Friday, December 28, 2012

Why is employee motivation important?


The answer to "Why is employee motivation important?" is because in today's down economy, it's more important than ever to have a motivated workforce.

That's because a motivated employee is a productive employee. And a productive employee is a more profitable employee. See how that works? When people aren't motivated, they become less productive, less creative, less of an asset to your company. Now more than ever, we need motivated employees!

Then, obviously, the answer to "why is employee motivation important?" is simple: So you can stay in business. With that in mind, here are some ways you can get your employees motivated, enthused, and ready to go conquer the world:

First, motivate yourself.

Have you ever worked for a sourpuss? I know I have...on more than one occasion, as a matter of fact. Talk about a de-motivator! It's hard to feel good about your job if your boss is stressed out, disinterested, and/or unmotivated.

However, one of the truest statements ever made is that enthusiasm is contagious. (Oh, by the way, the opposite is true as well.) If your employees see that you're enthusiastic about your job, they are more likely to be enthusiastic about theirs.

Then, one of the first steps to learning why is employee motivation important, is to find out what motivates you and then make sure you're doing it on a regular basis. Are you motivated by money? Extra time off? Praise and recognition? Just because you're the boss doesn't mean you shouldn't be rewarded! Chances are good that many of the things that motivate you will answer the question of why is employee motivation important. Which leads us to the next subject...

Understand what motivates your employees.

Again remember that main answer to why is employee motivation important is so you can stay in business. Therefore, before you can understand why is employee motivation important you must understand what motivates them individually.

Different people are motivated by different things: money, success, recognition, popularity, status, career development, health, balance, learning. Use this list as a starting point to develop your own "motivational" list, and ask each of your employees to check the things that are important to them. Once they do this, sit down with each employee to discuss her motivational factors and design a reward program that is specific to her individual psyche.

Obviously, there are many ways to tangibly reward employees,