Demotivation at work

Building a culture of employee engagement starts with identifying and addressing factors that cause demotivation at work.

Motivation describes the force that compels people to act. In everyday usage, the term motivation is frequently used to describe why a person does something.

A motivated workforce has almost unlimited benefits to an employer, including:

• greater productivity
• higher levels of innovation
• lower absenteeism

On the flip side, demotivated employees are inherently less productive and more prone to distraction – at work but not at work, if you will. According to research by Rise, a workplace meaning and happiness consultancy, a survey of 1001 employed Australians aged 18 to 65 found more than half (51%) check their social media feeds up to 10 times a day at work. Nearly a quarter (24%) admit that they spend up to one and a half hours distracted every working day, and seven out of 10 (69%) spend at least half an hour on their smartphones or social media.

Demotivation at work can be a particularly serious issue for small business owners. While a large business has a numerical ability to carry a certain percentage of underperforming employees, in a SME one person often represents a significant proportion of your team. And if that person is demotivated, distracted and failing to deliver the outcomes for which they were hired, that’s dollars you bleed every working day.

According to a recent survey, the top reasons workers feel demotivated are:

1. lack of recognition (69 percent)
2. feeling invisible or undervalued (43 percent)
3. having a bad manager (42 percent).

If an employee feels that their efforts are not being recognised or appreciated, they’ll soon begin to lack energy and commitment in their role.

The easiest way to ensure you don’t fall into the “lack of recognition” and subsequent demotivation trap? Acknowledge their efforts.

Thank your guys when you see they’ve done their best, have gone over and above or have provided constructive feedback on ways to improve the business. Encourage your team leaders to develop a recognition culture…employees who receive regular (and warranted) recognition are more likely to respond in a positive manner in the times when you have to provide constructive feedback on underperformance.

Best part? Free. Zero cost. Why wouldn’t you at least give it a shot?

Employers who recognise motivation is an important ingredient in the makeup of engagement also understand that in order to make progress, it’s necessary to address elements that cause demotivation at work. Get your foundation right…it’s a sound concept in construction and it’s equally sound in building your business.

Like to know more? Bare Bones Consulting specialises in getting the best from your people. Read about one of our projects that resulted in a $2m saving for an employee here.