It’s well known, a satisfied employee will be more involved in his work and more willing to give you the best he has to offer. Translation: to make your collaborators more successful, you should definitely work on their motivation. But how? What tools can we use to increase motivation at work? Follow our suggestions!

 

Money

First, money is usually the first factor we think of when we try to increase our employee’s motivation at work. First, let’s make something clear, most employees work before everything else to earn one’s living: therefor they expect to earn at least what they consider be fair for their work/effort (their salary). But to increase their motivation, money is advised against as a tool. Yes you understood correctly! Surprised?  Money is, before all, a demotivation tool, meaning it has the inverse effect on people if they perceive that they are not receiving an amount equivalent to what they think they are worth. A pecuniary advantage won’t be efficient if you want to see an increase in corporate culture support and owning their work objectives as if their own.

 

Team spirit

The second lever for mobilizing and motivating your employees is team spirit, a sense a group belonging. With strong group cohesion, your employee feels better at work, more motivated, and they are more likely to be involved in the team’s success. Don’t underestimate the power of collaboration.

Here are a few ideas to enhence team spirit:

• On an employee first day at work, be sure to welcome him warmly, to present him to new colleagues and maybe even have a team breakfast.
• Organize a few events between colleagues a few times a year. It doesn’t have to be big. (Monthly breakfast, annual barbecue, Christmas Party, etc).
• Celebrate your team’s success, with a small office party or a lunch between colleagues. Don’t ever forget the importance of congratulating your employees.

Even if your team is really competitive, cohesion is essential for employee motivation at work.   The secret is to favor a sane competition between colleagues and to reward collective performance as well as individual performances.

 

Autonomy and empowerment

You can also boost your employee’s motivation by granting them your trust. , If you’re always looking over their shoulder and micromanaging every movement, they will rapidly feel worthless… and demotivated!

Give enough latitude to empower them. Give them a scope of actions and let them manage their work in that defined sphere of operation. This way, you’re showing your employee you believe in their ability to do their work efficiently and you’re stimulating their desire to work harder.  Furthermore, your employee’s autonomy and empowerment will make you save precious time.

In the same line of thoughts, you can consult your colleagues on their ideas or opinions on specific subjects. They’ll feel valued and listened to. Decentralizing information and decisional power is key.

 

Work environment

If your employee feels good in the work environment, chances are they’ll be more motivated to get up and go to work. In practice, you should provide:

• A workspace you’re proud to call your office. (ergonomic furniture, decoration, a space that makes you feel the company’s brand/corporate culture)
• All the necessary material to do an efficient job. (Nancy should not be bothered for her stapler every 5 minutes because of the lack of office supply)
• Additional installations like parking, a gym, etc.

 

Motivation at work is something you constantly have to work on. By constantly leading general and specific actions, you will succeed in increasing your employee‘s motivation at work.