Why Motivation Should Start from the Top of the Pyramid...Or Should it?

Nearly every action we take in life is motivated. Think about it: What motivated you to get out of bed this morning? Work? What motivated you to go to work? Is it job security? A sense of accomplishment? The work culture or leadership? 

Whatever the cause, motivation is integral to every aspect of life and is the driving force behind what we do - and leadership teams play a vital role in motivating employees.

Leaders are traditionally held accountable for motivating their staff, but should this driving force come from the top of the pyramid, or should team members take on a more active role in motivating themselves?

An employee's happiness in their role will not only enhance their own motivation or morale but that of the team and organisation too. And if an employee is motivated, they are more likely to do more in their job and work harder.

But why is motivation important? High levels of motivation will attract and retain key talent within an organisation and also boost cultural and organisational productivity across all levels.

The benefits of employee motivation

Lower levels of staff turnover

Employees who feel their work is impacting the company are more motivated to stay in their jobs, as they can see the results and impact of their efforts within the workplace. By retaining staff and reducing turnover your organisation will lower both training and recruiter costs and ensure minimal disruption to the team.

More innovation

Motivated employees will likely enjoy their work a whole lot more, and a positive mentality will open them up to more innovative and efficient ways of working and thinking.

For example, they may have excellent suggestions related to reducing costs or improving operational efficiencies. And not only will they be more productive, but will also focus on providing a better quality of work or service. 

Higher productivity levels

Motivated employees are more likely to work to a higher standard, work faster, and be more efficient which ensures the business achieves higher levels of productivity and performance. 

Lower levels of absenteeism

Employees who are motivated are happier at work as they feel they are making progress towards their goals - and are less likely to miss work as this could slow their progress and professional growth.

When employees feel motivated by management, they know they have the right amount of support, as well as the drive and ambition to push them to succeed within their role and achieve company objectives.

Talented employees can self-motivate, however, when leadership is lacking or negatively affects the team's outlook, employees may begin to feel demoralised, will lack confidence in management, and may feel their efforts are not being recognised or appreciated, and so it is critical to strike a healthy balance between the motivation of managers and employees. 

How can leaders improve employee motivation within their company? 

Recognition and understanding the ‘WHY’

Did you know employee engagement increases by 60% when recognised by managers? By having a clear understanding of how each team member contributes to the bigger picture, this can motivate employees, as they'll see how valuable and important their efforts are to reaching the goals of the organisation.

When everyone understands how their individual actions contribute to the overall mission of the company, even the simplest tasks feel important and relevant to the communal goal. 

Encourage teamwork

By creating a collective team environment that encourages collaboration among teams, employees can feel and in turn be motivated to work with and learn from others with different skill sets.

This will lead to more creative solutions as well as the opportunity for peer-to-peer learning and can boost motivation and productivity.

Clear progression path

Having growth conversations with team members, setting career goals and creating development paths can boost morale and motivate workers. As a leader, having an open and honest channel of communication with employees about what their career goals are, and laying out the steps to reach them can encourage positive communication and trust between both parties. 

How do you measure and maintain employee motivation? 

The only genuine way of measuring employee motivation is by asking employees how they really feel using employee feedback surveys.

Outside of workplace benefits and perks and reward systems, regular feedback surveys are a great way of measuring levels of engagement, highlighting critical areas where employees need support and can strengthen the sense of community and trust within the business when actions are taken following employee feedback.