Do employees really care about their work? A few experiments were carried out to discover what best guarantees employee loyalty and motivation. Many executives want to know how they can get their employees to give their best and even go the extra mile. The first option that easily comes to mind is cash rewards or monetary incentives.
Several methods were tested to see how employees across many organizations would react, and the lasting effect it would have on their productivity especially when it was withdrawn. One of the methods outlined was monetary incentive.
Monetary incentives have momentary impact and afterwards, employees tend to drift back to status quo or seek even bigger offers, hence there is a need for them to be motivated beyond physical influences. There must be something that one can do to unlock auto or self-driven motivation. The most part of this challenge stems from employees not having a purpose that drives their tasks. They need to have a sense of belonging, something deeper that convinces them that they are adding value through their work; this brings fulfillment and ultimately makes them to put in their best without being persuaded.
When employees understand that their role is an intrinsic part of the organization’s overall success, it makes it easier for them to view themselves as part of the big picture. It creates a feeling of relevance, identity and duty. More so, if it is a service oriented company, executives would need to sensitize their employees on the humanitarian aspect of their products and services and how it impacts on consumer’s lives and well-being.
Some companies go as far as offering minute proportions of the organization’s shares to their employees – this creates a consciousness of ownership and eventually results in positive attributes that impact on their delivery and productivity.
Apart from these three strategies mentioned above, other methods like softening stringent company rules was tried. Another was creating a cordial and engaging working environment where regular meetings would be held to get employee opinions and suggestions on better ideas for running the company and making work easier and more enjoyable for them.
More than money, it was discovered that companies who genuinely looked out for welfare of their employees, in the long run, benefited through employee loyalty and increased productivity.
