Motivation at work is what keeps us active, and above all, productive when completing our tasks. It boosts our commitment and makes us deliver our best skills to our company’s mission statements. It is the goal that drives us, motivates us, connects us to the task, and leads to higher performance.
In this sense, motivation at work is an energy that keeps us connected to the task even when it is very tedious or difficult. How do we achieve this? Because we have a cause, something valuable to strive for, a powerful “what” for which we overcome whatever it takes. This is how we find the “how”, the “we go on”, and the “how we move forward”.
What do we mean when we talk about motivation at work
That is what we mean when we talk about motivation at work: the hope, expectation, or satisfaction of some kind when we realize that being there will allow us to achieve something in the future, in the short, medium, or even very long term.
For example, I am saving for a big trip around the world so, although I don’t like my job very much, thinking about my travel project and savoring in advance all that it will bring me keeps me focused on my task, helps me to get down to it because it is what will give me the means to be able to carry it out. Either I don’t like my job or I don’t find it very interesting, but the thought that by working here I will be able to pay for my studies or contribute to my family’s economy gives me enough satisfaction to do my best and to do as little lazing around as possible.
In other words, motivation -of whatever kind, including work motivation– has to do with that cause that moves us in a particular direction that is valuable to us. We call this cause a motive, i.e. it is the driving force behind our behavior, which enables us to continue working even when conditions are not very favorable and are demotivating.
Therefore, motivation at work is related to what drives us to achieve something we desire through work, or to satisfy a need through work: economic need, personal fulfillment, personal achievement, personal growth, compensation for some shortcoming or grievance of the past, time, company or fun (when all else fails, what motivates me is to share the task and time with my colleagues). Actually, in most cases, the barrier between the achievement of a goal and the satisfaction of a need is quite blurred.
Thus, as employees, we must be aware of our motives for working, i.e., what drives us daily to give our best -or at least what we can deliver- in a given position, not to leave the company or to go beyond what is asked of us.
Mistakes when managing the work motivation of your employees
When managing teams or designing a corporate social benefits strategy, we must bear in mind that the company’s workforce is not a monolithic whole. People are very similar to each other, but we are also very different in certain respects.
That is why you must keep in mind four possible mistakes you can make when it comes to boosting your team’s motivation at work:
-Thinking that people are only motivated by money.
-Thinking that positive verbal reinforcement is enough for people.
-Thinking that the same reward will motivate all employees equally.
-Thinking that what motivates an employee during one season will always motivate them.
Employee incentives
In reality, although we can consider there are universal incentives and motivators, we should not always entrust our reward policy to the same single card. Motivation at work is not the same for everyone, nor is it the same all the time for any given person.
When it comes to performing a particular job, the more motivating factors present, the better. This is what makes a particular job or company more attractive. It also greatly encourages inbound recruiting and increases the likelihood that talent will be retained.
Bearing in mind the four points we mentioned in the previous section, we can use them as an initial guide to finding out which are the strongest motivating factors for employees:
1. Beyond money
Everyone is motivated by money but only up to a certain point, beyond which more money does not add to motivation at work. Money is likely to act as a strong motivational factor for younger staff members or those in more precarious positions. However, others will value more free time, more flexible hours, or, for example, the possibility of paid training from the company.
2. More than just a pat on the back
We all need verbal reinforcement, but it must be concrete, well-dosed, and not the only measure of positive reinforcement that employees receive. It is good to learn how to administer them but also to have the complement of a good work incentive strategy.
3. Adapt the incentives
All employees tend to be more motivated by some things than others in general, but it is important to pay attention to how their personal and professional development causes their motivations to vary over time. It’s good to get right what reinforces a person, but it’s important to check that this is still true after a certain period of time.
Tailored emotional support for your employees
Ifeel has an emotional well-being program for companies, designed by its team of psychologists with the objective of helping companies to improve their workers’ employee experience by creating workspaces that contribute to productivity without affecting them.
Thanks to this partnership, HR managers are provided with personalized, data-driven advice on key risk factors for a positive employee experience. This way, employees’ mental health is fostered while maintaining good conditions for optimal productivity.
In addition, ifeel’s emotional well-being program for companies provides employees with a mental health care service structured at different levels according to their needs at any given time through ifeel’s app. They can also receive emotional support through a chat with one of our platform’s licensed psychologists. If continuous help is required, they can access the third level of the program: online psychological therapy with a psychologist specialized in cases like theirs.
We hope this post on motivation at work will help you build a healthier and more enjoyable work environment for everyone. Contact us today and ask for more information about ifeel’s emotional well-being program for companies. We’ll help you enhance both your employee experience and those who make up your team.
