Employee Motivation In The Workplace: Science-Backed Ways To Keep It High
The human mind is a strange thing. From the power of placebo to heal even chronic pain to that surge of super-human willpower that pushes an athlete over the finish line, the brain is pretty brilliant! Driving motivation in the workplace, your employees’ inner mindsets could be the key to your business’ success. From lowering turnover to increasing productivity, the potential for motivation in the workplace is impossible to overrate. But how is it possible to tap into such a personal trait? Surely you can’t just get inside your employees’ heads? Well. While it’s obviously not possible – or desirable! – to try reading your team’s minds, there are a few simple things you can do that will turbocharge their workplace motivation:
Define your purpose!
Why?
What is your company’s mission? What are you all about? It’s tempting to try and be all things to all people but that’s not always your best bet. If you can define your company’s main values and mottos, you give your employees a real flag to fly. In fact, ahead of benefits and incentives, this may just be the single most important factory in motivation. According to research carried out by project management company Wrike, doing “meaningful work” was the number one motivator for UK workers.
Attract people who are perfect for your brand by pinpointing your corporate culture.
How?
So, define yours! Maybe you’re an innovative pioneer that’s shaking things up? Or a traditional, prestigious expert who’s dependable and stable. Whatever your brand, make it clear from the outset when you’re hiring new employees. From your job descriptions to your interviews, don’t be afraid to let your company’s true colours shine. People want something to believe in. Give them that and they’ll be loyal forever!
Healthy workers are happy workers
Why?
… and happy workers are hard workers! Keep team morale high by making it easier for them to stay in tip-top condition, both in body and mind. Not only will doing so attract more of the best candidates your way, it’s also proven to lift your bottom line – numbers crunched by the London School of Economics revealed that if everyone invested in wellbeing, the UK economy could gain an extra £1.45 billion!
How?
Of course, not everyone has the resources to splash out on comprehensive wellbeing solutions. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t reap real benefits from making wellness a priority. As an SME, we know this better than anyone! On a smaller scale, subsidizing gym membership, providing yummy fruit and vegetables and giving line managers basic education in well-being best practices can still make all the difference.
Unleash their inner competitive streaks!
Why?
Who doesn’t want to win? For a sure-fire way to boost morale and keep motivation in the workplace high, spice things up a bit with an in-house competition. By implementing a bit of structure and making performance clearly visible, you can clear out the cobwebs of complacency and make way for your team’s best productivity levels yet!
How?
It’s entirely up to you! Here at Prime, we like to implement regular long-term team competitions for mega-prizes such as international holidays, days out and generous vouchers. However, you can also easily boost motivation in the workplace with mini-competitions and races. Why not set a weekly competition? Choose a metric that’s important to your business, whether that’s products made, or services delivered, and set a prize for whoever reaches their target first. To make it fun, throw in a prize! After all, there’s nothing like a trophy behind the finish line to push you that little bit faster!
Recognise, reward, repeat
Why?
We never grow out of gold stars. We might not want a literal pat on the back but there’s no denying – there’s nothing quite like the simple reward of hearing “well done” for a good job. This would explain why 7 out of 10 employees who receive appreciation for their work are happy with their jobs. By contrast, out of the employees who don’t receive appreciation, only 4 out of 10 are even satisfied at work, let alone happy and motivated, according to leading research published by Harvard Business Review contributor O. C. Tanner Co.
How?
If you’re managing a team, it can be easy to easy to forget about the tasks that have been completed, when you’ve still got a mountain to climb ahead of you! But take a second to pause and admire how far you’ve come. You can do this on a daily basis by reviewing what was completed the day before. To celebrate larger achievements, why not host a departmental lunch out or activity session? Micro-stops like this will keep your team motivated to press on even harder to the next milestone.
The team that plays together stays together
As if we needed an excuse to party! Organizing regular, fun team activities out will help your team bond and see each other as friends, not just colleagues. What’s more, creating regular traditions around celebrations and special occasions will help make your workplace feel more homely and secure to your employees. Whether it’s a regular summer sports day, a Christmas bash or a Hallowe’en fright night, having regular activities that you participate in as a team will do wonders for company work ethic. Work hard, play harder!
Stuck for ideas? Check out our top 3 team-building activity ideas…
Ask an expert!
Still struggling to hire people who are the best fit for your team? The best point in the journey to make employee motivation a priority is the very beginning. When you’re putting out feelers for new members of your team, it’s vital to read between the lines and identify the right people. Above all, you want people who are a solid cultural fit. After all, when all is said and done, although engagement incentives can work wonders to boost workplace motivation, you can’t grow what isn’t there. If you’re having trouble attracting people who are the right fit for your business, consider what exactly your corporate culture means. With the right people for your goals and the right methods in place, you’ll have the unstoppable force of genuine workplace motivation behind you every step of the way.
