Are you sitting in the office and suddenly start yawning? Run to make tea, and 2 hours later you catch yourself scrolling through your Instagram feed? Finish projects on the last night while stocking up on energy drinks?
And sometimes thoughts may come to mind: something is clearly wrong here... Either work doesn’t bring pleasure, or I can’t pull myself together?
How common is procrastination, and what can you do about it? Quit? Accept that you need to be down for a couple of hours a day? Or still look for a way out.
This is what our article is about.
How to increase employee motivation to work: methods and examples
For most people, the main motivator is still a salary increase. However, according to a 2015 study by the international recruiting agency Kelly Services, non-material methods of motivation, such as training or changes in functionality, can also retain an employee.
And so that the employee does not even think about leaving, it is important to constantly feed his interest. What steps and stages to implement motivation should be taken?
Standard doesn't mean bad
Typical methods of increasing staff motivation have been time-tested and give positive results. In addition to salary and bonus for achieving KPIs, these include:
- material bonuses for achievements;
- promotion;
- empowerment;
- additional paid leave;
- payment for VHI policy, sports activities;
- loans with reduced rates;
- provision of a company car;
- food subsidies;
- payment for courses, trainings and educational institutions;
- awarding certificates to the best employees;
- business trips to industry exhibitions.
However, the options don't end there. An example of successful employee motivation is the experience of Promsvyazbank. Its incentive system includes a number of interesting bonuses:
- a prize for the best ideas included in the database of improvement proposals;
- compensation for the cost of tourist trips with children;
- payment for studying foreign languages by the employee and his child;
- co-financing of obtaining a second higher education;
- payment of additional contributions to the pension fund;
- gifts dedicated to significant family events;
- a system of discounts from partner companies: car dealerships, branded clothing stores, travel agencies, etc.
Of course, not everyone can invest enormous amounts of money in HR, but some of the above is quite possible to adopt.
Read on the topic For even more ideas, see our article on how to increase employee efficiency.
Unusual motivation tricks
Methods of motivating employees may not revolve around money and gifts at all. Consider a non-compensatory motivation system. Original methods can not only cheer up a team that has been sitting too long, but also become a competitive advantage for the company in the labor market. Thus, puzzled by the search for the best specialists in programming and game design, the Russian computer game developer Nival Interactive offered its employees:
- training from eminent artists and filmmakers - teachers of VGIK;
- work in innovative projects, including foreign ones;
- flexible work schedule;
- office space organized taking into account the requirements of the team;
- recreation areas.
Giving more freedom to employees is a Western trend, which is still feared in Russia. But in vain. This is evidenced by the experience of Google, where the 80/20 system operates: employees are allowed to spend 20% of their working time on their own projects. The company estimates that about half of new products, such as Gmail, Google News and AdSense, came from this system.
Take on board a few more non-standard methods of motivation:
- lunch with the director (practised by German Gref at Sberbank);
- publication in the media (the employee acts as an expert);
- sporting events for all employees (eg weekly football);
- competitions based on interests (vocal, dance, sports);
- free taxi and meals for employees forced to work late;
- encouraging smoking cessation.
You can also take advantage of the experience of large Western companies and create better motivation for your employees.
Automatic motivation: add a spirit of competition
Another effective way. It is suitable when employees have a common task and the same KPIs. In this case, the first one to achieve the required indicator receives additional encouragement: material (cash bonus, souvenirs, discount) or intangible (for example, the status “Manager of the month”).
This method of motivating employees of each department can be conveniently implemented on the basis of a CRM system: the manager sets KPIs and monitors in real time the employees’ achievement of goals: the amount of completed transactions, the number of processed applications or cold calls. Moreover, this rating is visible not only to the manager, but also to the employees themselves. For example, in the SalesapCRM program, you can display information on your desktop for all employees: their sales and call plan, their current place in the ranking, their contribution to the company’s profit in the form of a chart, etc. As a result, managers online compare their successes with the achievements of their colleagues and strive for new heights.
Desktop of the SalesapCRM system with a report on the employee
BONUS + Develop healthy energy habits
Often we do not want to work because we have lost all the energy, and we do nothing to train the body to generate more useful energy for work.
There are 4 habits available to everyone that add energy to a person:
SPORTS . Any type of argument that involves the whole body. Swimming, running, dancing, martial arts. Personally, I run, do pull-ups, do push-ups and lift dumbbells.
MEDITATION . Clears your head of excess clutter and helps you focus on what’s important. I haven't been able to get into the habit yet. I do it from time to time. But I’m working on making meditation a regular activity.
DREAM . The importance of adequate sleep is underestimated. Most often by young people, because they already have a lot of energy. After 30, the understanding comes that you need to sleep as much as your body wants. 8 hours is enough for me. Previously it was 6 and 7. Now the body is asking for more and more. I try to let him get enough sleep. This affects energy.
QUALITY RECREATION . Not just lying on the couch to watch a movie, but getting out of the house and doing other things besides work. For example, fishing, picking mushrooms, traveling with family or friends to another city, traveling. It’s trivial to go out of town to barbecue.
