Achieve Performance
Bi-Monthly Development Magazine
Issue 1 Motivation Feb-Mar 2009
Motivated People Perform So what do motivated staff Look like? We and our
Team Leaders must know what a motivated employee
looks like. It would be easy if everyone came into
We all know that motivated people perform.
work all giving big Hi-5’s, but life’s not like that. As a
W: www.ideaservices.co.uk
Then why do we have loads of de-motivated
young army NCO I always remember being told “it’s a
people in the UK workplace.
soldier’s prerogative to complain, worry when they
stop.” With this in mind some simple pointers for
HR consultancy firm
recognising motivation remains high.
Right Management,
surveyed workers from
• Staff/Team members freely volunteer effort and
six different countries,
ideas
found the UK
• Always react well to requests and assignments
workforce to be the
• Work beyond expectations
most lacking in
• They appear happy at work
motivation. Less than a
• Respond frankly to questions
third of the UK
• Feel able to ask questions
workforce claims to be
E: info@ideaservices.co.uk
fully engaged at work.
Maintaining Happy, Motivated and
A third of our employees are underperforming.
Performing Employees
How motivated are your employees? You know
they are fully motivated because your Team
So now we have happy motivated employees, job
Leaders have told you so. Two questions: One
done. Not quite, we must now maintain motivation.
would they know a motivated employee if they
“That’s easy give them more money”, I hear you say,
saw one? Two are they giving you only the
but is that what really motivates our staff? Fredrick
information they think you want to hear?
Hertzberg found that the main workplace motivators
are a sense of achievement, recognition, the work
Here are the 8 key scary questions to ask, if you
itself, responsibility, advancement and personal
really want to know if your staff are motivated.
growth, in that order.
T: 01483736695
Do my employees know our primary aim
•
To achieve motivation we
What stops my employees performing
•
must celebrate and
What really motivates my staff
•
recognise the successes of
Do employees feel empowered
•
our employees. Have an
Have recent changes effected motivation
•
effective incentive
How do employees feel about the company
• programme that is not just
Are employees involved in decisions
• money based, also it should
Is the internal image of the company
•
78 High Street Horsell, Woking GU21 4SZ
be open, transparent,
consistent with the external image reflects the Organisations
values and recognises that
Honest answers are needed, sometimes it can be different people value
empowering to get someone independent to ask things differently. Also
the questions, be brave and accept candid hand out lots of praise and
feedback as a golden opportunity to put things don’t forget to say thank
right. you.
A primary way we can motivate our staff in today’s
Recognising Motivation
climate is by developing them. A good development
programme can achieve all of Fredrick Hertzberg’s
We would all like to think we are great leaders,
Motivators. There is a lot of funding out there to help.
our staff are motivated and we know this
But it is important to spend a little bit of your budget
because we asked the 8 scary questions 4 months
on their development. This shows a commitment, also
ago. Your staff’s motivation changes, just like
it will help alleviate concerns about job security, after
yours, sometimes because of events at work,
all who spends money on staff they are going to make
sometimes because of events outside work. Yes
redundant.
employees do have lives away from work.

Dealing with De-Motivation
Maintaining Happy, Motivated,
About the
performing Employees Cont….
So what do we do about the problem, the de-motivated Author
or underperforming staff member? This is one of the
Create a Development Budget, alongside the Keith Comley
real tricks of a good leader, and one of the hardest.
Marketing, Wage and IT budgets, and make it
Sometimes we are tempted to put off the dealing with a
meaningful, between 3-7% of wage costs.
problem in hope that it will go away. What we should be
doing is addressing problems early, especially
Why is it worth investing so much on staff?
de-motivation, as we could
You can have the best marketing, systems and
well be part of the problem
products on the market, but if the first person
and the solution. So how do
that meets the customer or the person
we do this magic trick?
processing the order, or the quality assurance
Following the steps below will
manager is not motivated, well trained and
help you get the result
has the correct attitude you’ve got the type of
everyone wants, a happy,
problems that can kill your business.
motivated performing Keith is a Member and
employee. This can be done Founder Member of
Some enlightened employers have started
formally or informally, the Institute of
offering development opportunities in lieu of
depending on the relationship Leadership and
wage rises. Companies that invest in their
with the person, the reason Management and a
talent, find retention increases, so does
for the problem, the extent of Fellow of the Institute
performance, motivation and they have better
the problem and desired of Training and
succession planning. Can you afford not to
outcome. Occupational Learning.
help your staff develop?
He has decades of
Identify Cause and those affected experience in
Motivation is not my problem, How much of a problem is it? What is the root cause? Management,
that’s my Team Leaders job, Who does it affect? Leadership and
Empathise Learning and
isn’t it? To quote Steven Covey “Seek first to understand then Development.
be understood”. It’s vital to understand why this has
Yes and no, maintaining motivation is every
happened and what they are feeling. A good dose of Keith is the Managing
ones job. If we look at what causes
Emotional Intelligence is vital. Director and one of the
dissatisfaction amongst employees, Fredrick
Interview owners of IDEA
Hertzberg again has the answer, it is; company
It is important to make the person know you are aware Services Limited who
policy and administration, supervision and the of the problem and that you care about finding a specialise in providing
relationship with the supervisor. Simply put
solution. Face to face communication is arguably the Training Management
it’s a breach of the psychological contract. This most effective communication tool we have. It can be Services and Solutions.
can be defined as, what I can reasonably informal. All that may be needed is just asking “Is
expect from the organisation and what can I everything is OK?”
Next Edition
reasonably be expected in return to
Be constructive
contribute?
April-May
Care about finding the solution, they are your staff, take
responsibility for their motivation; you have to help
2009
Your recruitment activity is the key and has
them get back on track.
only one aim, get the correct person, with the Leadership
Identify the improvement expected
right attitude, in the right job. This is important to set out what you expect so people
are clear about what they have to deliver.
When you recruit someone, initial
Provide assistance if appropriate
expectations from both the individual and Ask what help they need and then give it to them or
organisation may differ, it is important that make sure they get it.
expectations are clear from the outset. That’s
Monitor
why effective induction is important. Unless
Keep a watch on what’s happening
people are told what the expectations are they
and how they are getting on; make
will rarely exceed them.
sure they know you are taking an
interest and care about them and
Ensure that your policies and relationship with their job.
your staff are not the problem and free your Review
people up to perform. They really do want to Make a date and review how they
do a good job, but you must create an
have done. If they are now
environment that lets them be the best they
performing as you wish, let them
can be for the organisation.
know and don’t forget to say well
done.
Anita Roddick said “The workplace should primarily be an incubator for the human spirit.” I think that sums up the essence of
workplace motivation.
©IDEA Services Ltd 2009