| Increase Employee Performance by Harnessing the | | | | tell your employees that the company is lucky to have |
| Power of Motivation | | | | such a skilled and committed workforce and people |
| Employee motivation and productivity can be | | | | will take pride in their work and their company. |
| enhanced and improved by creating a work | | | | 6. Increased Responsibility |
| environment that maximizes the factors that affect | | | | We all know that some employees lack ambition and |
| performance. These factors are simple to understand, | | | | have no desire to advance on the job, but the vast |
| easy to measure, and can add tremendous value to | | | | majority of workers want a chance to take on more |
| any organization that is willing to implement them. Use | | | | responsibility and add more value to the organization. |
| these 10 tips to make sure that your employees are | | | | Always be aware of opportunities for training that will |
| energized and inspired to produce the best results | | | | equip your employees with the skills and tools they will |
| possible. | | | | need to advance in their career. Always try to fill open |
| 1. Interesting Work | | | | positions with internal applicants before looking for an |
| Intrinsic motivation comes from the shear joy and | | | | outside candidate. This will create a culture of career |
| pleasure of doing a task. When you read a great book, | | | | development and preserve institutional memory and |
| no one has to pay for each page you read. It is a | | | | organizational knowledge so that it can be transferred |
| pleasure to learn how the story unfolds and watch the | | | | to rising employees as they advance in their own |
| plot develop. It is the same way with employee | | | | career. |
| motivation. To maximize employee performance, find | | | | 7. Good Wages |
| out what employees like about their jobs and then try | | | | Robert Bosch, founder of the world's largest |
| to add more tasks that align with their own natural | | | | automobile parts supplier, said, "I do not pay good |
| interests and talents. | | | | wages because I have a lot of money; I have a lot of |
| 2. Appreciation & Recognition | | | | money because I pay good wages." If you want |
| William James said, "The deepest desire in human | | | | motivated, high productive employees you have to pay |
| nature is to be appreciated." It does not matter how | | | | such people according to their ability and performance. |
| much you pay someone, everyone want to know that | | | | Good employees are motivated by more than just |
| their efforts are being seen and appreciated, especially | | | | good wages, but never allow low wages to be the |
| by their manager. Don't just send them a thank you | | | | wedge a competitor can use to steal away your best |
| e-mail - that just means you care enough to hit the | | | | people. |
| "Enter" key. If you really want to thank someone buy | | | | 8. Good Working Conditions |
| them a real "Thank You" card and describe how their | | | | If you want to get the most out of people you need to |
| behavior and performance has added value to the | | | | create an environment that facilitates success. At the |
| team and organization. Make it a point to catch people | | | | minimum, you must offer a safe, clean, and sanitary |
| doing things right and they will inevitably do things right | | | | work site. To get the most out of employees, help |
| more often. | | | | them take pride in their workspace, even if it is only a |
| 3. Feeling Involved In the Work Process | | | | cubicle or workstation. Allow people to personalize |
| Research shows that when people get to participate | | | | their own work sites with photos or small trinkets so |
| in creating a system or process, they are much more | | | | they will feel like they have a place that belongs solely |
| likely to follow it than one simply imposed upon them | | | | to them. |
| by an outside expert. Recognize that the people doing | | | | 9. Being Part of a Team |
| the job have the knowledge of how things can be | | | | Being part of a dysfunctional team is an emotionally |
| done better, faster, and cheaper. If you want them to | | | | draining experience that results in low morale, low |
| tell you, then make it easy for them to offer | | | | productivity, and high turnover. The great coach, Vince |
| suggestions and reward employees who contribute | | | | Lombardi, once remarked, "Individual commitment to a |
| ideas that add value to the bottom line. | | | | group effort -- that is what makes a team work, a |
| 4. Achievement | | | | company work, a society work, a civilization work." |
| Napoleon once remarked, "It is amazing how willing | | | | We are all social beings and we all want to be part of |
| men are to risk their lives for a little bit of tin and ribbon | | | | a healthy team where we can give and receive |
| to wear upon their chest." Awards and prizes can | | | | support, help, and encouragement. Organizations can |
| serve as a great motivator to harness the power of | | | | harness this natural human desire by aligning employee |
| healthy competition. It is always better to use rewards | | | | efforts to achieve goals that are mutually beneficial to |
| that are meaningful and inspiring. When an employee | | | | both the organization and its employees. |
| exceeds your expectations, then make sure you | | | | 10. Help with Personal Problems |
| recognize their achievement. On the day someone | | | | How many times have you heard about a bad boss |
| retires, they will pack up these awards and prizes to | | | | who told their employees to leave their problems at |
| serve as fond reminders of a wonderful career. | | | | the door so they could focus on their job? |
| 5. Job Security | | | | Unfortunately, they probably left their motivation and |
| If everybody had what it takes to be an entrepreneur, | | | | productivity at the door as well. Smart managers |
| then there would be no General Electric or Toyota and | | | | know that it is not their job to be a counselor or |
| we would all be buying products from artisans and | | | | therapist, but it is there job to recognize when one of |
| craftworkers. Thankfully, many people prefer to be | | | | their employees is having personal problems that are |
| part of a large organization and can be more | | | | affecting their job performance. They need to have |
| productive when they get to focus on doing their job | | | | open lines of honest communication so that employees |
| instead of worrying about developing a business plan | | | | can feel encouraged to ask for help and then be |
| or marketing strategy. Telling people that they are | | | | directed to their Human Resources Department or |
| lucky to have a job creates an atmosphere of fear | | | | their Employee Assistance Programs. |
| and worry that decreases job performance. Instead, | | | | |