The Vital Role Motivation Plays in the Workplace

Ultimately, motivation is what facilitates performance in the workplace. It is what drives people to perform their work, meet deadlines, become better at what they do, and go above and beyond the basic requirements of their job description. It is what allows a business to go from good to great, and to leave their competitors behind.

While performance and productivity are obvious benefits that any company strives for, there is so much more to the advantages of supporting motivation in the workplace. This effort also creates a more positive working environment, spurs employees on to be more proactive in problem-solving and to excel at challenges. Noticeably, it also has a positive impact on reducing staff turnover – a potentially costly and disruptive activity if not managed properly.

Ways to Improve Motivation in the Workplace

Traditionally, motivation in the workplace has been associated with the provision of extrinsic rewards. These could include but are not limited to compensation, including bonuses and salary increases, perks and benefits, and promotions in order to promote career growth.

Now, these are all still very important driving forces that play a very huge role. Proper remuneration for someone’s time and effort cannot and should not be undercut by superfluous rewards. However, as times have changed, so have some of the factors that motivate employees, and dangling a carrot as reward is not enough anymore. In fact, research has shown that only using extrinsic rewards to motivate people can actually stifle creativity and innovative thinking.

Again, do not mistake this as a reason to underinvest in employee compensation. Adequate compensation is considered a hygiene factor, and failure to compensate employees properly has a significantly negative impact on motivation in the workplace.

In addition to using extrinsic rewards in a responsible way, the following efforts will go a very long way in promoting motivation in the workplace:

• Find out what drives people – Not every person is inspired or spurred on by the same thing. Understand what it is that drives the individuals in your team, and what they truly want and need to be happy and perform at their best.

• Set clear, obtainable goals – This helps to create an environment that thrives on certainty, allowing the greatest possibility for success. People are more likely to put in the effort if they know they have a chance to succeed.

• Support employee self-esteem – People with higher self-esteem perform better. This is because they have more confidence in their ideas and are willing to share these or apply innovative thinking in their tasks. They also work better in teams than those who lack confidence.

• Provide training and development – Employees don’t only want a salary at the end of the month, they also want job satisfaction. This is achieved through continuous growth and development.

• Invest in your leaders – It is often said that people don’t leave jobs, they leave managers. Leadership development not only serves to retain your top talent and harness their abilities, but it also spills over to the rest of your team and their work experience.

Where to Start

Orgro aims to help you inspire motivation in the workplace and get people working better, together. We offer a range of Psychometric Testing to identify individual potential, Training and Development opportunities to develop said potential, and Organisation Development guidance to help your company perform at its peak. Get in touch to find out more about how we can work together to boost the performance of your team.