Some Examples Around Motivation
Introduction
The top 5 benefits that employees like
i) flexible work schedule (60%)
ii) mental health programs (55%)
iii) remote work options (52%)
iv) extra paid parental leave (50%)
v) wellness programs (48%)
(main source: Robert Half Salary Guide as quoted in AFR, 2023)
Thus,
"...If we are going to continue to be the employee that attracts and retains the best talent at all levels of people's career, we need to change as an organisation to become an environment that people want to thrive in..."
Nick Bangs as quoted by AFR, 2023
Furthermore,
"...One of the best moves companies can make is to stop treating staff like they are a number, but rather a whole person with responsibilities other than closing sale, implementing a project plan or organising a consumer focus group..."
Sally Patten as quoted by AFR, 2023
"...the greatest job ad for any organisation is a highly engage workforce. Prioritising open communications and understanding what existing and future employees value of vital elements to attracting and keeping the best talent..."
Kathleen McCudden as quoted by AFR, 2023
Need to accept the concept
"...We should all work to live rather than living to work..."
Vince Williams as quoted by AFR, 2023
One of the key areas for motivation is offering flexibility, ie
"...articulating a flexible work environment is highly advantageous when attracting talent..."
Kathleen McCudden as quoted by AFR, 2023
Some examples
- working smarter, not longer hours (some examples:
a) a shorter working week, such as 4-day working week (FDW)
Some examples of shorter working week
i) Unilever NZ (FDW)
"...FDW lead to a drop in absenteeism of 34%, energy at work increased by 15%, and work/life conflict falling by 67%..."
AFR, 2023
ii) Adore Beauty Group
"...allow staff to take a three-day weekend every two weeks, a policy that it says has boosted employee engagement to 83%......by offering a regular day off every other week, our team can enjoy more leisure time to spend with family and friends, pursue personal interests or hobbies, or simply recharge their batteries......since its introduction.....staff turnover has dropped significantly..."
Tamalin Morton as quoted by AFR, 2023
iii) Tungsten Structure (working a FDW has resulted
"...the average stress score has fallen to 6.4 points from 8.67......job satisfaction rose to 9.87 points from 9.13. Productivity also lifted 152%......50% increase in the length of their weekends, which corresponds to the 20% reduction in the length of their working weeks....It's important to give our minds and bodies a chance to recuperate fully during an extended weekly break between intense efforts......since their salaries remain the same, the policy represented an immediate 25% increase in their effective hourly pay.....for their customers, it means that the team delivers projects up to 45% faster than their competitors......with lower risk of human error..."
Vince Williams as quoted by AFR, 2023)
iv) Equality Media
Remember: the 40 hour (5 day) work week was introduced when there was generally only one household member working, usually male and the female looked after the family. With the advent of the knowledge worker and more females in the workforce, situation is different.
b) focus zone refers to setting times or day(s) when people work without interruption or distractions, ie no meetings, not responding to phone calls, text messages, e-mails, etc
c) automate the more repetitive tasks, etc
d) shorter and fewer meetings (limit the length and frequency of meetings, etc) (for more details, see elsewhere in the Knowledge Base)
e) meetings while walking and/or phone calls (ways to reduce screen time and encourage exercise)
- offer leave in addition to annual leave (such as paid parental (maternity and paternity) leave for both carers, etc); big life events leave; paid volunteer leave, etc; leave around IVF, adoption, surrogacy, etc; leave for cultural or religious reasons; leave for reflection, such as sabbaticals, etc; leave for family reasons like child birth, family violence, miscarriage, death, sickness, etc.
"...the constant feedback from people when they return from parental leave is that being able to spend quality time with the new family member is life changing..."
Angus McPherson as quoted by AFR, 2023)
- allows flexibility in where and how you work (such as work hours, where work, eg office or remotely, etc so that people are successful wherever they work; 'work-from-anywhere' policy that can
"...help staff fit in personal and family commitments, such as picking up kids from school..."
