Evaluation and maintenance of employee motivation

 

Evaluation and maintenance of employee motivation

 

1.      Conducting surveys

It might be tough to assign measures to gauge employee motivation. However, surveys are an effective way to collect employee feedback (Garrad and Hyland, 2020). Annual surveys can be wasteful due mainly to their vast time difference. It may take too long to analyse the results of a single survey. By the time the management implements the necessary adjustments, the problems will have already caused significant financial losses to the firm.

Short and frequent surveys would be helpful and make it easy for HR to act swiftly on employee input (de Waal, 2014). Sometimes, workers may have difficulty expressing themselves during face-to-face interviews and surveys. Consequently, delivering confidential surveys is a viable solution. It would be more efficient to conduct surveys online.

Figure 1: Steps for conducting a successful survey (Jay, 2021)

2.      Monitoring employee absence

Increased absenteeism is a symptom of a demoralising work environment, shown by an increase in absenteeism (Bennedsen, Tsoutsoura and Wolfenzon, 2019). Employees may be absent due to family circumstances, adverse weather conditions, or health problems. However, frequent absences may also indicate a more profound cause: a lack of drive.

Monitoring and tracking employee absenteeism is a strategy for gauging employee motivation in the workplace. It is essential to discuss with this personnel any issues that may be impacting their attendance.

3.      Monitoring the number of working hours

If employees work fewer hours than their employment contract, there may be a motivational issue (Shkoler and Kimura, 2020). In contrast, if employees maintain regular work hours and effectively manage their time, this indicates their motivation.

However, if the shortened working hours do not result in a loss in output, there may be another issue at work. This would indicate that, despite the employees putting in regular hours, their production is low, indicating a possible lack of desire.

4.      Evaluation of outputs and mistakes

Motivated workers are committed to attaining their objectives and delivering quality results within the allotted time frame. This personnel make few to no errors because they are motivated to achieve excellence. Even if they make errors, they learn from them and do better the next time (Harteis, Bauer and Gruber, 2008).

In contrast, an uninspired employee might make numerous errors, be chronically late, and provide ineffective work. If left unmanaged, this personnel may make many errors, hurting the organisation's overall productivity.

Therefore, employee motivation may be measured by productivity and error rate. Early identification of these difficulties would allow management to involve the employee and immediate manager in resolving the issue.

5.      Signs of antisocial behaviour

Employees that are happy and motivated exhibit positive social behaviour. They collaborate effectively with others and have a pleasant attitude. Thus, a positive work environment results from positive employee connections (Arimie and Oronsaye, 2020).

In contrast, a demotivated person would be miserable at work, and their social habits would reflect this misery. They would be antisocial and negative in outlook (Sinclair, Martin and Croll, 2002). A single employee's toxic behaviour can contaminate the whole social atmosphere of the business. Therefore, monitoring peer connections and employee social behaviour through team leaders may be used to gauge workplace motivation.

6.      Unwillingness to take responsibility

Motivated staff will be eager to accept new challenges and strive to achieve outcomes surpassing client expectations. They are prepared to accept responsibility and accountability for their job (Wang, Waldman and Ashforth, 2018). However, employees who lack motivation are unable to accept duty and accountability. Consequently, finding personnel who consistently decline increased duties or demonstrate hesitation indicates demotivation. Team leaders and managers must observe the conduct of their subordinates in order to detect these indicators.

After assessing workplace motivation, it is essential to develop remedies for the identified problems. Well-implemented solutions will contribute to the display of findings on a dashboard in real time, facilitating the monitoring of trends and detection of concerns. It will also aid in establishing techniques for determining employee motivation and demotivation. Regularly contacting the staff will guarantee that the proposed remedies are effective. Motivate employees by demonstrating that they are valued and have the opportunity to voice their opinions. 

Conclusion

The motivation of employees increases workplace productivity, encourages creativity, reduces employee turnover, and creates a happy work environment. As workers are the foundation of the company and a vital element of its operations, neglecting to address employee motivation will have severe negative consequences for the business. There are several ideas and methods for increasing employee motivation in the workplace. Extrinsic and intrinsic employee motivation variables are the primary distinctions that may be made. Although intrinsic motivation is believed to be more successful over the long run, each employee may view the incentives connected with it differently. Therefore, management should implement effective methods to measure employee motivation in the workplace, identify motivational methods applicable to each employee, and work toward implementing and monitoring these strategies to achieve organisational objectives and high employee satisfaction.

References

Arimie, J. C. and Oronsaye, A. O. (2020) 'Assessing Employee Relations and Organisational Performance: A Literature Review', International Journal of Applied Research in Business and Management, 1(1), pp. 1–17. doi: 10.51137/ijarbm.2020.1.1.1.

Bennedsen, M., Tsoutsoura, M. and Wolfenzon, D. (2019) 'Drivers of effort: Evidence from employee absenteeism', Journal of Financial Economics, 133(3), pp. 658–684. doi: 10.1016/j.jfineco.2018.12.001.

Garrad, L. K. and Hyland, P. K. (2020) ‘Employee Survey Research’, in Employee Surveys and Sensing. Oxford University Press, pp. 374–390. doi: 10.1093/oso/9780190939717.003.0023.

Harteis, C., Bauer, J. and Gruber, H. (2008) 'The culture of learning from mistakes: How employees handle mistakes in everyday work', International Journal of Educational Research, 47(4), pp. 223–231. doi: 10.1016/j.ijer.2008.07.003.

Jay, S. (2021) A Complete Guide to Employee Engagement Survey Analysis , Academy to Innovate HR.

Shkoler, O. and Kimura, T. (2020) 'How Does Work Motivation Impact Employees' Investment at Work and Their Job Engagement? A Moderated-Moderation Perspective Through an International Lens', Frontiers in Psychology, 11. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00038.

Sinclair, R. R., Martin, J. E. and Croll, L. W. (2002) 'A threat-appraisal perspective on employees' fears about antisocial workplace behavior.', Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 7(1), pp. 37–56. doi: 10.1037/1076-8998.7.1.37.

de Waal, A. (2014) 'The employee survey: benefits, problems in practice, and the relation with the high performance organisation', Strategic HR Review, 13(6), pp. 227–232. doi: 10.1108/SHR-07-2014-0041.

Wang, D., Waldman, D. A. and Ashforth, B. E. (2018) 'Employee Accountability as a Basis for Customer Relations and Corporate Reputation', Academy of Management Proceedings, 2018(1), p. 10047. doi: 10.5465/AMBPP.2018.10047abstract.