Motivate Your Workers

Motivate your workers

By DATIN T.D. AMPIKAIPAKAN

Passion for what you do is not something everyone has. Doing what you really want may not happen too. In such cases, employees are obliged to take whatever options that are open to them and therein lies the trouble.

Many take on jobs that do not stir their imagination. Many more handle jobs that are routine and have no meaning in their lives. This is complicated by the fact that the supervisors do not care about challenging or motivating them, neither do they tell them what relevance their work is to the big picture.

Even worse is the fact that among the managers, many do not see the big picture and send wrong signals about what the CEO wants. All this creates what we complain incessantly about - bad attitudes, lack of motivation, no interest in learning new skills, inability to accept change ... the list goes on.

What does an organisation have to do to create this synergy with its employees? What does senior management have to do to create the atmosphere that allows employees to believe that they are in the "best" place of work?

What will create the "sync" between the organisation and staff?

The following are some of the suggestions by employees and management that I have received. Do they work for your organisation?


a.. Create trust and learn to respect everyone without considering his or her status or position.
This validates the fact that "Everybody who is employed is important" and implies that the CEO deserves the same respect as the office assistant, notwithstanding the fact that the CEO is responsible for the success and failure of the team.


a.. Ensure that the organisation's mission and success is priority, and that every employee understands that and works towards that goal.
This is the big picture. Unfortunately not every employee understands or appreciates the big picture because personal ego comes into play and they tend to goof up team synergy. A good example is what happens within two departments.

Say the marketing people go out to seek business. Once they find a new client, they would promise to deliver proposals and documents to clinch the deal but this effort requires the assistance of another department where the staff could be upset that they were not consulted when the promises to deliver were made. It boils down to "territorial issues" and heads of departments get indignant and feel insulted when they are have not been told certain things. Very few realise that there is a big picture and the reason they are employed is to see that business transactions flow smoothly between departments so that the customer is satisfied and the image of the organisation is enhanced.


a.. Create an environment where management and employees like one another, appreciate the team spirit and feel that the organisation works for the benefit of the staff and vice versa.
I saw this happen in a bank branch once where the branch manager made it clear that the stuff learn to like each other.

If anyone has a grievance, it needs to be sorted out. He saw to it that everyone took turns to chair staff meetings (including the office assistant) and created an atmosphere where organisational goals helped their personal goals.


a.. The management should strive to create a balance between work and home. This is something managers need to understand and practise. Many employees poke fun at managers who think that if the staff stay back late, they are working hard. I have had employees tell me that they stayed back just to impress the boss and get their bonuses. Not much work actually gets done. Experts who talk about a balance between work and home, have done research into productivity and work efficiency. Employees do get burned out.

a.. Choosing the right team leaders is vital so that employees will respect them and like them.
A good team leader has to be a good coach and an even better mentor. He or she is expected to be a motivator, a challenger of spirits and have the ability to get the staff emotionally involved in things that matter at work.


a.. Find the right person for the job.
How can you possibly select a moody person or one who is reluctant to smile to be in charge of customers?


a.. Mind your manners.
You may think that courtesy may be trivial but it affects your employees deeply. There are three basic things that create the best atmosphere at work: politeness, friendliness and kindness. People who work for you are entitled to respect, civilised behaviour and a great deal of dignity.


a.. Show appreciation for what is being done.
Give credit to the team when it deserves it. Managers who feel threatened will be reluctant to let someone else take the credit.

Their egos just cannot allow that. Just face it - no team leader can achieve anything alone. An unhappy team has low morale and productivity suffers.

The people you have in your organisation will tell your story, whether it is one of success or not. If you have employees who work hard, are disciplined and focused on achieving success, you have created the "sync" between the staff and the organisation. The sky is then the limit!