Morale and Motivation
Whenever you put a crowd in a room and request that they perform a job, a group attitude often emerges known as “morale”. Morale encompasses employees’ mental outlook toward their job, their colleagues, their customers, and even themselves.
Managers tend to describe employee morale as high or low, as if it was a temperature, and in some ways it is. Employees in workplaces where morale is high, approach their work with energy, enthusiasm, and zeal. Employees look forward to come to work, and are enthusiastic about doing their jobs once they arrive. On the other hand, when morale is low, employees can become spiritless, discouraged, and slow-moving.
Motivation, on the other hand, refers to employees’ drive to get the job done. Highly motivated employees tend to be high producers, but that does not necessarily mean their morale is high. People are often motivated by “negative incentives” such as a fear of losing their job, an excessive need for rewards, or an overly competitive need to outperform a colleague.
How morale and motivation are essential to create a high-performance work environment
We’ve found that the best results come when a workplace has both high morale and high motivation. Following are some tips to help you accomplish this in your own workplace. Make an effort to follow through with these tips on a consistent basis, and we’re sure you’ll see encouraging results.
How to Boost Employee Morale and Motivation
- Emphasize the positive: what went right, what can be done instead of what cannot, what’s going well, etc.
- Reward employees for exceeding expectations.
- Provide regular feedback on performance
- Offer a work schedule with as much flexibility as possible.
- Give employees all the information they need to exceed expectations.
- Talk to employees about the overall mission of the company and about how their efforts contribute to achieving it.
- Use proven, effective techniques for giving praise and correcting employee performance.
- Involve employees in decisions that affect their jobs to gain their buy-in.
- Establish user-friendly channels of communication.
- Ask for employees’ input when creating incentives.
- Hold employees accountable for their performance.
- Ask employees for their feedback on your performance and management style.
- Ask employees for their opinions and feelings on issues and decisions that impact the work environment.
- Tell the truth, but gently.
- Use “we” language.
- Always celebrate success.
Industry-certified and recommended, Impact Learning Systems is a leader in Customer Service Training and Sales Training. The training programs offered by Impact Learning Systems are loaded with additional tips to boost morale and motivation in your workplace. What’s more, they will give you the skills and knowledge to implement these measures for lasting results.
To learn more, contact Impact Learning Systems at 800-545-9003 or visit us online: Google “Impact Learning Systems” or Follow us @impactlearning
