How to increase the responsibility and motivation of employees at the workplace?

If there are people in your team who work slowly, avoid tasks, pass responsibility onto others, miss deadlines, and sometimes do everything all at once, it’s not always about laziness or lack of proper qualifications. Sometimes it’s simply a loss of motivation. This can impede the work of others and even lead to resource losses for the company.

When an employee lacks the “fuel” for their internal engine, which helps them find the strength and energy to achieve their goals on a daily basis, everything quickly and confidently moves towards chaos. Therefore, it is important to support employees, provide opportunities for development and self-realization, recognize their achievements, and encourage productive activity.

Most entrepreneurs consider people to be their most valuable asset. After all, the quality of the product or service, the speed of business development, and customer satisfaction all depend on their responsibility and motivation.

On the path to team loyalty, there are various types of incentives, the main ones being:

• Material motivation;
• Non-material motivation;
• Material employee motivation;
• This is a reward system that provides financial compensation for achieving set goals.

This includes:

• Bonuses;
• Salary increases;
• Various types of compensation;
• Providing a social package;
• Discounts on own products or services;
• Payment for courses, gym, etc.

This approach is very individual, as it depends on the company’s capabilities, the number of employees, the level of wages, the dynamics of business development, and many other factors.

Motivational rewards should be transparent. Clear and measurable goals are necessary so that everyone in the team understands what the company is striving for and what results it expects from each person in this process.

So, does paying someone well guarantee effective work? If only it were that simple. Responsibility and motivation can decrease even with sufficient financial compensation, and there are many reasons for this:

Material incentives are not capable of motivating employees in the long term. Sooner or later, people will want more.

Constant pursuit of KPIs can affect job satisfaction, generate unhealthy competition within the team, and create a sense of unfairness.

Working solely for money kills creativity, the desire to search for new ideas and solutions. Conflicts between employees who receive different material rewards for the same work are not excluded and these are just a few examples. That is why non-material incentives come to the rescue, which, in combination with financial incentives, help achieve the desired effect.

Non-material motivation of employees

Many people are motivated not only by the desire to have money and cover their material needs but also by the desire to perform meaningful work together with like-minded people and receive proper recognition.

According to research, incentive programs increase productivity by an average of 22%. At the same time, motivation systems aimed at the team have a better effect than individual incentives.

What can make a team work better?

Creating a culture of feedback

Effective communication is the foundation of successful work, which is based on open dialogue. Without proper communication, misunderstandings, conflicts, and a general decrease in productivity arise. Create a safe space for your team where everyone can express their thoughts and opinions without fear of judgment or disapproval.

Recognition and praise

Research by Reward Gateway found that over 60% of employees want their managers and supervisors to say thank you more often and praise them for their successful work.

Furthermore, every other respondent stated that they would leave the company if they did not receive proper recognition. After all, if a person achieves exceptional results but their hard work goes unnoticed, where will the motivation for further work come from?

Saying “thank you”, “good job”, “appreciate your contribution” – a second-long action that costs nothing but has a significant impact on the morale of employees.

Support and Development

Take care of personal and professional growth and development. For many employees, it is important to understand that their work is not only appreciated, but also capable of bringing them new opportunities.

As the experience of large companies shows, conducting trainings, seminars, conferences, and other events not only improves the qualifications of employees, but also makes them more productive.

Mission and Values of the Company

It is impossible to be inspired by work that consists of blindly performing assigned tasks. The mission and values of the company help to understand the profound principles and goals that the organization sets for itself. This creates a moral and ethical foundation for the activities of employees, as well as provides a deeper understanding of the meaning of their work and contribution to achieving a common goal.

There are many other non-material motivators:

• Creating comfortable working conditions, including a convenient workplace, flexible schedule, necessary equipment and tools;
• Expanding responsibilities;
• Providing paid time off, additional vacation days;
• Celebrating holidays and significant dates;
• Incentive trips, etc.

The successful implementation of a motivation system depends on the balance between two approaches – material and non-material. It also depends on its constant refinement, improvement, and adaptation to changes.