Question

Explain basic employee motivation strategies.

Answer 1

We all recognize motivated and engaged employee when we see them. They are more productive and they do not hold back. They are inspired, feel connected to what they are trying to achieve and believe in their organization.

Such an environment are found in companies like Google and Microsoft where the leadership constantly motivates and inspire their employees.

Managers should treat employees as individuals, empower, provide an effective reward system, redesign jobs and redesign workplace to motivate their employees.

Empowering employees

Employees are empowered by giving autonomy, authority, trust, encouragement and made accountable for their job responsibility. Managers should promote intrapreneurship to empower the employees.

Providing an effective reward system

Managers should use extrinsic and intrinsic rewards to reinforce behavior that they want to continue.

Extrinsic rewards are externally administered and example may include pay bonuses, promotions, time off, awards and so on. Intrinsic rewards are internally administered and example may include feeling of competency, personal development and self – control over the given work.

Positive feedback

Frequent positive feedback to employee increases the team spirit and sense of value.

Follow through on promises

Employees are motivated by establishing the atmosphere of trust and consistency that are sustained from top to down.

Redesigning jobs

Managers should improve the working condition by redesigning the jobs by including the followings:

Job enlargement: This increases the variety of task and reduces some of the monotony and boredom and work quality are generally increased.

Job rotation: This practice assigns people to different job on a temporary basis with the sole idea to increase variety, renewed interest and higher level of contribution.

Job enrichment: Job varieties, responsibilities and authorities are added and as such improving the morale and job performance.

Creating flexibility

Employee values personal time. Therefore, flextime is an arrangement where an organization can accommodate their employee need by permitting employees to set and control their own work hours.

Compressed workweek: It is a form of flextime that allows their employees to work full time for ten hours, four - day workweek.

Job sharing: Jobs are split and shared and organizations are benefitted by employing talented people who otherwise would be unable to work full – time.

Telecommuting: Part of the job are allowed to be completed outside of the office, with work –at-home as the options.

Experiment and learn

Maintaining employee motivation is an ongoing task filled with opportunities to experiment and learn what works for the team. These are just few strategies to keep the employees happy, engaged and energized.