Over the years, Pavel Vosk noticed something about employee motivation. The Puyallup, Washington-based business and management consultant watched time and again as previously overachieving employees turned into unmotivated ones. They’d go from giving 110 percent to doing the bare minimum in a relatively short period of time.
But it wasn’t burnout causing the lack of effort, Vosk told me.
“What I discovered is that the biggest contributor to demotivation was lack of recognition for extra effort or work exceptionally performed,” Vosk said. “Once employees realize that all their extra effort and hard work gets them nowhere with the company, they cease to exert any extra effort. They begin to withdraw and start the vicious cycle of doing just enough not to get fired or confronted.”
According to Vosk, most employees go the extra mile only three times before they give up. And, once they become demotivated, employers are more likely to be stuck with those workers.
This trend of employees being unmotivated but unwilling to look for other, more inspiring work is known as “quitting in seat,” and a December 2016 survey of more than 20,000 employees worldwide by CEB’s Global Talent Monitor shows it’s on the rise. This trend, however, can be reversed with some attention and effort from leaders. Here are five inspiring stories from experts on improving employee motivation:
Expressing gratitude to them
From Pavel Vosk:
“When my employees do something effectively or exceed my expectations, I make it my priority to recognize their efforts and reward them accordingly. The first time I came to realize [the importance of] this was when my employees stayed late to finish their project, even though it was a Friday night and they knew I did not expect them to stay late. On Monday, when I discovered that the project had been completed ahead of schedule, due to the prudence of my staff, I thanked them in front of the entire office and bought catering for all company staff the next week.”
The takeaway: Gratitude is the foundation of employee motivation. It doesn’t always have to be a large gesture. Even a simple, face-to-face thank you shows employees that their effort is not only noticed, but valued. Just consider first how an act of gratitude will be perceived by employees.
Talking to them
From Richard Frazao, President, Quaketek, Montreal, Quebec:
“I started to see an…