Why is Employee Motivation Important?

What is Employee Motivation?

Employee motivation can be defined as the level of energy, enthusiasm, and commitment an employee shows toward their work. The word motivation, in fact, comes from Medieval Latin and literally means “moving”. This is a good way to understand the term. An employee who is moving, or propelled to do their work, is motivated.

Employee motivation is a hot topic today because we live in an era where motivating employees is actually not easy. With distractions like Instagram, Facebook, etc., and with the many options for earning available to employees, it is difficult to keep them committed and enthusiastic about work every single day.

Why is Employee Motivation Important?

Employees who are motivated at work are more productive. They are driven by their goals, supported by seniors, provided with the resources they need, and are in an enriching work environment. All of this results in them doing their best at work in terms of effort and time spent, increasing productivity.

Spending time and resources on keeping your employees motivated will surely, in the long run, result in benefits for the company. When employees are rewarded for their achievements and success, it drives them to challenge themselves and accomplish more. This often leads to innovation in the workplace.

Motivation fosters healthy competition between employees and also within employees. This drives them to enhance processes, products, and services, resulting in innovation.

We live in a highly transparent world, and almost nothing remains a secret thanks to the penetration of social media. In such circumstances, maintaining a positive online reputation is vital for a company to retain both customers and employees.

Measuring & Maintaining Employee Motivation

To maintain employee motivation, you need to know when it wanes. There, unfortunately, isn’t a direct metric you can track and monitor to know when an employee is motivated and when they are not. There are, however, indirect ways of measuring the level of motivation.

Punctuality, for example, can indicate how motivated an employee is. An employee who is always late to work is clearly not passionate enough. Employees who constantly miss deadlines are not motivated to deliver work on time. Employees who do not participate in work events are probably feeling socially ostracized.

Conclusion

Motivation draws out the best in your employees. It gives them purpose and aligns their goals with the organization’s vision. But keeping your employees motivated and happy is an ongoing, continuous effort.

In this article, we’ll explore the effects of properly motivating your employees and then provide you with 16 strategies you can implement to ensure your employees are consistently motivated.