A motivated workforce is a productive one. Understanding what motivates employees, and how to motivate them, can be powerful ways of driving business development.
How highly motivated, though, can employees become?
This is an issue that concerns Greg Searle MBE, Chief Innovation Officer for Keys Business Concierge.
“If you look at your rewards culture, you can turn it into something meaningful, with positive consequences that resonate through your business. You can create a climate where intrinsic motivation exists.”
What is Intrinsic Motivation?
Intrinsic motivation is where an individual is driven by an impetus that is inbuilt in their work. In other words, the job is its own reward.
“From a sporting perspective, you can see intrinsic motivation strongly in evidence in how athletes perform at the very top of their game. Yes, they want to win, but they also want to compete, to feel part of a team.”
How does this translate to the workplace?
“The employee who is intrinsically motivated will go above and beyond their role description. If they work late, it is not simply for overtime pay, but because completing a task gives them a sense of personal accomplishment”
However, to achieve this, the employer must become an intrinsic motivator, developing a workplace culture of meaningful reward and recognition.
What Does a Motivational Culture Look Like?
“Intrinsically motivating people requires something more profound than financial incentives and rewards.”
“It arises from people feeling truly valued, and this value being demonstrated through the kind of work they do and the way they do it.”
It’s very much about enablement.
“If you give individuals work that challenges them, and enough decision-making around carrying it out, this can make them feel much more deeply connected to their work role”
At the same time, employers should affirm this with recognition for work, and with mentoring and education. It is about fostering a sense of progression and development.
What employers can also do is embed this sense of enablement and progression in their rewards culture.
Meaningful Rewards Motivate
“If you reward staff with something that helps them focus on their work, and gives them a greater sense of controlling how they manage their time, this can be a very powerful thing.”
This is one of the main principles behind Keys Business Concierge, providing practical business support with a strong emphasis on staff wellbeing.
“Helping people manage their time, so it impacts positively on how they live their lives is helps create a positive workplace culture where people feel intrinsically motivated”
“In the sporting world, this kind of motivation helps to drive you across the finish line,” concludes Greg. “In work, it can raise the game of an entire business.”
To discover how Keys Business Concierge can improve employee motivation and strengthen your workplace culture:
- Call 0161 884 3300
- Visit keys-business.com
- Watch the video below
