There are many reports surrounding the state of the current workforce; millennials reshaping the landscape, retiring baby-boomers and talent shortages in the STEM field. One such report often overlooked is talent retention. The main reason for this going unnoticed is due to priority in talent attraction.
As human resource departments strategize for solutions to bring in new talent, many organizations struggle to retain the talented team members currently in their ranks.
Employee motivation is a significant bond that keeps the employer/employee relationship firm and a great way to ensure that everyone is happy in their job. When people feel like their work is being noticed and appreciated, it drives them, and others around them, to work and perform better.
About Motivation
Generally speaking, motivation is defined as having a reason to act a certain way or accomplish something and comes in two primary forms. Intrinsic is the internal drive to gain interest and self-desire to accomplish goals. Extrinsic is tangible and generally considers compensation, benefits, and other perks an organization offers. Due to the fact that different things motivate different people, you can often find both types of motivation being implemented in the work place. While some people are driven solely by the internal satisfaction of feeling more power in their position, others want a more tangible reward, such as an end of the month bonus. It is important to keep that in mind when picking which motivation route to take.
Tips to keep your employees motivated
- Inclusion. Encourage employees to contribute ideas and give them autonomy to manage small projects. This contributes to team collaboration and fosters trust say something about how it makes them know their opinion matters.
- Recognition. Develop recognition programs that reward, but are fair. Something about transparency here Consider if the reward will de-motivate others that may do similar work. Keep in mind the type of person you are trying to motivate, because it’s important to understand the specific things that drive your employee. Remember, you don’t need to break the bank – special mention at a team meeting goes a long way.
- Give them your time. Have an open door policy with your employees. Don’t only encourage them to come to you with questions, but be present with them. Get to know your employee, their strengths, desires, and long-term goals and personal lives. Show them you care about their career and their life outside of work.
- Compensation. Work with your Human Resource department to understand the job market. Ensure that compensation for the positions your employees are engaged in is competitive to what other local companies are paying.
- Incentives. There is no doubt that offering incentives to your employees will help motivate and increase performance. There are many ways to go about this, so it’s very important that your company knows what exactly it is trying to achieve in doing so. Incentives are a great way to recognize those within the company who are showing improvement and growth, while also offering motivation for others around them to work harder. Get creative!
In short, employees having a good balance of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation factors are more likely to remain in their position. Additionally, employees want to know that their managers care about them and appreciate their hard work. Caution: It is important to not use fear as a tactic to motivate. Negative emotions or threatening behaviors are damaging to the relationship and de-motivate. Fairness is critical. Maintain consistent relationships with all your team members while focusing on positive accomplishments of each individual. Even saying A job well done! goes a long way to show your employees they are important!
At Adecco, we have clients in every sector and every region of the country who have staff augmentation plans in place.