Anne Jamieson as quoted by AFR, 2023)
- encourage diversity (especially in experience, background, expertise, thoughts, etc; use the
"...de-biases application process by removing any identifying information from the candidate. The software biases scrubs off the name, ethnicity and career experience of each candidate. It is amazing what happens when you simply focus on identifying the best person for job and remove the noise that leads to biased and gut decisions - diversity comes out as a natural outcome..."
Carlene Kemp as quoted by AFR, 2023)
- encourage inclusivity (especially on race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, age, disability, minority groups, etc; use the 'debiases' job application' - see above)
- promote holistic well-being (whole-of-person approach; including handling and training in mental and physical health issues,
"...introduce health checks, vaccinations and mental health and well-being training..."
Karen Hood as quoted by AFR, 2023
Other examples include menstruation and menopause policy
"...really supports those staff who suffer from the symptoms and impacts of menstruation and menopause and gives them a little bit more flexibility......when they need to rest and recover..."
Matt Genever as quoted by AFR, 2023
Need to implement solid systems to back up the holistic approach
Reward and support workforce to live their best lives inside and outside of work.
Organisations need to invest in in their staff around personal health and well-being alongside career aspirations.
"...work is a fundamental part of our well-being. it's an incredibly important gift, it's not just somewhere you go to get a pay cheque..."
Tim Morphy as quoted by AFR, 2023
"...if the workplace is not functioning effectively, it can have a very negative impact on well-being. But by the same token, when you get it right and understand work as a holistic path of somebody's life, it can be key to their overall well-being..."
Tim Morphy as quoted by AFR, 2023
Need to be careful of fatigue, stress and burn out as shown by people taking more sick leave, productivity falling, energy levels decreasing, etc. This can be most obvious in organisations that have a culture of
"...high performing, competitive, productive and perfectionist teams......being people pleasers, they felt they had to be available to our customers every waking hour..."
Vince Williams as quoted by AFR, 2023
(for more details, see elsewhere in the Knowledge Base)
- encourage fun at work
"...we truly believe that fun is one of the biggest things that people can embrace..."
Michael Schreiber as quoted by AFR, 2023)
- encourage continual, 2-way feedback between staff and their managers (
"...this fosters a culture of openness and continuous improvement and ultimately leads to higher engagement and a better manager. When managers request feedback from employees, they demonstrate humility and a genuine interest in their teams perspectives which can lead to increased trust and psychological safety......this feedback loop can unveil blindspots or areas for improvement of managers may have overlooked..."
AFR, 2023)
- regular meetings (formal and informal) with senior management (such as regular staff forums that allow employees to ask questions of senior management on any topic, either anonymously or directly, ie no question is off-limit; each question to be answered honestly and transparently). While informal meetings can include lunches with the bosses, social occasions, etc
"...it's the transparency around the performance of the company, our successes and failures, and the plan for the future, as well as assess the CEO, that people seem to appreciate the most..."
Patrick Coghlan as quoted by AFR, 2023)
- be transparent (sharing of information, ie move away from sharing based on 'need-to-know or not at all' to everyone having access to information like financials, strategies, etc; encourage an owner's mindset. this has allowed staff to
"...understand every aspect of what affects their role and every aspect of what affects the company's growth and trajectory..."
Alex Zaccaria as quoted by AFR, 2023)
- encourage to challenge the status quo (have a curious mind, ie not satisfied with the status quo; staff feel confident in being able to express their point of view, even when it contradicts the organisation's approach; practice psychological safety - for more details see elsewhere in the Knowledge Base)
Encourage creativity and innovation to challenge the status quo)
- willing to collaborate with a range of stakeholders (encourage outsiders' perspectives, ie different points of view; 'cover each other's backs')
- merit-based promotion (promotion based on performance, not on 'who you know', etc)
- recruitment and selection based on people who matched the organisation's values and share its purpose (personal values of staff are aligned with organisational values, purpose, strategies, etc
"...attracts a lot of like-minded people into the organisation who have a shared vision of that purpose.....we know that purpose-led organisations attract great people and the benefit from that..."
Matt Genever as quoted by AFR, 2023
Committed to putting the purpose into action.
