Work Place Motivation
People love to be praised, recognised and rewarded. It’s part of human nature. Research shows that in a work environment, people yearn these things more than a rise in pay. Having a system in place in which they know that if they put in the effort they will reap the reward, is a fantastic motivator that can increase levels of performance. Take the time to recognize good work. Recognize team members for finding solutions, inspiring others, failing less, learning more, taking initiative, working with others and sharing ideas.
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Reward team members publicly for a job well done. Give them an opportunity in a team meeting to explain how they accomplished the job. Take time to give a sincere compliment for work well done and you, your team and your efforts towards achieving your goals will benefit.
When you are praising someone, be specific about exactly what you are praising them for. Explain what you see them do that you are happy about and the positive impact their actions have made to the team, or the overall efforts toward achieving a group goal. In doing so, you will be encouraging them and the rest of the team to replicate those actions, time and time again, strengthening your teams efforts. Make sure you show appreciation as soon as possible for the action you appreciate. The longer you wait between the appreciation and the action, the less impact it will have on motivating the team member or the team.
If you are going to start a formal award system for your team, such as ‘employee of the month’ or ‘top team member of the week’, you must clearly state the rules for appreciation, so that everyone understands how the award is earned. In the physical training aspect of team sports, a reward system can promote competition, camaraderie and motivation in what is often seen as a mundane part of sports preparation. For example, team members will compete to earn the accolade of being the ‘top trainer’ that week and use it as part of their banter with team-mates for the next training sessions. In return, their team-mates will increase their efforts in an attempt to win the title for the next week. However, a vague award such as ‘employee of the month’ may motivate the recipient, but can leave others de-motivated if their efforts go unnoticed, or they feel favouritism is being exercised towards the recipient. This is an area where an informal system of praising people individually and publicly for their efforts has greater advantages, as it is less likely to have any potential negative side effects.
Never under estimate the power of praise and recognition.
When you are praising someone, be specific about exactly what you are praising them for. Explain what you see them do that you are happy about and the positive impact their actions have made to the team, or the overall efforts toward achieving a group goal. In doing so, you will be encouraging them and the rest of the team to replicate those actions, time and time again, strengthening your teams efforts. Make sure you show appreciation as soon as possible for the action you appreciate. The longer you wait between the appreciation and the action, the less impact it will have on motivating the team member or the team.
If you are going to start a formal award system for your team, such as ‘employee of the month’ or ‘top team member of the week’, you must clearly state the rules for appreciation, so that everyone understands how the award is earned. In the physical training aspect of team sports, a reward system can promote competition, camaraderie and motivation in what is often seen as a mundane part of sports preparation. For example, team members will compete to earn the accolade of being the ‘top trainer’ that week and use it as part of their banter with team-mates for the next training sessions. In return, their team-mates will increase their efforts in an attempt to win the title for the next week. However, a vague award such as ‘employee of the month’ may motivate the recipient, but can leave others de-motivated if their efforts go unnoticed, or they feel favouritism is being exercised towards the recipient. This is an area where an informal system of praising people individually and publicly for their efforts has greater advantages, as it is less likely to have any potential negative side effects.
Never under estimate the power of praise and recognition.