EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION IS DEFINED AS: Employee motivation describes how committed an employee is to their job, how engaged they feel with the company's goals and how empowered they feel in their daily work.
Enthusiasm, energy levels, commitment and creativity are all benefits of highly motivated staff. Employee Benefits, therefore go beyond just keeping employees happy at work and increasing employee morale. Motivated workers also stay focused and work more productively and effectively to meet company goals and ultimately attribute to the success of an organisation. They do this to obtain the rewards and recognition they seek but this increased quality of work and productivity can help a company reduce its costs. Keeping these employees motivated and satisfied with their jobs decreases turnover and the high costs associated with high levels of staff exiting a company.
Motivated employees who feel their ideas and work have meaning are more creative and this insight can help managers improve the company. Motivation is also contagious. If one employee is actively seen to be happy and engaged at work, morale will lift and motivation spreads within the team.
Benefits to your organisations of a motivated workforce
Job Satisfaction
A great employee benefits package shows employees that you care. Benefits such as paid time off, workplace perks, wellness programs, benefit schemes that will save them money and investment in their health & wellbeing will make them feel valued. Employees who are happy in their jobs are loyal to the company and motivated to work well. This in turn will lead to an overall increase in workplace morale with happier and more positive teams likely to be more productive and work well together. Ultimately, increased job satisfaction results in a reduction in turnover.
Work – Life Balance
Harmony between career and personal life has never been more important to employees than it is today. The pandemic with the multiple lockdowns and work from home orders has shown employees that they can be productive whilst having a better balance with flexible or hybrid working arrangements. Employee benefits that improve work-life balance include paid holidays, flexible hours, hybrid working and work from home. These types of benefits can help reduce stress and prevent burnout.
Increased Innovation
A company’s ability to move forward and succeed is down to its ability to innovate, to be creative in problem solving and finding new solutions to achieving success. Nurturing creativity and motivation in your workplace is key. Motivated employees will be heavily invested in the organisation and its success, they will bring the ideas and innovation that will drive a company to success.
Increased Employee Engagement
Employee engagement and motivation are intrinsically linked. Employee benefits highly valued by an employee will increase engagement levels. Research shows that highly engaged teams result in a 21% increase in business profitability. Shouldn’t every company therefore strive to create a space where employees feel happy and engaged?
Increased Productivity
As mentioned in the last point high levels of employee motivation have been proven to have a direct impact on productivity. If an employee is motivated and engaged they are more likely to work harder and more productively.
Higher Retention Rates
Certain criteria must be met in order to retain valued staff. Employees need to find their role interesting and challenging. They need to have development opportunities and have good management. When an employee leaves a job they are generally leaving to find something better, a chance to grow and move forward with their careers. Employees need a reason to be motivated, if they are being given the opportunities to grow and are being rewarded for their hard work they will have less reason to leave.
There is no rule of thumb when it comes to motivating employees, especially today. The pandemic has shown us that we need to challenge normal practice and find new and innovative ways to motivate employees. Managing a remote workforce saw the focus shift to keeping employees motivated. A renewed focus on the range and types of employee benefits being offered may be required to identify the changing hierarchy of needs. What was of paramount importance prior to the pandemic may be very different now. Management will need to review their benefits strategy and find new ways to keep teams motivated.
Speak to a member of our team to find out how you could give your benefits strategy a health check and find out what benefits are proving popular in your industry.
