Can you motivate employees

But with each warning, Jack, who is naturally shy, just seems to get quieter. Until now, no one, including Tom, knew what he had been going through. A problem employee is taken through the usual appraisal routines and management discussions and then is dismissed—sometimes after years of unproductive performance. The first step thus requires that a manager work to understand where a problem employee is coming from: What drives that person?

What blocks those drives? What might happen if the impediments are removed? Two other factors also figure in the equation: you, as the boss, and the context within which the problem is occurring.

How well does Annette understand Colin? What does Paolo really know about George? Clearly, these managers need more information. It can come from peers, subordinates, or previous bosses. Much of the data will come, however, from problem employees themselves.

You need to have a series of informal conversations—at the water cooler, over lunch, at social events—that will give you insight into what your employees are really about. What does the world look like from where the employee sits?

How have his expectations and desires been molded by key past experiences? What passions govern his choices? What stifles these passions in the workplace? This may sound difficult, but in executive classes I teach, I find that people can learn these things about one another in a ten-minute interview, if they ask the right questions. After all, we often have these conversations at dinner parties; we just rarely have them at work. What you discover will likely surprise you.

A test of this would be asking problem employees to describe themselves. These informal conversations are the starting point in effectively motivating problem people.

For example, Annette learns through some asking around that Colin, outside work, is building a house. No motivation problem there! You will have to do some honest soul-searching. Your problem employee may be uncomfortable talking about his or her perception of you, but over time you may even be able to piece together a picture—probably unflattering—of how you are viewed.

Even if that picture seems unfair and inaccurate, remember: If something is perceived as real, it is real in its consequences. Others can provide additional information. What you learn may convince you that your relationship with the problem employee is dysfunctional beyond repair, at which point you should abandon the method and hand over the motivation task to someone else. More likely, though, the way you interact with a problem employee—for example, something as basic as the way you talk to that person—is simply a turn-off.

What works fine with your other reports is hopelessly wrong for this individual. Needless to say, that can be a chastening realization, and many managers find it hard to face. Finally, you need to analyze the context. Is something about the current situation bringing out the worst in the employee—and maybe in you? Quite possibly, your dislike has gotten in the way of getting to know the problem employee. Hans runs a division of a Swiss brokerage business.

Luca is a member of a person back-office team there that, although it processes customer accounts, has little customer contact. Luca seems to feel similar antipathy toward Hans. He has casually mentioned this to Luca several times, to no avail, and Hans is ready to get rid of him.

So Hans decides to confront Luca and demand that he get along with the secretary and stop playing office politics. Unfortunately, your moralizing stance and failure to realize that not everyone sees things the way you do will limit both your chances of successfully motivating the employee and the options you consider for solving the problem.

You will be more effective if you are willing to switch from your predetermined solution to an array of possible outcomes. Hans decides to gather more information to enrich his picture of the situation. Yes, you sometimes may settle on more modest and achievable goals for your problem employee, ones that the individual will get behind and is capable of meeting.

But a willingness to be flexible in your aims can also yield novel and ambitious alternatives you may not have considered. Putting together a menu of possible outcomes is a crucial prerequisite to scheduling a formal encounter with the employee that is designed to solve or resolve the situation.

Keep in mind that this menu may be augmented with a solution from that unlikeliest of sources: the employee. Jerry has recently been appointed a department head at a pharmaceuticals company. As he settles in, he discovers he has inherited one very troublesome subordinate.

Bernard—like Jerry, in his mids—is an extremely competent scientist and very independent minded. Bernard performs well enough when given a defined and highly complex piece of work that puts his technical expertise to the test. But he fails to discuss his results until it is too late for Jerry to provide his own input. And Bernard resists doing anything that departs from his accustomed routines.

Jerry suspects that Bernard could do his work more quickly without sacrificing quality. Jerry learns that Bernard was once passed over for promotion and has had a bad attitude ever since. In fact, Bernard has made it plain to everyone that he resents having to report to someone he regards as his inferior in technical knowledge. Although Jerry thinks that Bernard should have been reined in long ago, he has attempted on numerous occasions to win over Bernard with friendly approaches.

Jerry decides that Bernard feels a need to preserve his dignity, which was diminished when he was passed over for promotion. This trait is getting in the way of Bernard making an energetic commitment to working for Jerry. Instead, he hopes to motivate Bernard by leveraging his inherent desire for dignity, respect, and recognition.

