Motivating the backbone of the company

These myths are:

a) Only you can motivate the employees: This is a very wrong concept since it is very important that the employees try to be motivated by themselves. However, you can provide them with the right kind of environment.

b) Money is the most important motivator: Money is no doubt a good motivator but it is not the most important one. Each individual needs a different type of motivation and you need to understand that

c) Applying same motivation idea for every employee: Do not think whatever motivates you, would motivate the other employees also. As everyone do not have the same mindset, same things do not motivate them also.

d) Job satisfaction is equivalent to increased job performance: It is not that increased job satisfaction will increase the job performance also. If the goal of the organisation clashes with the goal of the employees' then job performance will get hampered.

e) Fear is a good motivator: Fear might act as a motivator but it is not necessarily the best one. It acts as a motivator for a very short period.


There are some basic points also that you need to remember before you apply employee motivation program. These are:

1) First motivate yourself and then motivate others: You should be the first one to get motivated before you think about motivating others. If you do not like your job then you would find that no one else likes it also. So try to be enthusiastic about your work then only you can motivate the others.

2) Match the goals of the organisation with the goals of the employees: It is very important that the goals of the employees match the goals of the organisation. As an employer you should know what you want from the employees and you should clearly give directions to the employees to do the same

3) Understanding what motivates each employee: People are motivated by different things and therefore before you start any motivation program you should research and know what motivates an individual employee.

4) Support the employee motivation by using policies and procedures: Don't just believe the good intentions of the company rather try to motivate the employees by passing policies such as good compensations, employee appraisal and other policies.


On the basis of these points you should carry forward employee motivation programs. Some programs that you can practise are:

1) Employee of the Month award: This is a popular motivation program where a single individual who has performed outstandingly in a month is chosen and awarded by management. The awards may include increase in perks, a small gift or put up the picture of the employee.

2) Competition between different teams for completing projects faster: In this motivation program teams are rewarded and this helps in building cooperation within teams and henceforth motivate a group of employees at the same time

3) Customer Review Motivation Program: Some companies ask their customers to review the performance of the representatives and on the basis of those reviews the best performer gets the award.

These motivation programs have indeed been successful in motivating and retaining the employees since they are solely based on the job performance of the individuals. See All articles From Author Tags:

---

Word Count Appx. : 564 | Article Views 252 Published 21-07-2008