How can employee motivation succeed?

There is intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. The latter includes incentives that come from outside – for example, a reward when you reach a goal. This could be a promotion or a higher salary, which boosts your motivation (at least in the short term). Intrinsic employee motivation, on the other hand, involves incentives that come from within – such as enjoyment of the work, passion, ambition or a strong sense of responsibility. If you find your work to be particularly meaningful, that also increases your motivation. The distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is important for companies. While extrinsic motivation often only has a short-term effect, intrinsic motivation can achieve a truly long-lasting and sustainable impact.

Strengthening motivation – with these measures

As an employer, you have a direct influence on your employees’ attitude – and you can positively shape it with a few targeted actions.

# Management style and communication

Employees are often dissatisfied with the leadership style and communication of their superiors. Good managers stand out through strong empathy and transparent communication. It is important that the manager promotes open dialogue in the team and takes the needs, concerns, ideas and questions seriously. Just as important: offering trust and encouraging personal responsibility. Constant control and monitoring, on the other hand, tend to be demotivating. To support employee motivation, a mix of different leadership styles – depending on the situation – is helpful. You should particularly consider individual approaches when dealing with different generations.

# Praise, appreciation and recognition

What else boosts employee motivation? Feedback and praise. You should show appreciation for good performance and success – for example with a quick phone call or a handwritten note. What matters is that your praise is sincere and not overused. While praise is appropriate in specific situations, recognition consists of constructive feedback, the delegation of more responsibility, and general appreciation within the company. This should never be lacking.

# Company culture and the right team

Do your employees know the company’s vision and strategy? Do they share its values? Meaningful work and a suitable corporate culture strengthen intrinsic motivation. And when a team fits well together personally, work becomes more enjoyable – and leads to better results. A pleasant working environment and a harmonious team with few friction points further boost motivation. 

Creating such a setup lies in the hands of recruiters and managers. It’s even easier with Refline’s e-recruiting software. It reduces administrative effort in recruiting by 70 percent – giving you more time to promote employee motivation and build strong teams. Would you like to learn more about our software solution? Then get in touch – we look forward to hearing from you!