Employee Motivation Techniques Result In Healthier Bottom Line
Motivation is a very individual experience, but it is essential to keeping and getting the best from top employees, according to Mark Holmes, author of The People Keeper. Holmes, himself a sought-after employee motivator who teaches his techniques to managers, says that a one-size-fits-all approach to motivation falls flat in practice. "We know that people are motivated differently," he says.
One of the best motivators comes from the simple clarity and assimilation of company standards and goals, Holmes says. "People are motivated by good reasons for doing something in a particular way as long as they know the why of what a company is doing," he says. "Knowing the company's standards and goals helps enhance an employee's worth and role in the company's success." Another key motivator is a system of rewards and consequences. "Your employees need to know what will happen if they do a particular task to the best of their abilities," Holmes says. "They should also know what will happen if their work isn't up to par."
But not just any reward will do, according to Holmes. "Rewards should match results but should also be something that the employee truly wants," he says. In The People Keeper, Holmes recommends that employers have their employees make lists of rewards in several price ranges they would like to receive. Holmes also cautions employers not to get stingy with their rewards, pointing out that a rewards budget should be part of every employer's workforce retention game plan.
Why are rewards so effective in building employee loyalty and enhancing employee performance? "Rewards work because they address every employee's fundamental need to feel valued," Holmes says. "Because that need is so deep, the effects of meeting those needs - or not meeting them -- can be lasting and even lifelong."
Considering the high rate of return on time and dollars spent on employee motivation, it's baffling that more employers aren't investing in their employees. "Many managers aren't good at reward or praise because they're conditioned to lead that way," Holmes says. "The solution may be as easy as equipping a management team with enlightened views of employee appreciation, motivation and retention techniques."
Employers who actively invest in employee motivation have great results in store for them, according to Holmes. "Those businesses will prosper, remain viable and grow, because management will retain and get the benefit of better employees' passion and potential," he says. "Personally, I've stolen several great employees for my own companies away from employers who under-appreciated their people."
What do managers who ignore employee motivation and reward have to look forward to? "They will confront tremendous training and recruiting costs as they lose and then replace better performers," Holmes says. "A healthier bottom line with less heartburn is the payoff for organization's that invest in motivating and keeping their better performers."
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ARTICLE BY: Christine Ballew-Gonzales.