Is There a Lack of Motivation at Your Work?
Managers have a lot to do with how motivated and interested staff members are about work. Unmotivated staff members create a drag on productivity depress dynamic thought and increase turn over rates.
Signs that a staff member may have lost interest:
1. Drop in productivity.
2. A negative change in attitude.
3. A climate of discontent.
4. Knee jerk reactions to minor annoyances.
5. Irregular attendance.
6. An increase in errors and mistakes in the work product.
All of these signs can negatively impact your financial bottom line.
What can you do to prevent it? First, you must think like a guiding leader rather than a controlling manager. That alone will have tremendous positive impact on your staff. But, there are other more concrete steps you can also take to prevent the development of the problem.
1. Vary the Work Assignments. Novelty of tasks can go a long way in helping maintain staff interest levels. Monotony is a mind killer and people pay attention when things change.
2. Personalize Projects. Something as simple as naming an initiative “Ted’s Project” will maintain interest far beyond the usual.
3. Team Work. Assign projects to a team and encourage the members to integrate their approach. Brain research indicate activity is greatly heightened in group versus solo activities.
What if you utilize the prophylactic measures and the drag of lack of interest still permeates some staff members?
At this point you have a difficult decision to make. The biggest expense of most organizations is the recruitment, training and support new staff members. You must decide whether to cut your losses on this one and love him out the door or try to grow him through the problem.
If you decide to assist the person with their professional development here are a few tried and true techniques.
1. Throw Down the Gauntlet. Many individuals will respond to a challenge. But, you must be absolutely certain the person is capable of successfully completing the task or this strategy will fail and you will be out of the frying pan into the fire.
2. Open Door. One of the most important motivating factors in an organization is access to the boss. Staff members must feel encouraged to approach the boss with ideas, suggestion and even concerns. And their input from a differing perspective can provide valuable information.
3. Match the Pace. Everyone works at a different optimum pace. With this in mind you may wish to adjust your work disbursement. You don’t want a high pace individual fronting with the public. Clients will feel pressured and driven away. On the other hand you don’t want a suave laid back sanguine counting inventory, he would lose his mind.
Keeping your finger on the pulse of the and the climate of a group is very important if a healthy business is to be maintained.
Related Links:
3by3 on Motivation, Responsibility and Accountability by Rosa Say.