The Psychology of Employee Motivation: Beyond Money and Perks

14 hours ago5 min read

Author: Barbora Sedlarikova

In an era when stress is becoming a normal part of life due to the large amount of work and responsibilities, many employers find it challenging to motivate their employees in the long term. Motivation drives our behaviour and, in the case of company employees, drives profit and prosperity. Therefore, from the position of an employer or HR, it is essential to know how the psychological background of employee motivation works so that the company functions well.

You will learn not only what employee motivation is, why it is needed and how it works but also small tips that are great building blocks of employee motivation.

Motivation - what it is and why is it important?

Motivation refers to the factors that drive individuals to take action, achieve goals, and perform tasks. These factors can be external or internal. They have a broad impact on employees' work approach and productivity.

Motivation is essential in the workplace for several reasons. First, it supports employees' productivity, creativity, and engagement in their work. Employees tend to go above and beyond their job responsibilities, which also contributes positively to the company's performance. Without motivation, employees may get bored, leading to a lack of enthusiasm, lowering their productivity and, worse, causing burnout.

Easily, motivation energises and sustains human behaviour to achieve something.

Important Tips for Motivation

We have already found that motivation is essential for employee performance. Below are some of the most important tips for improving your employees' environment.

1. Constructive Feedback and Recognition

One of the easiest ways to motivate employees is to recognise their hard work and give constructive feedback from which they can learn. Regularly emphasise their efforts, even by simply saying "thank you." This helps employees feel valued and appreciated. As an authority, you also show them peer-to-peer communication, which can improve your relationship.

Tip: It is essential to give employee-specific feedback rather than general praise. Specifically, instead of ‘’Good job, I like your work’’, try to pitch something specific that you 2like about their work, like, ‘’I appreciate how you handled the second part of the task. I see how you tried to focus on the scalability of people's emotions and psychological processes because it is something really important for your product.’’

Give employees feedback that makes them feel seen and valued. This improves their working commitment and helps them create high-quality work.

2. Workplace Opportunities

Employees with opportunities for personal and professional growth are more motivated to stay with a company because they can move forward in their lives. Companies can do that by offering training, career development programs, and chances for advancement. This shows employees that the company is invested in their future success and personal realisation. Providing growth opportunities helps employees feel that their work is important to them while building their future.

Tip: Create specific career and personal development opportunities for your employees, like seminars and/or workshops. These can cover various topics, including career-focused topics like language development, management improvement, career field development or persona, stress management, mind practice, and much more.

When your employees feel like they have a space to grow, they tend to be more loyal to the company and stay more motivated in their work.

3. Control and Responsibility

Giving employees space to make decisions about their work can significantly increase their motivation. When employees have autonomy over their work, they feel more trusted. This also empowers their loyalty to the company. In total, it empowers job satisfaction.

Tip: Give employees a chance to handle their tasks in their own way. For once try to hear their new insights for their work or leave them to create their own work schedule to approach the goal. It is good to motivate them to find their Workflow and improve their efficiency.

This boosts your employees' confidence and encourages them in the future.

4. A Positive Work Culture

Creating a supportive and inclusive work environment is essential for employee motivation. A workplace that fosters collaboration, open communication, and mutual respect encourages employees to stay engaged and motivated. Employees who feel comfortable and valued are more likely to stay productive and motivated to contribute to the company’s success.

Tip: Create something nice for your employees: lunch, gathering, party evening, team building, or just a small coffee break. These events should allow employees to be together and have time to rest. Also, connect such events with group achievements, like celebrating a new partnership or something.

This improves employees' strength in the team and improves collective relationships.

5. Meaning of the Work

Employees are more motivated when they believe their work has a purpose. Aligning employees' roles with the company's missions and motivations is important. When employees understand the value of their work, they are more likely to stay motivated for a longer time.

Tip: Regularly assign your employees to work that directly impacts your company. Try to emphasise the meaning of your employees' jobs daily by telling and showing them that their work matters and that the company won't be complete without them. You can do this, for example, by showing statistics.

This will help your employees understand the meaning and power of their work, which will keep them motivated, loyal, and valued.

Possible Threats

If your work environment is unhealthy and unfavourable for your employees for a long time, it can take several evenings. First, it will affect your company's productivity, sales, and profits. Unmotivated employees have no reason to try to work for your company.

Another threat is psychological damage to your employees. If your employees feel dissatisfied for a long time, you will probably lose them because they will not want to stay in your company. Or, worse, the so-called "burnout" will occur.

This is a state of overload and subsequent collapse of the human organism when it cannot cope with stress and a large amount of work and duties for a long time. If a person enters this state, it is very unpleasant for him and the company. Very often, along with burnout, other mental and health problems, such as depression, are also associated. It is complicated to operate with such employees, and they often leave the company.

Conclusion

Employee motivation is the cornerstone of a well-functioning company. Therefore, employee motivation should be comprehensively thought out and chosen to function effectively in the long term. Although short-term motivation works, it is much less sustainable. Unlike that, long-term motivation focuses on deep psychological factors that influence a person and coincide with some of his motivations and goals. This kind of motivation will bring your company the satisfaction of your employees and a pleasant working environment. Still, it will open the door to new opportunities, success and prosperity.

Do you know how to motivate your employees?

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