Real talk, everybody goes through times in their careers and lives when they feel a little (or a lot) demotivated. If you’re lucky, these instances will be few and far between, but some of you might experience this feeling more frequently.
That’s okay. We are human, after all.
It’s one thing if you’re not feeling motivated and need to figure out how to get that back. It’s another thing if you notice your employees lacking motivation and need to work on changing that.
How can you tell when your team is demotivated?
Step one is to build trust within your team. This will help you in so many ways, with a couple of the benefits being deeper relationships and better communication. When trust is present, you can more easily spot when something feels off in your team. You know something feels off, and you’re not quite sure what it is. Run through this list to examine whether the issue is stemming from demotivated employees:
- Lack of punctuality in showing up to work and/or meetings
- Change in mood toward colleagues
- Increased absence from work
- Lack of focus
- Clear disconnect from colleagues
- Inappropriate or negative comments
- Lack of input into team meetings
- Increasing reluctance to take on more responsibility than the ‘bare minimum’
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Okay, so you have decided one or more of your employees are lacking motivation. What now?
Offer them more money? No. Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple…
It’s not impossible to motivate demotivated employees if you try the following tactics:
Ask your team if anything is bothering them
Most people won’t share their annoyances, stressors, or worries unless asked point blank about them. Make your team feel comfortable opening up with you in this way, sharing what’s going on in their head.
Let your team work on pet projects
Not surprisingly, monotony gets boring over time. To minimize the effects of monotony, allow your employees to occasionally step outside their normal task list to work on pet projects. If there are tasks outside their typical realm that might interest them, let them spend a little time on those to break out of their typical cycle.
Communicate what is happening in the company
When there are things happening within the company, head off rumors and gossip by being open and transparent. Share with your team about possible changes, challenges, and opportunities. They will feel more important, valued, and trusted as an employee.
Offer new perks
When we think of perks, many go straight to money and other traditional benefits. It may be time to think outside the box. One example would be to allow your employees more flexibility in their schedules. People who have some power over their time are naturally happier and more productive, so this simple adjustment could quickly bring more motivation within your team.
Recognize your employees’ best efforts
Your team no doubt does great things at work to help further individual and collective goals. Let them know! When employees feel valued, their engagement, motivation, and loyalty will increase as well.
Invest in career development
Most people inherently want to learn, grow, and become their best selves. Provide opportunities for employees to develop professionally AND personally. Showing you care in this way will have great benefits that will appear in your employees’ attitude and well-being.
When you’re dealing with individuals who are no longer motivated, it can feel impossible to bring them back to a place where they once again feel motivated and engaged. Although it might be difficult, don’t let that stop you from trying. Spend some time getting to know your people and then work from there to build motivation!
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If you’re ready to bring back that motivation in your team, chat with a CoreCounts Consultant about the options we have for training!