How not to become a demotivator
Whatever employee motivation system you choose in your organization, it will not work if despotism and distrust reign in the company. Therefore, try to create an atmosphere of openness and creativity. This is facilitated by:
- respectful attitude towards subordinates;
- minimizing the number of rules;
- participation of employees in discussing decisions regarding their duties, working conditions, etc.;
- training from company leaders;
- recognition of employees' contribution to the company's success;
- providing employees with benefits for company products;
- setting clear measurable goals.
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Why does the motivation to work disappear?
Man is a lazy creature. If he can lie harmlessly on the couch for a couple of hours, he will do it. At first glance, resting is much more pleasant than working hard. Moreover, the brain is not very eager to work non-stop, it would like to look through the pictures...
Why sometimes no attempts to force yourself to work work? This can happen for a number of reasons.
You work at the wrong time
Everyone has a biological clock: that is, throughout the day the concentration of certain things (cortisol, melatonin, adrenaline and everything else) changes. And if you force yourself to work when your brain chemically wants to sleep, then you are faced with failure.
Exactly p
The job is boring or too easy
Therefore, you need to adjust your sleep and eating habits strictly to your body.
If you force yourself to do things that don't make your heart beat faster, you may run into difficulties... How can a programmer write good essays? How should a doctor write reports? Difficult.
The work is not urgent
And then Parkinson’s empirical law works: “Work fills all the time allotted to it.” Decided to write an article in the morning and then rest all day? Most likely, you will finish it in the evening. Why? There are no strictly established boundaries.
If the report is due in 2 weeks, who will do it now, when there are so many interesting things on the Internet?
Lack of self-confidence
It can be difficult to start working because of thoughts like: “It won’t work out anyway.” This also includes perfectionism. A person is afraid to start doing something because the work will not be perfect. It’s hard to accept that perfection doesn’t exist... But without it it’s impossible to work peacefully :).
Laziness
This topic deserves a separate article.
Now you need to take into account everything negative, rebuild it into a positive one and add a few life hacks. That's what we'll do ;).
Even more ideas
Proper employee motivation should inspire the team. If you seriously decide to increase enthusiasm in your team, we advise you not to limit yourself to our advice and draw ideas from specialized literature:
- Radmilo Lukic “Material motivation of sellers. Principles, opportunities, limitations", 2010
- Svetlana Ivanova “100% motivation.” Where is his button?”, 2015.
- Klaus Kobiell "Motivation in the style of ACTION. Delight is contagious”, 2011
- Natalya Samukina “Effective staff motivation with minimal financial resources.” costs", 2006
- Elena Vetluzhskikh “Remuneration system. How to develop goals and KPIs", 2021
- Sarah Holliford, Steve Whiddett "Motivation", 2008
- Max Eggert "Motivation. What makes you do your best at work”, 2010
- Steve Chandler, Scott Richardson "100 Ways to Motivate", 2014
- Svetlana Ivanova “50 tips on non-material motivation”, 2021
- Reinhard Sprenger “Myths of Motivation”, 2004
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EXERCISE: DIALOGUE WITH YOURSELF:
This exercise helps you get in the mood for work, awaken motivation and start taking action. Do it every time you are looking for an answer to the question: how to make yourself work.
Ask yourself the following questions:
What is the most important thing to do today?
Modern man is loaded with tasks every day. Buy this, fix it, call there, complete this.
When we have so much to do, we don't know what to tackle first. This makes my head explode. To get rid of this, first thing in the morning (or when you start the day) choose one most important thing for today. And get to it.
Where is the best place to start?
Many tasks seem very difficult, even if they are actually easy. Getting started is the hardest thing. But when we ask ourselves where to start, we activate the search for the smallest first step that is easy to take.
Typically this step takes no more than 5 minutes. For example, when writing an article, this could be drawing up an outline. When preparing for a meeting, look for a letter from the manager. When preparing borscht, make a list of ingredients.
Determine your first small step to complete the task.
How to make completing a task easier?
It can be difficult to start a task because it is really difficult for us. For example, a person decides to start running and immediately wants to run 3 km without preparation. He will crack this problem because it is very difficult. But if he simplifies this task to 500 meters, it will be much easier to complete. You can gradually increase the bar and reach 3 km or even more. Think about how you can make your task easier.
What happens if I don't do this?
Try to scare yourself a little. Fear is one of the powerful motivators.
Think about what will happen if you don't complete this task. For example, you won't have enough money to feed your family. You will feel bad because your body will weaken without sports. Personal life will begin to collapse. You will have to work for another 20 years in the company for a small amount, which will not be enough to please your loved ones with gifts and trips to warmer climes. Think and imagine your consequences.
Ask for feedback
This will help you look at your work from a different perspective. Ask for feedback from your manager or members of your team, and you will see what tasks you should focus on and what new goals to set.
Having goals is very important for professional development and job satisfaction. It helps combat boredom and lack of motivation, which inevitably comes after a while.
Take note
