What is Employee Motivation?

Have you ever tried to figure out employee motivation? Think about the last team meeting you had, and how you motivated your team. Think back and remember what you said in that meeting. Now, think about the results from that meeting. Was your pep talk a success?

You may find that employee motivation isn't the same for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you are the CEO of a five person startup, or a global company of 1,000, employees may not always be motivated by the exact same thing. Pep talks, are one of them. So how do you figure this out and keep every single person on your roster motivated?

It’s important to understand the different types of employee motivation drivers. For instance, there are those who are motivated purely by pride. These are the employees that desire to be recognized as the best. They feel like they have a sense of purpose and they take pride in their work and a job well-done drives them to do it again over and over.

There are other employees who are driven more by bonuses, or prizes. They seek reward for their efforts. This doesn’t mean they are bad employees. It really just means they are motivated in a different way. If a reward or a prize is what it takes each month to get your employees to perform above and beyond the expectations, then do it. It’s possible that over time, they’ll begin to use pride as their primary motivator.

There are various methods that you can and should use to inspire motivation among your team, consistently throughout the year:

1. Make sure your employees are doing things that they enjoy. Obviously, every job will include work that we just don’t want to do, but we’re talking about projects in general. Do yourself a favor and find out what your employees enjoy. If they enjoy the work they do, they’ll do it better more consistently and without the need to always use incentives or rewards. They’ll also do it without you haven’t to ask them to do it.
2. Stop micromanaging. Use a project management tool to help you keep track of what everyone is doing without having to bug people or constantly look over their shoulders. There are lots of project management and team communication tools (aka apps) that make it very easy to keep your team engaged without being overwhelmingly annoying.
3. Make sure that the projects your employees are working on are meaningful.   This is more important than you may think. If an employee feels like the work they are doing has no meaning, and doesn’t really matter, then they’ll perform their job as if they just don’t care. Make sure that every employee knows that his or her role in your company is important for it’s success.
4. Be transparent. Share your vision of the future with your team. Let them know what the goals are and where you want to take this company. Everyone that works for you should be excited about the future and what it holds for him or her at your company. Let them know that you want to take the company global. Let them know that you want to expand to new markets. Let them know what milestones you are trying to reach. The more an employee feels like they are part of something bigger, the more they’ll feel proud to work for you, and the more they’ll be proud of their own work.

So, start paying more attention to what drives your team. Start doing some of the things we mentioned and guide your employees down the right path!

Vibecatch is a great tool for understanding your own team better. Whether you run a startup, or a global company, understanding your employees and how to manage them properly and effectively is incredibly important for your success.  Click here to give Vibecatch a test drive.  One of our success managers will be happy to chat with you!