Motivate employees through recognition and setting the example

December 16, 2014

By Melissa Brown
Associate professor of applied business

Every morning millions of people wake up and ask themselves how they will motivate themselves to put in a hard day’s work. You may be one of these millions. And if you’re a supervisor, you have the added burden of figuring out how to motivate your employees to do their best. Motivating staff members through financial incentives may not be an option for you. Fortunately, study after study has shown that most people are motivated by many things other than money.

Below are some basic strategies you can use to not only motivate your employees to perform better, but also find more satisfaction in their work.

Recognize outstanding performance
Quite often, the higher you go up the corporate ladder, the less praise and recognition you receive for your efforts. If you’re near the top of that ladder in your organization, it’s unlikely that your phone is ringing off the hook with employees and directors calling to say “Hey, thanks for the great work!” When you’re not used to receiving praise for your efforts, you can forget how important it is to give it to your employees.

But showing appreciation for their achievements goes a long way toward motivating them to work harder. When the opportunity presents itself, applaud an employee at a meeting, company event, end of a shift, social event or lunch break. Write up an employee’s accomplishments in a newsletter. Send cards home to their families saying how valuable they are to your organization.

Create deadlines and a sense of importance
While most of us like to think that we’re incredibly hard workers all of the time, the reality is that we tend to work much harder and stay more focused when we have a deadline nipping at our heels. When times are tough, most workers will do their fair share to contribute. But otherwise, they can slip into the habit of doing only what they absolutely have to. To help them break out of this rut, help employees set deadlines for projects with measurable objectives. They should feel a sense of importance about what they need to accomplish every day. When you hold meetings, make sure everyone knows what they need to get done by a specific date.

Set the example
As a manager, your work ethic sets the standard for your employees. If you don’t set the bar very high, it’s not reasonable to expect much from others. At one of my first jobs out of college, I worked for a manager who always had a great attitude and put in a solid 8 hours every day. His energy and enthusiasm were contagious. After about a year, he decided to leave the company for another job. When I learned his replacement was someone with a questionable work ethic, I started looking for another job. She was about as energetic as a sloth on Valium. When she came into the office every morning, it was like she was on her way to have a root canal. Every day when you go into work, remember that your employees will be following your lead.

Try to be impartial
You may not like everyone who works for you, but you need to act like you do. When an employee is treated unfairly, this leads to bitterness and poor productivity. If employees think you don’t respect them, you can bet they feel the same way about you. You may have a long list of reasons for disliking an employee, but dwelling on those reasons will never make work fun or boost productivity.

Trying to build a good relationship with an employee you don’t care for may sound unappealing, but stay focused on the bottom line. When employees like you and respect you, they’re likely to work harder. And if they think you care about them, they’ll be inclined to reciprocate and take an interest in your success.

Melissa Brown is a professor of applied business at UAF's Community and Technical College. She can be reached at mcbrown@alaska.edu.