“Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.”

This quote from Dwight D Eisenhower encapsulates just how powerful motivation can be in helping to grow your business. In fact, employee motivation is a critical factor in business success. The problem is that many businesses and organizations do not recognize this importance. When this happens, employees become disengaged and productivity levels are not optimized.

If you look at Global Resources Reviews you will find experts who can analyze your business performance and results, and advise you on how important factors like motivation are. You can also learn more about the power of motivation yourself, starting with why it’s so important.

Why is employee motivation so important

As Eisenhower said, motivating people to help you to get them to do what you want them to do. This happens because they want to take the required action. So, motivating your employees encourages them to perform at their best, which in turn improves the overall performance of the business.

On the flip side, if you fail to motivate your workforce they are unlikely to be engaged with the aims of the business. This means that they are more likely to spend time looking for other employment or texting friends than they are concentrating on their work. Knowing all of this helps you to see how important motivation is to your business.

What are the business benefits of a motivated workforce?

Let’s examine the benefits of employee motivation in more detail. These benefits include:

• Improved employee commitment. The people who work for your business are more likely to put more effort into their work if they are motivated to be committed.

• Employees that are more satisfied. Employees who are satisfied in their work are less likely to seek employment elsewhere. This helps to reduce staff turnover and creates a stable and knowledgeable workforce.

• A workforce that is dedicated to personal and business growth. As the people who work for you to meet their personal and work goals, so their high levels of motivation are responsible for them continuing to learn and improve their knowledge and skills. This personal improvement helps the overall business to improve and grow.

How to improve employee motivation levels

If the employee motivation levels in your business are not as high as they should be, there are steps that you can take in order to improve them.

Pay attention to communication

Good communication is vital in any workplace. One of the main reasons for this is that communicating openly and consistently with employees helps to keep them motivated. Aside from regular open and honest communications by email and newsletter, business owners and managers should also communicate with employees in person.

For instance, you may want to take part in team meetings on a regular basis. You may also want to take your breaks and lunch with everyone else so that you do not seem removed and distant.

You also need to make sure that you listen as well as talk. This means that you should be open to hearing about employee ideas and concerns. This is a valuable way of improving employee motivation and potentially improving business practices.

Make sure that people feel valued 

If the people who work for your business do not feel valued they are unlikely to be motivated. This is why you should always remember to say thank you for a job well done. This does not have to be a formal arrangement, although staff recognition schemes can be a good idea. Often a simple “well done” is enough to tell someone that their effort has not been wasted. 

Create a positive place to work 

Sometimes, a lack of employee motivation can be due to a less than positive work environment. This is why it’s so important to make sure that you create a positive workplace for your employees. There are several things that you can do to make this happen including:

• Concentrating on employee health and wellbeing.

• Encouraging employees to have social interaction.

• Providing light and airy workspace.

• Creating positive and achievable goals.

• Ensuring that mistakes are learned from and not just taken as an opportunity for blame.

You can see how powerful employee motivation can be in helping your business to succeed and grow. If motivation levels are not currently optimized, you should take action to improve them.