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How to Motivate People At Work

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.

Personal Development Training

Our highly rated two-day Personal Development Course covers motivating both yourself and others.

About the Author: Chris Farmer

Chris

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

  • Motivation Techniques
    We are driven by two main aspirations: the quest for enjoyable rewards and the wish to evade unpleasant outcomes. Harnessing both motivators can spur us to initiate actions.
    Read Article >
  • How to be More Fun
    Nobody likes being round a grump. Being fun is a trait most people appreciate in others. Obviously, there is a time and a place, but on the whole you can develop a fun attitude that will give you joie de vivre (or the "joy of living").
    Read Article >
  • How to Motivate Yourself and Others
    To be happy, everyone needs to have a goal. If you have a goal, then you have something to aim for. Goals give you a mental image of a better future. With a goal, you have hope, desire, ambition, motivation and enthusiasm.
    Read Article >
  • Load the Dice in Your Favour
    Success requires all three dice; representing you, others, and circumstances, to score a 6. Your excellence, others' performance, and favourable circumstances must align for success. A challenging feat, over which you only have partial control.
    Read Article >
  • How to change the way you feel
    The best way to change how you feel is to become more conscious of what you are focusing your attention upon. If you feel down about yourself or what is going on around you, then chances are you will feel down mentally.
    Read Article >

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