Editor’s note: This article was first published in September 2013, and its reference to the current crisis means Spain’s economic crisis as it stood at that time.
How do you keep employees motivated and productive? Today, companies have to achieve more with less, that is, more profit with the same number of workers or even fewer. That’s why the most profitable companies with the greatest potential will be the ones regarded as lean, agile and strong. The only way to get there is by working with the best, and the best are inspired, creative and motivated workers.
The cliché of enslaved workers is a thing of the past, at least away from the production line. So it is up to the company to make sure it has this kind of talent, because remember: good workers aren’t just hired, they also have to be trained and motivated.
The business world is a game. A very serious game, but a game nonetheless, in which companies compete against one another. Workers don’t want to be pawns, they want to be players, and that is exactly what a company needs to become more competitive. Money isn’t everything. True, although for certain jobs or positions, money is a great motivator when it is awarded on the basis of results to the workers whose work has been most effective. Raises, bonuses, commissions, awards, titles and flexible working would all be part of intrinsic motivation, which is an essential part, but it can sometimes also do harm if it isn’t used correctly.
Let’s look at six forms of motivation that motivate no one in a company.
1. Suppose there is a team of five people who have been working on an important project for a while and are “stuck”. They need one or more leaders with knowledge in particular areas, and they need that experience to benefit the whole group. While the rest of the group works eight hours a day, these experts in that particular field work 12 hours on the project and take work home as well.
In the end the project gets off the ground and achieves the success they were looking for. When it comes to rewarding them, the company rewards the whole team equally, regardless of the very different contributions made within the group.
I know many people will think that this is what teamwork is all about, and that teamwork means coming together for a common goal. But if we reward the person who worked hard and the person who did little in exactly the same way, we are demotivating those who contributed most and sending a very negative message to the rest of the team. Over time (and this is human nature), if I’m going to be paid the same whether I do a lot or a little, and if the person who contributes most earns the same as the one who contributes least, I’ll stop being “the fool” who puts in more time and effort. “Let somebody else make the effort.”
2. People like to feel useful in a company, and they like to know that their work and ideas help the business move forward. Some managers believe that if they recognize someone’s great work, it may go to that person’s head and they will ask for a raise, so they simply don’t do it. And some companies send a generic email or letter, sent to practically every worker alike, thanking the company’s staff for the work the team does. Over time, workers who know they have done great work for the company tend to look for human recognition at another company. “Just as a leader calls someone in to fix a worker’s shortcomings, they should also call them in for the sole purpose of thanking that worker for their work. That is true leadership.”
3. In business, everything is built on trust. The biggest blows to workers’ motivation happen when they lose trust in their bosses, their leaders, their company. Every job requires effort to earn a reward, and when bonuses or incentives are promised to reward extra effort, some companies forget what was agreed. Make sure you always keep your promises to your workers; otherwise, it will be the workers who stop keeping theirs to the company.
4. Watch out for the company slacker or freeloader. Sometimes the slacker or freeloader isn’t at the bottom of the company but in a middle-management position or in another department. They usually earn more than everyone else while doing considerably less, even slowing down the work, and on top of that they always seem to get away with it. This person can discourage several teams in the company, and the manager will never find out, because people rarely go over someone’s head to complain about a person of higher rank. (Read: Leadership: 3 things you may be getting wrong that no one will tell you.)
5. If you run a workplace climate survey, workers want to see changes. Companies sometimes hire independent firms to carry out a workplace climate survey, which simply measures morale with respect to the company, pay and the anonymous view employees have of their immediate bosses.
More than once I have seen 98% of a company’s workforce say clearly in a survey that the scourge of the company was their immediate boss. The company made absolutely no changes. Out of 100 people, there may be 10 who don’t like their boss, even 40 who think their boss is incompetent for failing to appreciate their work, but when 98 people are against them, something is wrong. I should add that the company I’m talking about filed for insolvency even before the official start of the current crisis. No surprise there…
6. Failing to value employees’ creativity is another of the things holding back business growth, at least in Spain. Many employees put forward ideas that nobody listens to, so in the end they limit themselves to carrying out orders. Steve Jobs used to say that it made no sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do. If you have intelligent, creative people in the company but they can’t express their ideas, they are still intelligent people, but you have created a company of sheep where intelligence (a very valuable asset) is not valued. In other words, you are rewarding mediocrity.
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