Why are most employees not setting their jobs on fire every day?
Some employees are so internally motivated that they will always perform at their best (yes, we want only these people).
For the rest of employees, there are a few key reasons that they are not performing above expectation — some that an employer can influence, some that they cannot.
1. Some employees just do not have the work ethic or attitude to do a great job.
Solution: Good luck getting this type of worker to be “motivated” by anything you do. You know what to do.
2. The employee does not know what is expected or what is considered excellent (they think they are doing just fine).
Solution: Share clear expectations and give relevant and timely feedback (for good and poor performance).
3. Employees that have a good attitude and work ethic could have been de-motivated by something at your organization.
This could result from a myriad of issues such as not feeling respected, poor supervisor relationships, or anger over a change in pay or policies.
Solution: Open discussions about performance and a good working relationship might uncover the issue, so you can address it.
4. Some employees are motivated by external rewards- they ask WIIFM or “what’s in it for me?”
This worker will do an acceptable job but if you give them a method to earn a reward that is valuable to them (for example, money, respect, recognition, flexibility) they will improve performance.
Solution: Create incentive plans as well as other “total rewards” that will appeal to your employees. Recognition is an inexpensive but powerful motivator.
To read about 13 rewards to attract and retain top performers, download our E-book 9 Steps to Solve People Pains in Your Business
Image courtesy of satit_srihin at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
