How to Motivate People At Work
How to Motivate People at Work
People come to work for many reasons, and understanding these reasons helps motivate them to work better.
There are two kinds of motivators: positive and negative.
Negative motivators include threats, sanctions, reprimands, and punishments. These methods should only be used as a last resort or in an emergency. Negative motivators create bad blood and are unsustainable.
Using positive motivation with employees is crucial because it significantly boosts productivity, job satisfaction, and morale. When employees feel valued and appreciated, they are more engaged, creative, and committed to their work. This supportive environment reduces stress and burnout, fosters a strong company culture, and enhances professional development. Ultimately, a positive and motivating workplace leads to lower turnover, higher customer satisfaction, and attracts top talent, providing a competitive edge for the organisation.
Positive motivation techiques include:
1. Money
Everyone values money because it provides choices.
2. Things equivalent to money
For example, vouchers or time off.
3. Recognition for achievements
People work for medals, awards, and certificates. For example, councils award organisations with bronze, silver, gold, and platinum awards, and companies strive to achieve these.
4. Job security
In an uncertain marketplace, job security is valuable. Most people will work to secure their position.
5. Verbal praise and appreciation
Thanks, praise, and appreciation are free to give and costly not to. Failure to appreciate people causes failure. Give appreciation for good work, and you will see more good work.
6. Investment in professional development
Invest in someone's professional development to motivate them. Tell them you are helping them actualise their full potential. This makes people feel appreciated and valued, and they will work harder.
7. Promise of possible promotion
Without giving cast iron guarantees, telling people their career is on an upward path inspires them to work harder.
Honesty in Motivation
For these methods to be effective, they must be done with complete honesty. Any dishonesty will cause failure. The moment a person is perceived as dishonest, that person loses the trust of others.
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About the Author: Chris Farmer
Chris Farmer is the founder of the Corporate Coach Group and has many years’ experience in training leaders and managers, in both the public and private sectors, to achieve their organisational goals, especially during tough economic times. He is also well aware of the disciplines and problems associated with running a business.
Over the years, Chris has designed and delivered thousands of training programmes and has coached and motivated many management teams, groups and individuals. His training programmes are both structured and clear, designed to help delegates organise their thinking and, wherever necessary, to improve their techniques and skills.
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Further Reading in Motivation
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How to Inspire People
Learn how to inspire people using positive motivation. Explore the differences between fear, anger, and desire as motivators, and discover how to lead effectively with desire to build lasting, productive relationships.
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How to Motivate Myself and Others
All leaders need to develop the skill of motivation. Motivation is a specific emotion. All emotions are a product of thought, because whatever you think about causes an emotion. To be positive you need to think positively.
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Understanding Human Motivation: Fear of Rejection
The fear of rejection can stop people from applying for their dream job, simply because of the fear of failure. Learn how to overcome this irrational fear and live life on your terms.
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Motivational Management: Positive Mental Attitude
Nothing succeeds like success! Here is a powerful eight point plan for developing a Positive Mental Attitude. If you apply these points, you will rapidly achieve excellent results.
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How to Deal With a Manager Who Loves Pointing Out Your Mistakes
It is a fact that nobody likes to be criticised. But some managers seem to criticise the small percentage of errors people make, without recognising that the majority of work is done well. This leads to employee demotivation.
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