Employee Motivation Is Not About Perks Alone

Many organizations (and maybe yours) give employees good perks such as free lunches, paid maternity leaves, unlimited vacation days, etc. Some organizations may go a step further and offer other perks such as stock options, housekeeping services, travel stipends, etc. These perks are great for employee motivation and employee retention. However, these material perks alone are not going to cut it, especially if they lack a personal touch.

A personal touch, a human connection, empathy, however you want to call it, is what motivates employees to continue working for an organization.

If you do not know how to personalize employee perks, then here’s a small primer that can help.

Acknowledge good work with a reward and praise

Maybe your organization gives people a small gift or reward when they work well. But what we have seen at Engagedly is that while rewards are good, words are praise are even better. So for instance, when you congratulate an employee about their good in front of the team or praise them at a meeting, what you are doing is acknowledging their good work. When employees see that you know about their work and care enough to comment about it, it makes them happy. There’s no bigger thrill than being recognized for good work.

Also Read: Employee Rewards And Recognition For An Engaged Workforce

Understand that motivation works differently for everybody and adapt your techniques to suit your employees

Some employees like being praised publicly and some might be mortified at the very thought. As a manager, it is your job to recognize that motivation works differently for different employees. Praise the ones who like public recognition, and quietly congratulate the ones who prefer to stay out of the spotlight. And this is just one way of customizing the way you motivate employees. For instance, some employees might appreciate a day off, as a reward for good work, while others might appreciate a small gift card or coupon.

Employees have a life outside of work, don’t forget that.

It is important to remember that employees have a life outside of work. A few organizations have to recognize that employees are happier and work better when they have absorbing interests outside of work. Imagine giving your employees a travel stipend (like Airbnb does) but not giving them the time to make use of that stipend. Seems counter-productive, doesn’t it? Employee perks are of absolutely no use when they have no way to use them or enjoy them.

Also Read: Club Reviews With Social Recognition To Enhance Engagement

Think of your employees as a long-term investment and nurture them

You cannot motivate employees if you don’t think of them as long-term investments. Perks are not enough for employee motivation, especially if managers/CEOs think that employees are dispensable.

But, when you show employees, you are willing to make a commitment to them, to help them grow as professionals and nurture them, perks don’t become the most attractive thing about the job. They become the icing on the cake.

Employee motivation is not for the benefit of the employee. A good employee motivation strategy also benefits the manager and the organization.

There are no losers here. Only winners.

Engagedly is a performance management application with elements of employee engagement. To know how Engagedly can help you, request a demo today!

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