How to Build an Organisational Culture
That Motivates Employees
Motivation is an essential component of employee engagement, employee satisfaction and organisational success. While it is important for employees to be intrinsically motivated, leaders are also responsible for creating a motivational culture where employees are able to contribute their best work. A great company culture equates to happier, more loyal, and more productive employees. Below are four ways you can build an organisational culture that motivates employees.
1.) Promote Professional Development and Training
Employees desire a work environment that is challenging, stimulating and provides the opportunity for development and advancement. They are motivated by the prospect of growth and promotion which is what aids in them being engaged and productive at work. Professional development should be a key component of every organisational structure and plan. Businesses should ensure that they provide not only training to staff but also mentoring, coaching and moral support to enable them to do their jobs as best as possible.
Today, technology has equipped us with easy access to education and professional development through online courses and seminars. Allow employees to enroll in courses that they are interested in – which will help to boost their professional development, providing support as necessary. This applies to local, international and virtual trainings. Building an energised and motivated workforce simply requires changing your traditional command and control structures to a culture that encourages employees to use their own judgment and exercise autonomy.
Another way to boost professional development in the workplace is to rotate leaders or employees into positions where they need to acquire new knowledge to be effective. Encourage your staff to set ‘learning goals’ and help your employees to grow by assigning individual projects that will require them to challenge themselves. The times when we feel the greatest sense of accomplishment are when we have been challenged. An investment in your employees is an investment in your business. By doing this you will build a work environment where people enjoy the work that they do, and a business that customers love to frequent.
2.) Engage Employees in Meaningful Work and Let Them Know They Are Valued
Employees who feel they make a difference, and their job matters, will be more engaged and motivated than those employees who don’t see the value of their contributions or know how their job connects to the bigger picture. It is important to ensure that each employee understands the impact of his/her job on the accomplishment of the company’s vision and goals. Engage employees in work that is innovative and creative and provides a certain level of autonomy. Give team members the opportunity to take the lead on a project or at a meeting. Arrange opportunities for employees to share their new ideas and accomplishments with the entire organization.
It is also very important to establish channels for employee feedback. Your staff want to know that they matter in the company. They want to have a say and they want their voices heard. Engaged employees are motivated by having a voice on how the company is run and how they are managed.
3.) Recognise and Reward Employees For Their Hard work
One of the most vital elements of building a motivational organisational culture is to recognise and reward hardworking employees for accomplishments that support the organisation’s vision, values and goals. Great leaders also encourage peer-to-peer recognition. These rewards and recognition programmes don’t have to be extravagant or even expensive. Here are a few ways you can show employees that you appreciate them and the work that they do:
? Present them with a certificate of recognition or an award
? Send a thoughtful e-mail complimenting the person’s work
? Write a personalized thank you note
? Call them directly and share praise for specific contributions
? Hold a special meeting to recognise top performers
? Provide support and encouragement when team members experience hardships or difficult times
? Provide them with a bonus or time off from work
It is important to note that while there will always be exemplary employees, there will also be underperformers. In the case of the latter, performance management principles would, of course, call for direct supervisor interventions, like coaching. These types of interventions should always be private and discrete. Nothing will kill employee motivation and organisational culture faster than embarrassing an employee in front of co-workers. Getting berated by a manager, whether in public or private, does nothing but instigate fear within staff. This is definitely something to avoid if you wish to build an organisational culture which motivates and empowers employees.
4.) Be Transparent and Stick to Your Core Values
Trust is the foundation of a great company culture. Great employees choose to work for you not for the money but because they trust you and believe in the business’s core values and vision. Employees value companies that not only ‘talk the talk’ but also ‘walk the walk’. Integrity is a great measure of a person’s character, and it is what should define your business as well. One of the best ways for improving workplace culture is to open communication channels to everyone in the company. This promotes a culture of transparency and has a great impact on the business and its employees. If you value transparency, you need to ensure that you have systems in place to help you attain a transparent culture. Same goes with rewarding hard work, teamwork, and being open to feedback.
Written By Sherise Brooks