"...a laser-like focus on organisational purpose helps create a great place to work......being a purpose-driven enables us to be very focused in what we do...... people understand it, they can live it. Everything we do, we ask ourselves 'is that helping the purpose?..."
Tim Morphy as quoted by AFR, 2023
Staff selection preference should be based on right mindset and attitude rather than just skills, expertise, experience, etc)
- work/life balance (
"...lines between employees work and personal lives continue to blur......need to understand the impact of macro and micro economic factors, such as cost of living pressure..."
Melissa Morrison as quoted by AFR, 2023
There can be differences between genders on this work/life balance. For women, higher value is placed on work-life balance then compensation when compared with men; more women want the ability to work part-time, ie prioritise flexible work hours, and having additional leave is important)
- leading more with the heart/gut than the head (
"...they expect leaders to empathise and show humanity in the workplace......leaders are becoming more sophisticated in their approach towards virtue signalling, learning how to balance public statements with more discrete matters to build awareness and support for issues internally..."
Sarah Bagshawe as quoted by AFR, 2023
Senior managers need to
"...proactively communicating well and often about the business status and future plans providing clarity and builds credibility and trust with the employees..."
Kathleen McCudden as quoted by AFR, 2023
Senior management needs to be visible and accessible.
The gut refers to your intuition.
(for more detail, see elsewhere in the Knowledge Base)
- expectations that organisations take a stand on public issues (issues like climate change, environmental issues, community/societal issues, Indigenous rights, gender issues, human rights, etc)
- linked with iconic status (working for an organisation that is the leader in its field; has legendary status, etc around technology, inventions, staff, performance, products and services, etc)
- salary and compensation (attractive, fair pay and renumeration are important
"...paying existing staff competitively is also crucial for engagement and retention..."
Kathleen McCudden as quoted by AFR, 2023
Need to ensure that there is no gender pay gaps, ie everybody is paid commensurate with their skills and experience.
For men salary and compensation are important; less so for women.
Extra compensation can include
a) paid parental leave (for both parents, ie primary and secondary carer)
b) cash benefit to spend on family; community; health or personal development; professional, training development
c) concessional loans (houses, vehicles, etc)
d) bonuses based on performance
e) part-ownership of the business, ie staff share schemes, etc (more than just employees)
f) discounts on products and/or services
g) free access to medical health professionals and others like counsellors, psychologists, coaches, mentors
h) additional superannuation payments while on additional leave to annual leave; that is most beneficial to females, ie maternity leave
i) finance for emergencies/unexpected hardships like medical bills, car repairs, emergency accommodation, cost of living pressures, etc.
NB These can be classified under 4 pillars:
"...wellness, growth (both personal and professional), lifestyle and impact (such as donations or volunteer work)..."
Alex Zaccaria as quoted by AFR, 2023)
- career development (increase staff autonomy in decision-making; building skill levels, like in communications, influence, personal brand, self-leadership, emotional intelligence, etc; rewarding loyalty and dedication; learning from mistakes and failures rather than punishing them; involves networking and referrals, ie allow people to grow their networks, etc
"...employees tend to refer their friends and professional network for jobs more often when they enjoy their work environment and feel confident about the organisation's vision..."
Kathleen McCudden as quoted by AFR, 2023
"...confidence in future success of an organisation is also one of a key driver of employee engagement and retention..."
Kathleen McCudden as quoted by AFR, 2023
NB "...It is easier to foster a positive work environment during good times. It's far more difficult when things are challenging..."
Kathleen McCudden as quoted by AFR, 2023
Involved in career development is knowing that you are making a difference.
Realise that everyone is unique and different, istaff rather than hiring new ones as this sends a very powerful message to current staff, ie it demonstrates a belief in thee no one size fits all and encourage individuality; regularly checks or surveys on your staff to determine their needs and wants.
"...The frequencies of these checks allows us to be nimble and adapt approach is based on current sentiment..."
AFR 2023
Need to make sure that staff have the tools and experiences to do their best work; this involves management sitting back, listening and having trust.
