Many managers attempt to motivate employees by using rewards as their motivational scheme but this can be complex because every reward has it is desired effect. Reward programs can go wrong and serve as punishment. Especially during reward ceremonies where a few are, honoured leaving those not acknowledged discouraged.
Managers should make sure that rewards are timely, are satisfying and tied to quantifiable results. As a result even small rewards can be used to aid employees overcome some of the most thoughtful and unrelenting problems.
The thought behind an incentive carries symbolic importance and taps into a variety of social forces that carry a lot of weight in the minds of the employees. Managers should reward small improvement in results. Employees would appreciate more praise.
Managers should set performance goals in the lagging areas of employees to reward improvements in vital areas along the way. Although the starting point of motivation in the work place is money, extensive studies have shown that money is only part of the motivation equation. Money is a poor motivator hence the limitations associated with most pay for performance schemes
Money still occupies a major place in the mix of motivators. The sharing of organisations profits gives incentive to employees to produce quality products, perform a quality service or improve the quality of a process within the organisation.
What benefits the organisation directly benefits the employee. Money is effective when directly tied to employees’ accomplishments. However, if not coupled with other non-monetary motivators its motivating effects are short-lived. It can also prove counterproductive if not made available to all members of the organisation.
Employees in occupations characterised with low pay such as cleaning and childcare tend to exhibit high levels of motivation, commitment and job satisfaction than other higher paid workers. The motivation of the cleaners and childcare employees lies in self – identity – how an individual sees expresses themselves and the values possessed.
Managers, who recognise the small wins of employees, promote participatory environments and treat employees with fairness and respect will lead to more highly motivated employees.
Motivation therefore involves self – management, as employees are motivated to engage in behaviours that support ideas that employees have of themselves. The goals and behaviours are strongly organisation related for those whose identity revolves around work.
Managers do not need expensive training programs or complex compensation plans to connect people to what really matters to them. Instead, they need to create a sense of oneness by sharing what they know about the organisations business plans.
It is important to know what motivates each employee. This can be determined by observing the level of enthusiasm and interest in various parts of the project and the desire to lead the team. The manager can then adapt the communication style and recognition system to each employee’s intrinsic motivation.
Once the manager understands each career anchor, they can determine the one that fits each employee on the team. People who work for the organisation must communicate what matters most to them and the manager must continually ask for this information.
The work related behaviours of the employees whose identity lies outside of the work; are more concerned with economic survival and pursuing work related goals. The cleaners and childcare employees have the motivation and effort aligned to the goals outside work such as family relationships.
Employees not always aligned to the interests of the organisation and therefore managers accept and should see motivation as something that is highly individual. People stay with organisations largely because of the quality of the managers.
When people see the purpose of what they do, they stay at the work that are intellectually stimulating and/or personally rewarding. The manager needs to challenge the people to meet the goals and exceed them.
This entails recognising the talents and strengths that employees have to offer and leveraging them to maximise their potential. The manager needs to identify skills, abilities and knowledge the employees need to do the job well and feel personally satisfied and develop those skills and abilities.
The manager should also allow employees to use their strength while they are learning to modify the skills needed to excel in performance. Managers should reward them for positive actions; support them through the learning. The manager should commit to the role of the leader with patient guidance, direction reinforced with positive regard.
Most employees interact with customers in some manner. The manager should recognise them in front of others and model recognition and praise so that the team members embrace using this skill with others.
Inspired enthusiasm spreads from employee to employee and to the customers and industry. The team members should know that they work for an organisation that allows them to be authentic.
The manager should enforce the success through verbal praise and recognition. Without recognition, the manager will drain the excitement, commitment and joy of the employees making the manager’s job harder.
Teams work together when they decide what good performance looks like and identify specific goals, actions, and measurement to access success. The manager should use their collective intelligence to allow them to make decisions that best serve the interests of the organisation.
The manager should use the abilities of team members to delegate, challenge and motivate the team. The manager should allow them to lead from where they are which will positively affect others and their performance will excel.
Good organisations set high standards for the employees and are flexible about how the people can meet them. Output of the work left to the discretion of the employees.
Managers should also be readily available this is what differentiates successful organisations from those that are not.
A worker should feel personally responsible for a meaningful portion of the work accomplished. An employee feels ownership of and connection with the work they perform. A successful effort fosters awareness in an individual that the contributions are important when accomplishing the tasks.
The outcome of the employees work must have value to them and others in the organisation. A constructive, believable critique of the work performed is crucial to a worker’s motivation to improve.
The most effective rewards such as letters of commendation and time off work enhanced personal fulfilment and self-respect. Over the long-term sincere praise and personal gestures are far more effective and more economical than awards of money alone. A program that combines monetary reward systems and satisfies intrinsic self-actualising needs may be the most effective employee motivator
