How To Motivate Employees: The Importance Of Smart Management Strategies For Productivity, Retention And Growth

How to motivate employees? This is a central problem that preoccupies the minds of business managers around the world, across generations. Human beings cannot thrive at work without motivation. In an office, it gives employees energy to complete tasks, meet goals and explore the full potential of their professional capabilities. In this blog post, we will explain how to use employee engagement to increase motivation levels among your workforce.

The Link Between Employee Engagement And Motivation Levels

Implementing strategies on how to motivate employees should be a priority for managers seeking to achieve their origanisation’s short-term and long-term goals. Employee engagement can play a decisive role here.

Performance at work largely depends on employee engagement – the strength of the mental and emotional connection that employees feel towards the work they do. Gallup's '10^th Employee Engagement Meta-Analysis' from 2020, based on data from 96 countries, found a definite upward graph between employee engagement and performance outcomes, such as retention, productivity, safety, and profitability. 

While disengaged, employees can severely hamper business growth. Gallup's 'State Of The Global Workplace 2022' report estimates that low employee engagement costs the global economy US$ 7.8 trillion.

More concerning from an Indian perspective are the employee engagement levels in South Asia – at 11 percent, the region had the lowest percentage of employees who are thriving or actively engaged. There is a silver lining – competent managers can influence employee engagement by a whopping 70 percent. 

How Can You Use Employee Engagement To Increase Motivation Levels?

'What motivates me need not motivate you. The common error that leaders and organisations make is to assume that everyone is motivated by the same thing', explains Faridun Dotiwala, partner and leader of talent management in Asia for McKinsey. 

It makes sense – perhaps there is no singular answer to the question of how to motivate Indian employees. Managers may have to consider multiple parameters to decipher what individually and collectively motivates their team members. 

Evidence shows that managers need to play a far more active role in motivating Indian employees. A study by Indeed reveals that 23 percent of Indian employees resort to quiet quitting due to a perceived lack of support they get from their managers or bosses. 

A McKinsey's 2022 global report identifies three core areas – social, work, and organisation – that impact employee engagement. 

1. Social engagement

This can be further split into two basic halves – communication and feedback. Even in the best workplaces, one often gets ignores, and usually that is feedback.

Communication, trust, and belonging

Human beings are inherently social beings. Connection with each other is what universally motivates all of us in every sphere of our lives, including our workplace.

Indeed's survey on diversity, inclusion, and belonging at Indian workplaces published last year confirms this sentiment. It reports that 73 percent of Indian employees expressed their desire to work at organisations that actively prioritise diversity, inclusion and belonging. 

Only if your managers use clear communication and remain respectful with their team members, employees will feel that they are cared for and trusted for the work they do. 

Feedback and appreciation

The era of annual reviews is long gone. Now, employees want to engage in everyday conversations for feedback.

Gallup's fifty years of research on global employee engagement found that employees who receive daily feedback from their manager are 3x more likely to be engaged than those who receive feedback once a year or less. 

2. Work engagement

The dreams and aspirations of individuals has undergone a drastic change in the last few decades. They expect more from a workplace, be it in terms of growth potential, or work-life balance.

Work-life balance and flexibility

Today’s employees choose life over jobs. This means that their job must provide flexibility and integrate with the kind of life they would like to lead, not vice-versa. 

Randstad’s2021 Global Report on employer branding found that work-life balance trumped attractive salary as the top driver for Indian jobseekers. 

The option for a hybrid work model has also become a decisive factor in the Indian job market. The Business Standard reported that 9 out of 10 (92 percent) Indian employees believe that a hybrid work environment improves work-life balance.

More than 7 out of 10 (72 percent) Indian employees believe that hybrid work model is more productive for them. And Indian employers seem to agree, with 88 percent saying hybrid work has led to an increase in employee retention. 

Growth and incentives 

The new generation of employees no longer wants to work for a company, but with a company. They want their employers to invest in their skill growth and financial well-being. 

PwC's global report on Millennials at the workplace indicate that workers from this generation constitute 50 percent of the workforce in India. The top priorities for these younger workers are opportunities for career progression, excellent training and development programmes, along with other salary and benefits.

It seems that they are less impressed by traditional concepts of prestige in an established employer brand or name. These factors occupied the bottom rung of priorities for Millennial jobseekers in India.  

3. Organisation engagement

With information technology assuming greater significance in the modern workplace, it has the potential to wield an extraordinary influence on employee engagement levels.

Efficient and frictionless technology

Over a third (39 percent) of Indian employees from this People Matters report believe that their company lacks a true technology strategy to support growth. An overwhelming 70 percent of these employees said new technologies were essential to promote efficiency. 

Human-centred design

COVID-19 turned the spotlight on employee well-being, highlighting a need for a human-centred design approach in workplaces. 

'Workplaces are now being designed around social interaction, collaboration, and relationship building. There is an increasing trend of bringing the outdoors into the workplace', says Titir Dey, managing director of Space Matrix; an award-winning interior design firm. 

Purpose

Purpose is a magnet for motivation. McKinsey's research indicates that 82 percent of employees believe it is important for their company to have a purpose, whereas more than two-thirds say their sense of purpose is defined by their work. 

A coherent and purpose-driven Environmental, Social, and Governance policy is essential to instil a sense of purpose among employees. It will provide the baseline for any strategies involving meaningful employee engagement with customers and the wider community.

Managers Can Make All The Difference In Employee Motivation

Employee engagement may seem like a daunting task for your managers that needs continuous regulation. Though ultimately it can be made simple – your managers need only to connect with the heart of their employees.  

In a 2015 interview with Workforce Magazine, Psychologist William Kahn, who coined the term employee engagement, summarised how managers could apply his theory: 

'Approach employees as true partners, involving them in continuous dialogues and processes about how to design and alter their roles, tasks and working relationships – which means that leaders need to make it safe enough for employees to speak openly about their experiences at work'.