NB It can be more effective to prioritise investment in existing ir abilities.
An interesting approach to career development is called the 3-dimensional approach, ie vertical, horizontal and diagonal:
a) vertical (is the traditional way where people move up the organisational ladder and ultimately into leadership positions)
b) horizontal (allows staff to transfer to other teams or specialties)
c) diagonal (allows them to stay where they are, but gain a more skills and/or specialise)
Generally, people get bored unless they feel they are growing.)
- be customer focus (hold a sense of service; understand your customer base
"...Being able to relate to customers' situations, needs and wants is imperative not only to survive, but to thrive..."
Jessica Lantieri as quoted by AFR, 2023)
(for more detail, see elsewhere in the Knowledge Base)
- more friendly workplace environment (eg, family friendly; allow pets; more collaborative spaces, ie meeting facilities, etc; become environmentally friendly; provide gyms, daycare centres, meditation space, etc; in-house restaurant, cafes, bar, etc; casual dress days; tech free zones; sharing facilities like offices, desks, etc)
- handling redundancies (the way redundancies are handled can impact morale and future growth; one organisation (Linktree) handles them by
"...Staff who were made redundant receive an average payout of 11 weeks, accelerated vesting of their options, three months of mental health support, and all their laptops and work from home equipment was gifted to them......provided outplacement support for those who opted in, and dedicated its talent acquisition team to finding them a new roles.in the two months following the layoffs. CEO held AMAs (ask me anything) sessions with the staff and opened up his calendar for one on one meetings to make sure employees had all the information they need..."
Alex Zaccaria as quoted by AFR, 2023)
Summary
"...it's a simple concept - how business thrives when our people thrive......by making the workplace a better place, a more enjoyable place to work and a fairer place to work, that then helps our people do their greatest work. It's also the right thing to do......the key point is that if you support your workforce, you have engaged workforce, and you are able to deliver great results..."
Angus McPherson s quoted by AFR, 2023
The approach should be
"...much broader than where you work. It's very much about how you work out. How you set yourself up for success......don't mandate how many days a week staff need to come into the office. It's more a framework......for staff to think about the activities they are doing, think about where they need to come together as groups and how to be their most productive and useful selves..."
Matt Genever as quoted by AFR, 2023
Need to think beyond following the trends and realise the very specific needs of your own workforce so that each individual feels valued and empowered to make an impact; develop a strong sense of belonging; need to individualise benefits as everyone is different and unique; don't aim for sameness; avoid 'one-size-fits all' or 'cookie-cutter' approach.
If people feel empowered, healthy and motivated plus are seen and heard, performance will improve.
NB "...workers will punish organisations for a poor culture - by leaving..."
Jessica Lantieri as quoted by AFR, 2023
Need to continually listen to your staff and adapt your engagement priorities as the environment changes
"...continuously monitor the engagement, emotional connection, physical energy and mental acuity of your people......listen, learn, react, and manage the needs of your people.....in real time..."
Jessica Lantieri as quoted by AFR, 2023
Relationships is everything; greater staff retention means building stronger and longer relationships with key stakeholders, ie have a deeper understanding of stakeholders' needs and wants; able to form partnerships with stakeholders.
"...always working to stay flexible, collaborative, constructive and empowering in our every day. We teach our leaders to walk the talk, coach, rather than micromanage, so that we can higher great people who believe in our purpose..... It's our leaders job to give our people the tools and guide rails to succeed, support their first-floor innovation, and watch their careers fly..."
Karen Hood as quoted by AFR, 2023
Workplace cultures are forever evolving as the operating environment and stakeholders' needs are continually changing.
The pandemic encouraged a rethink of workplace norms
"...the pandemic was isolating our team from society, affecting their mental health, stress levels and overall happiness at work and at home..."
Angus McPherson as quoted by AFR 2023
Remember
"...Enticing employees benefits are just one component in building a great workplace culture. Employee satisfaction also comes from the type of task being performed and how it is being rewarded, as well. As from supportive managers, a safe environment and cohesiveness in the workplace..."
James Kelly as quoted by AFR 2023