employee motivation

Why Employee Motivation Is Important (& How to Improve It)

Employee motivation is a critical aspect at the workplace which leads to the performance of the department and even the company. Motivating your employees needs to be a regular routine.

There are companies that sadly fail to understand the importance of employee motivation. Research shows that many companies have disengaged employees with low motivation; only 13% of employees are engaged at work (Gallup).

In this article, we look into why employee motivation is important in any businesses or companies.

“An employee’s motivation is a direct result of the sum of interactions with his or her manager.”

– Bob Nelson

Importance of Employee Motivation

There are several reasons why employee motivation is important. Mainly because it allows management to meet the company’s goals. Without a motivated workplace, companies could be placed in a very risky position.

Motivated employees can lead to increased productivity and allow an organisation to achieve higher levels of output. Imagine having an employee who is not motivated at work. They will probably use the time at their desk surfing the internet for personal pleasure or even looking for another job. This is a waste of your time and resources.

Note that this is based on one employee. Try picturing the majority of your employees doing the same thing. This is not a position anybody wants to be in.

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Benefits of Motivated Employees

Employee motivation is highly important for every company due to the benefits that it brings to the company. Benefits include:

Increased employee commitment

When employees are motivated to work, they will generally put their best effort in the tasks that are assigned to them.

Improved employee satisfaction

Employee satisfaction is important for every company because this can lead towards a positive growth for the company.

Ongoing employee development

Motivation can facilitate a worker reaching his/her personal goals, and can facilitate the self-development of an individual. Once that worker meets some initial goals, they realise the clear link between effort and results, which will further motivate them to continue at a high level.

Improved employee efficiency

An employee’s efficiency level is not only based on their abilities or qualifications. For the company to get the very best results, an employee needs to have a good balance between the ability to perform the task given and willingness to want to perform the task. This balance can lead to an increase of productivity and an improvement in efficiency.

employee motivation is important

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How to Increase Employee Motivation

Here are three immediate actionable tips to increase employee motivation in your workplace.

Improve communication

The easiest way to increase employee motivation is by having positive communication at the workplace. Not relying only on emails but by making sure they talk to their employees in person and even on a personal level, if possible.

Try setting aside some time each day to talk with employees or you can join them during coffee breaks instead of sitting at your desk. By doing so, you actually make employees feel as though you are part of the team; a leader instead of just the boss. Experts agree that team communication is super valuable.

Employees also want to see the company that they are working for succeed. Many have excellent ideas, ranging from money saving to operational improvements. Management must make an effort to take some time to ask and listen to suggestions. Nothing is more worthwhile than feeling valued.

Value individual contributions

Management should ensure their employees on how their individual efforts and contribution plays an important part of the company’s overall goals and direction. Employees will take pride and be engaged in their work if they are aware how their efforts create an impact the organisation; regardless of how big or small their contributions are.

Management does not have to reward their employees with gifts every single time they did a good job at a task. At times, a simple “Thank You” or “Great job” will suffice.  These meaningful words acknowledge effort, build loyalty and encourage people to work even harder.

Related article: 40 great ways to say thank you to your employees

“Employees who believe that management is concerned about them as a whole person – not just an employee – are more productive, more satisfied, more fulfilled. Satisfied employees mean satisfied customers, which leads to profitability.”

– Anne M. Mulcahy

Positive workplace environment

Sometimes, the employees lack motivation because their workplace does not have a positive work environment.To fix this, management could sent out surveys and get feedback from employees in order to solve the issues that they may face.

Management could also post a positive quote or picture by the copier, coffee machine or somewhere else that is visible and that receives high foot traffic so that others can see. Flora and fauna also helps create a serene workplace environment for your employees, so why not add a couple of plants around the office.

Management could also find creative ways in which to consistently keep their employees motivated as much as possible. You can read our post on how to motivate your employees in 12 easy steps to help you with your company’s employee motivation. 

Remote working statistics have demonstrated many times over that letting employees work from home can increase motivation. You could consider allowing your employees to work from home one day a week.

In Summary

A positive workplace is the basic element that will get your company to the top. We understand that it may be time consuming and difficult to encourage employee motivation at the workplace.

However, in order to achieve a high level of employee productivity, management needs to encourage a positive workplace environment.

Ensure that your employees feel that their work and efforts is an important contribution to the company’s success. Remember to always keep an ‘open-door’ policy and have an approachable management team.