Creating a motivating work environment is essential for any organization.
These days, attracting top talent can be a challenge for many businesses. A healthy work environment and a good work-life balance are great incentives for motivation.
Table of Contents
Why is Motivation Important?
Motivation is the fire in your engine. It is the thing that keeps you going.
When employees are motivated, they are more productive, engaged, and satisfied with their work. Ask a human resources specialist, and they will confirm it: motivation creates the basis of a positive work environment.
A 2023 Gallup study shows that employees work 20% better when they’re motivated.Â
Motivated employees are more likely to:
Be productive and efficient
Take initiative
Be creative and innovative
Be engaged and involved in their work
Stay with the company longer and increase loyalty
Manipulating the Environment for Employee Motivation
Your environment has a huge impact on motivation.
So, what does it mean to manipulate your environment? It’s basically setting yourself up for success.
You can prepare the work environment for success by eliminating distractions.
Think about it this way: if you don’t want to eat junk food, you don’t keep it in the house.
Being a leader means that you equip your team and employees with the right tools for success. You do that by first creating a healthy and motivating work environment.
Here are some ways to boost employee motivation by changing the work environment:
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Create a positive and supportive work environment. Employees feel more motivated when they are valued and appreciated. Create a work environment where everyone feels like they are part of a team.
A safe environment at work ensures that new concepts and ideas are discussed openly and that disagreements can show different perspectives and help with team building.
Growing environment motivation has to do with a positive work culture. Here’s how you go about creating a positive environment for your team.
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Set clear goals. No one likes to guess what they should focus on. Use the 0 to 10 rule to scale priorities. How does it work? What’s most important should be a 10 on your priority scale and should get done ASAP. Don’t waste your day on tasks that are a 1 or a 2. This way, everyone has a clear understanding of what’s a top priority. Don’t forget that providing clarity is not limited to goals but tasks as well. Set clear expectations about what you want and encourage follow-up questions for best results. This will also motivate employees to ask for follow-up questions and clarification. This will ensure everyone is on the same page and clearly understands what to do.
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Recognize good work. This can be informal or through employee recognition programs. Just make sure you don’t wait too long to do it. People like to feel valued and appreciated, so don’t take good work for granted.
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According to Glassdoor’s Mission & Culture Survey 2019, 79% of employees who reported receiving recognition felt motivated to work harder, while 63% felt more committed to their employer and less likely to search for a new job.
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Give feedback. This means highlighting both the good and the bad. When you recognize good work, constructive criticism is taken from a place of ‘How do I become better?’, it’s not about what you do wrong.
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Provide growth opportunities. Employees want to develop in their careers. Growth opportunities can mean learning new skills and taking on new challenges.
5 Easy Ways of Creating a Motivating Work Environment
If you need one takeaway from this, focus on daily efforts to support and empower your employees. Motivation is something that you build upon. That’s why yearly bonuses or company events will not keep employees motivated in the long run. Sure, they are nice, but what you do day-to-day creates sustainable motivation and a simulated work environment.
#1 Build relationships
Giving feedback and constructive criticism is much easier when trust is present. This avoids making employees feel insecure when you give criticism. That’s why it’s important to have a solid relationship, so the constructive feedback is taken from a place of becoming better, not criticizing their work.
Building healthy work relationships based on trust and valuing what everyone brings to the table creates an environment where open communication is expected, and no one feels undermined.
#2 Give a sense of ownership
Micromanaging destroys creativity and motivation. Give people the space to make mistakes, empower them, and make their own decisions. This creates resilience and independence in a more stimulating work environment.
#3 Be flexible
Most employees perform best in a healthy, balanced environment. An overwhelming schedule with no breaks won’t make anyone more productive. It will actually have the opposite effect.
Open up a conversation about what’s valuable to your team members when it comes to work flexibility. Is it working hybrid, more flexibility with work hours, or more PTO or seasonal celebrations? This shows that you care about them and are open to finding solutions to accommodate their needs.
#4 Keep an eye on the workplace culture
Build an organizational culture that aligns with healthy values that support motivation. This starts with you. You lead by example, so in order to create a motivating work environment, you need to make sure you do the work on yourself and become a better leader who can truly listen and motivate your employees.
#5 Be open to suggestions
Check-in with your employees to see what motivated them. This way, you’ll get a sense of what’s important to them. Is it career development? You can offer training. Establish open communication to determine what truly matters to your staff members.
How Do You Motivate Challenging Employees?
If workplace relationships are not effectively managed, it can impact engagement, productivity, and performance. Workplace stress impacts health and costs significantly. This is why motivating challenging team members is crucial because it consumes time and energy, jeopardizing team success.
Leaders who can effectively address and motivate such individuals contribute not only to the success of the team but also to the overall success and sustainability of the organization.
How Do You Become Motivated?
We’ve talked about how to motivate others. But what if you are feeling unmotivated?
Motivation is actually really simple. When you succeed in something, your sense of accomplishment grows. The more accomplished you feel, the more motivated you’ll be to do more.
There is a way to become more motivated and accomplish more. Here are 5 tips to motivate yourself that will make you more successful and definitely happier in every aspect of your life.
Remember, leadership is a process of becoming, become the type of leader who knows what truly matters to them and pairs motivation with action.
Stay motivated, become better, live better, lead better, and feel better.
FAQ
When employees are motivated, they are more likely to be engaged and interested in their work. They are also more likely to be willing to go the extra mile and give their best effort. This can lead to a number of positive outcomes for the business, such as increased productivity, improved quality of work, and reduced turnover. Think about it this way: when people are motivated and have opportunities to grow, they will feel more engaged and fulfilled in their work and career.
Leaders who can effectively address and motivate such individuals contribute not only to the success of the team but also to the overall success and sustainability of the organization.Â
Procrastination: This is the tendency to delay or put off tasks. It can be caused by a fear of failure, a lack of interest in the task, or simply a lack of motivation. You might be focusing on things that don’t really matter to you. This kills motivation. Scale your priorities so that you focus on the things that really matter to you.
Perfectionism: This is the desire to do everything perfectly. It can lead to procrastination, and people may be anxious to start a task if they don’t think they can do it perfectly. You need to think about the journey and opportunities to become better.
Fear of failure: This is the fear of not succeeding. It can prevent people from taking risks or trying new things. This can also be induced by a toxic work environment, where people don’t have the space to make mistakes, learn, and grow.
Low self-esteem: This is a negative view of oneself. It can lead to a lack of confidence and motivation. You need to be your best friend; you hear yourself every day, so talk in a positive way to yourself. This will help you believe in yourself and your ability to achieve your goals.
Burnout: This is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion. It can be caused by excessive stress or workload. Before taking up motivation, you need to fill your own cup to have the mental budget to focus on other things.