Help the team understand what it would mean to achieve that objective. When someone makes real progress toward that objective or outcome, share that progress as a source of motivation for everyone. Although it's commonly stated that millennial employees are motivated by purposeful work , that's really true of most employees. We met with Imperative's Arthur Woods , who explained why purpose is a vital factor in employee motivation, and how to help share and express that purpose.

Erica Dhawan echoed Arthur's advice in an article about motivation that she wrote for The Muse. She explains why it's so important to take time to explain the purpose behind the work you do:. Autonomy and flexible work schedules are incredibly effective motivators.

Giving employees more agency around when and how they get their work done can actually improve their efficiency, and help keep them motivated.

In her article for Monster. Tell your employees what needs to be done by what deadline; allow them to decide when they will do the actual work.

For some, that may mean coming in early; for others that might involve working on the weekend. The key here is that you're giving employees the freedom to work on their project when their motivation is strongest, not just when they're in the workplace.

Giving employees more control over their work also helps eliminate one of the worst enemies of motivation in the workplace: micromanagement. Want to save these ideas for later? We're not talking about hiring a bouncer for your office although you should make sure your employees feel safe at your workplace!

Psychological theory suggests that there is a hierarchy of basic needs that people require before they can be motivated to reach their full potential. Security falls right beneath physiological needs like food and water. Once employees feel secure, they're more likely to be motivated to reach, and further stretch their potential. Your posture not only says a lot about your motivation levels, it can actually impact them. Amy Cuddy gave an outstanding TED presentation about what your own body language can tell you, and how it affects your mood, your work, and your interactions with others.

Take a moment to think about your own posture, and the postures you're seeing around the workplace. What are they saying? If what they're saying isn't positive, try experimenting with different postures, and see how they impact your overall motivation. Teamwork is one of the greatest motivators out there.

Knowing that your colleagues have your back and are your cheerleaders is an amazing feeling. When your motivation dips, your teammates are right there with you, rooting for you as you complete your next project.

In fact, employee happiness is much more closely correlated with peer relationships at work, rather than relationships with managers or supervisors. Think about how you're structuring your work environment: does it encourage teamwork , or does it limit interactions amongst employees?

If you're not giving employees an opportunity to work cohesively, you're missing out on a huge opportunity. There are many ways you can improve peer relationships — one of which is peer recognition and rewards. Rewarding employees for their hard work is a motivational rule that nearly goes without saying. However, there are several ways to go about doing that, and some are more effective than others. Annual bonuses are a common way many employers reward employees for their hard work. Unfortunately, they don't often provide the motivation they're designed to.

An annual bonus perceived as routine, disappointing, or unfair can even damage motivation in the workplace. Providing smaller, more consistent rewards is a great way to boost motivation consistently over time.

It makes sense: When your employer pays attention to your physical needs, you get the impression that they care about you as a person—not just what you can do for the company. Sometimes all people want is some recognition for a job well done.

If an employee has been putting in a lot of time working on a project, or they went out of their way to help out a coworker, do not hesitate to praise them. Employees whose achievements were recognized also have reported that they experience higher levels of enjoyment out of the work they do. Long-time employees know the ins and outs of things, and they also make running your business a lot more enjoyable. Crazy, right? Doing the unexpected might be the best thing you can do for your employees, and your company.

We think businesses are as unique as the people who run them. Get individualized content on the topics you care about most by telling us a little more about yourself. Back to Town Square. Make your business a pleasant place to be No one wants to stand around in a dingy, boring space for hours on end.

Be a respectful, honest, and supportive manager This may seem like a no-brainer, but bad management is one of the top reasons employees run for the hills. Offer employee rewards People will stay with your business if they have a reason to.

A competitive environment is a productive environment. Encourage employees to participate in competitions or challenges as it is healthy and may actually lead to increased camaraderie. Image: Meridican , Flickr. Managers should ensure that the company has a vision and plan at a corporate and individual level. Employees who have a path set before them that may lead to promotion can work towards a goal. Achievable goals are very helpful as it gives employees the drive to work harder without being asked.

When employees have an idea of what is provided or what the incentives are, they become further motivated. This will lead to increased commitment towards their employer. The members of your team will be more valuable to your organisation, and to themselves, when they have opportunities to learn new skills.

Provide your employees with the training they require to advance in their careers and to become knowledgeable about the latest technologies and industry news. As a leader, employees are going to look to you to set an example for the rest of the group. Leaders tend to be setting a tone and values for the company.