One of the biggest influences on employee motivation and engagement is whether the employee believes they are making progress at work, according to recent research published in the Harvard Business Review.
Making progress in their work and feeling they were being recognised for achievement was noted in 76% of people’s best days in the research project. The research covered 12,000 electronic diary entries from 238 professionals in 7 companies. Making progress was more frequently associated with high motivation, positive emotions and innovation than any other workday event.
It is well understood by HR professionals that work life balance and feeling valued and appreciated can have a huge positive impact on an employee’s creativity, productivity engagement and motivation.
Happy workers are productive workers. Simple but true. If your staff enjoy what they do, and are challenged by the task and recognised for their efforts they are likely to be more engaged.
As a manager or supervisor it is important to recognise employee’s efforts and achievements. This is often overlooked by managers who believe that payment of wages and salaries are sufficient to motivate staff.
Building a culture of recognition for accomplishment that identifies competence or rewards for reaching a level of education or experience in a role will greatly increase engagement and staff performance. This is especially so if the recognition takes place in a timely fashion and is broadcast in an appropriate manner. How the appreciation is given depends on what has been achieved, the individual concerned and the impact on the business. A simple ‘thank you for a great job’ one on one conversation might be appropriate, or it may warrant a special mention by the CEO at a company event.
As a supervisor or manager you can facilitate workers’ accomplishments by removing obstacles, providing help and acknowledging effort. Unnecessary bureaucracy and politics, slow decision making, poor communication and lack of support from higher up the line take a big toll so do what you can to remove these barriers to maximise engagement.
If you would like to learn more about how to engage and motivate your staff call Brownie Points on 03 9909 7411 or email us at info@browniepoints.com.au
We are specialists in staff engagement and motivation.
