The Great Resignation is alive and well. For the past six months, four million people each month have quit their jobs. Keeping your teams motivated is key to keeping them happy and productive. How can you do it—and help employee retention in the process? The answer is based on science. Here’s what the latest studies say will motivate your workforce.
How Can You Keep Your Employees Motivated During the Work Week?
What Your Employees Say About Motivation
There’s a lot of data out there that says your employees are anything but motivated. Gallup, the national polling company, tracks employee engagement annually and finds that only 36% of the American workforce is feeling the love from a productivity perspective. Employee disengagement affects every level of your business, from customer service and sales to productivity and the bottom line. But what you might imagine motivates your workforce actually doesn’t.
One scientific study tracked what motivates employees. Surprisingly, money didn’t top the list. Instead, your employees care more about feeling encouraged and recognized by both their peers and managers than they do money. Another study by Flexjobs found that the top reason people were leaving their jobs was due to toxic company culture, poor management, and a lack of work-life balance.
Taking this data into account, what should you be doing as a manager to improve employee retention and motivate your workforce to improve?
Be respectful and supportive to your employees.
We know employees are leaving work in droves due to a toxic culture. A big part of the work environment starts with your management team. Make sure your managers are trained in transparency and clear communication to create a better environment for your workforce. Instead of just expecting employees to do what they’re told, try explaining the “why” behind the manager’s mandate. Also, get to know your employees by genuinely caring about their welfare. If your management team is more caring and humane, it will model behaviors that will flow across your organization. The alternative is unthinkable in today’s resignation-happy climate.
Reward your employees
Celebrate big and small wins. Give your managers the tools they need to recognize your workforce and then create an environment where peer recognition also flourishes. Work with your teams to share the mission of the organization, and then set goals with your employees to help achieve them. Then praise and recognize extra effort at every level of the organization.
Create career roadmaps with your employees
A career roadmap establishes advancement opportunities for the employee based on their goals. Then help the employee get there. While each step in the advancement ladder should bring better pay, it’s also the recognition of achieving the promotion that can help motivate your workforce. Promote from within as a general rule and make this a strong part of your culture within your company.
Is Your Team Motivated?
Exelare works closely with employers like you to leverage our technology to track performance and activity. When coupled with a strong mission, goals, and encouragement, this tool can help improve productivity across your organization. Find out more today.
