The Easier Way to Motivate Employees

First note that people are motivated by different things, some by money, some by fear, and some by positive reinforcement. As an employer the first two types of people may be the worst, but most people also have some need for positive reinforcement.

It is actually easier to motivate through positive reinforcement than through any other means, even money.

Motivating with money hurts the employer in the long run. It puts them in a position where they must constantly be offering incentives and bonuses. Financially this isn’t very realistic in the long term for most business owners. It sets a trend of greed and may even work to corrupt the relationships between co-workers which should be harmonious rather than negative.

Motivating with fear is an age old way of running a business. It too is negative and relies on people feeling dependent on keeping their job for fear of being fired, or having their hours cut. The problem with this motivation system is that it begins to show. The work is not done with the enthusiasm of a happy person. Customers pick up on the negative vibe, and on the whole it drags a work place down. There is considerable animosity towards the boss and as word gets around there may be more staff turn-overs and fewer job applicants.

Positive reinforcement is easy. Giving a person a pat on the back is sometimes all it takes. This can be as simple as telling a person when a job was well done, or complimenting them on their choice of shirt (careful not to go into that area sexual harassment). If a customer has called to say a job was well done, pass that along to the employee who helped.

Taking the staff out for dinner is good way to say “Thank-you”.

A simple positive gift that costs very little is to give employees their birthday off with pay. Or give them a gift on their birthday, either a card, or something more like a gift certificate, or actual present. This shows employees that you think about them, it makes them feel like more than a number or a cog in the machine. It makes them feel more human and they will appreciate the gesture.

Of course an employer should not reward bad quality work. If an employee seems to be slipping a good employer would call them aside and make sure everything is okay. Perhaps that person just needs to be noticed. They should not be excused from poor performance, but may just need a pick-me-up, a pat on the back, or may need a few days off if their life if in turmoil as in a family health issue or pressing concern.

Employees what to be treated fairly. Of course many feel better when they have a raise, but then what? Their work declines until they get more money or until they are threatened with termination? An employer is always caught. Granted raises should be given when warranted, but not because it is expected an employee will do better work after getting one.

With positive reinforcement employees come to feel better as humans, they become happy to come to work and happy people are better workers. Happy people feel indebted to their employer more than unhappy ones, especially when they realize that their boss is appreciating their effort.

As an example, years ago dog trainers use to train dogs to sit by pulling up on their necks and pushing down on their bums.  This forced the dog into position but didn’t make them want to please their owner.  New training methods, such as the clicker method, use positive reinforcement to get the desired behavior, and with better results than old methods. 

So, if you are an employer, or even a parent, anyone with people to motivate, try turning on the charm, reward people with verbal praise, pats on the back, and remembering that they are people too, with feelings.