’s quite the opposite of the vision you have for dedicated, passionate employees who will stop at no ends to guarantee the success of your company.
Look:
Research from the University of California found that demotivated employees are 31% less productive, are 3x less creative and 87% more likely to quit than motivated employees.
And it gets worse:
It was calculated that every unmotivated employee costs the business an estimated $2246 a year. Now, imagine your company employs over hundred people, out of which 70% dislike their job… That’s a LOT of money they’re losing.
The question is: if 70% of all employees say they are disengaged and unmotivated at work, then what the heck are managers doing that terribly wrong?
I think you’ll agree with me when I say:
The most important tasks for a company owner or manager are to make sure that work is getting done, and everyone is moving in the same direction.
Each employee is like a cog in a complex machinery, and everyone has to be doing their job to reach the common goal.
However, all too often, managers and owners alike run into the challenge of dealing with unmotivated employees not doing their jobs. That can range from not coming to work, taking leisurely lunch breaks, not clocking in or out, and ultimately, cheating the system.
Let me start with the well-known truth:
Employees who are motivated, are also happy, more productive and more successful than their unmotivated colleagues.
Motivation is the willingness to do something, so the relationship between motivation and productivity is clear and direct. In the meantime, when it comes to motivating the team, it seems that employers do something very wrong – the stats show that as much as 70% of workers feel unmotivated and disengaged at work.
Employers should seriously think of ways to keep the spirit up in the office – and here’s why:
When establishing your own business, one of the biggest challenges is cultivating an effective managerial style. Here are some techniques that you can implement to develop your managerial presence, while motivating your employees and improving productivity at the same time.
If your employees feel appreciated and respected, they’ll be more motivated and are more likely to work efficiently. Build incentives that will impact your employees the most. That might be empowering and employees by putting them in charge of an important project or presentation, or giving them the opportunity to train in another department. As a result, your employees will feel that their skills, and themselves personally, are valued by the company and thus your workforce will be happier and more productive.
When assigning a project, it’s important that there is a clear primary goal. If you add other minor goals to a project, that can often detract from your original purpose and reduce employee efficiency. By channeling the majority of employee effort on accomplishing your main goal, they’ll remain focused and will better understand the task at hand. As a result, your employees will deliver a better end product and will also have more time and energy to devote to the next important project.
Within a working environment, structure is key to success. Provide clear communication to your employees regarding what you expect them to do, and what they can expect other people to do. Therefore, your employees will work on their individual roles more competently, and will know who to turn to when they need information or help in a specific area. If all employees know their specific roles and aims, as well as those of others, then your company will have the effective structure necessary to make smooth progress. Moreover, it gives employees an opportunity to exercise responsibility and take pride in their specific roles.
Regardless of the scale of your business, it’s fundamental that you provide your team with adequate online communication tools such as instant messaging and project management resources. This will enable them to remain connected and informed immediately of any project updates or changes, no matter where they are located within the framework of your business. Internal Communication Systems are particularly popular within public services where communication is vital, such as the UK NHS where Premier Patient Line provide internal communications systems.
Feedback is fundamental to an effective management relationship with your employees. Aim to offer regular and helpful feedback to employees in a way that encourages them to work harder, rather than criticisms which are likely to reduce their motivation. Your feedback doesn’t always have to be positive, but is does always need to be constructive – working towards a goal. Always seek to encourage employees; if they have not achieved a goal, show them methods in which they could improve or assign them help, rather than simply berating them. This way, employees are more likely to come to you if they need help. Moreover, they are more likely to work productively if they feel their work is appreciated and held in high regard.
This article was written by George Campbell a freelance writer from Birmingham, England. George has been a teacher for four years and he loves writing about education but he is versatile and he also write across a variety of other topics. You can connect with George on Twitter and Google+.
