Engagement & Motivation

Non-existent bonuses, fewer promotions, mass redundancies and stringent budget-cuts. In times of austerity, what really incentivizes employees to get out of bed in the morning?

Is your business remarkable? But what does that actually mean? What makes a business remarkable? In simple terms, you could say it's anything that gets people talking about it. And that means being dramatically and demonstrably different from your competitors.

Almost three out of 10 employees actively distrust the senior leaders in their organisation, a new survey has found, with serious consequences for staff retention, employee well-being and organisational performance.

Flow is about achieving a state of focused high-performance and enjoyment where the challenge level is a match for skill level. Athletes call this place 'the zone', but it's something that you can achieve at work, too.

There are seven key elements that contribute to the engagement, commitment, retention and overall satisfaction of employees. There's no mystery to any of them - in fact they can be achieved with little or no expense while delivering real improvements in operational performance.

Many CEO are quick to trumpet the values of their organization and how these values inspire and motivate their workforce. But according to a new report, in the vast majority of American organizations it isn't values that drive employee behaviour, it's fear.

A hiring freeze is one thing. But cost-saving can quickly become counter-productive. And austerity measures like removing pot plants and rationing paper are only undermining morale and boosting negativity.

Rudeness is infectious, a new study has found. In fact, the stress created by rudeness at work can be so intense that it is taken home by the worker, impacting the well-being of the their family and partner who in turn "export" the stress to their own workplaces.

It's hardly surprising that levels of employee engagement are at an all-time low when so many of us are essentially modern-day serfs. A large part of the value that we create at work simply feeds the greed of the people at the top. And where's the meaning in that?

Motivation is fire lit from within. You can't light that fire, but you can create the conditions for that fire to burn brightly. But when you're faced with a workforce whose fire has gone out, what do you do? Here's my advice to someone in just that situation.

If you want to deliver a great customer experience you must first create an engaging employee experience. And what what motivates employees is feeling connected to the brand promise.

Many generations have said "today's young people only think of themselves," but this time around it may be true. So is "Generation Me" a real phenomenon – and if it is, what are the implications for business and society?

We hear all the time about employee engagement and how it's measured (or not). But finally, I've found a simple metric that reveals what employers and employees alike really need to know.

A new study has confirmed that workers who feel empowered by their employers have higher morale and are more productive, regardless of their industry, job role or even their culture.

It's a sad, but not particularly surprising fact that the way many organisations have reacted to the recession has made their employees less likely to be proactive or creative or to 'go the extra mile'.

Every organisation faces the challenge of bringing on board and developing raw talent. So as far as project managers are concerned, what are the keys to a successful induction?

If you don't want to see your firm being slammed by an unhappy employee on Facebook, ask yourself whether you have a culture of recognition within your company. Because such comments invariably stem from someone's lack of trust in their employer. And that comes down to poor management and leadership.

If a business is really serious about being environmentally responsible, it has to taking the environment out of the environmental manager's office and embed it in the DNA of the organisation – and that includes the HR department.

American employers are underwhelmed by the professionalism and attitude of young workers, with almost four out of 10 respondents to a new survey complaining that less than half of all new graduates exhibited professionalism in the workplace.

The idea that overqualified workers are easily bored and prone to quit is a myth, a new study has suggested. Instead, intelligent workers can be of enormous benefit to companies.

The vast majority of senior executives admit that employee disengagement is one of the biggest threats facing their business. But despite this, the issue is rarely discussed at board level.

The first thing Clive Palmer did when he bought a loss-making Australian nickel refinery in July 2009 was to raise the of pay of its employees and then ask them how to run the business. The results have been impressive – and so too Clive Palmer's generosity in return.

Connie manages two other people, one of whom is distracted, unproductive and unfocused - and she's had little success in trying to change this behavior. Dan Bobinski maps out a management strategy with a better chnace of success.

The Great Recession has prompted a growing number of Americans to question whether the sacrifices they have made name of work are really worth it, a new study suggests.

As companies emerge from the recession, how they handle key workforce, leadership and performance issues will be critical in determining their success - or otherwise - over the coming years.

Is your work exciting? If so, you're much more likely to be motivated. But can a business case be made for 'exciting work' and what can managers do to improve productivity and make the work of their teams more engaging?

New research has found that employees whose organisations responded to the recession by slashing jobs and closing offices have far lower levels of trust in their CEOs than those whose employers took a more measured approach.

All actions and attitudes displayed by managers have ripple effects. We can choose to value and build up our team members, or we can look for ways to elevate our own stature. Do you know which category you fall into?

With a third of Americans saying they plan to look for a new job when the opportunity arises, many organizations face a big challenge if they are going to rebuild trust with their workforce and retain key staff.

Just think what your workplace might look like if some of the disengaged majority began to feel greater fulfillment in their work and just a fraction of that untapped potential could be unleashed.

Traditionally, executives climbed the ladder by being decisive and by appearing to know what they are talking about, not by listening to others and being great facilitators. This is why real employee engagement can be so difficult to achieve.

More and more business leaders who have survived the recession and are rebuilding their organisations are coming to realise that their business models must be overhauled and that the old ways of improving performance and managing change will no longer work.

The rules of work are changing. Commitment, hard work and loyalty counted for little during the tough times. As a result, people are reviewing their loyalties. They want work that is on their terms. And that poses some real challenges for those who those who manage and lead businesses.

A private school in the western Indian state of Gujarat has made pupils walk over burning coals and broken glass in a test designed to boost their confidence. Could this give manaement trainers some food for thought?

Elizabeth has recently been promoted to manageress of two busy shops. But her efforts to make the job a success are being undermined by the attitudes of her two staff members who are not willing to pull their weight. Charles Helliwell rides to the rescue.

Many large businesses have built their workforce development plans on the creation of a corporate elite who are fast-tracked into becoming the leaders of the future. But could this model of talent management be seriously flawed?

A common complaint these days is that new entrants into the workforce don't want to put any effort into learning new skills. Nonsense. The real problem is that mangers are unable to tap into their obvious and zealous work ethic.

Forget career progression and job satisfaction. For a workforce battered by recession, the new reality is one of reduced expectations, increased anxiety and a desire for job security and stability above all else.

As we slowly begin to emerge from recession, a mass of disgruntled, unmotivated and disengaged workers will be trying to change jobs. But will this represent a threat to organizations or an opportunity?

Engagement and retention need to go back to the top of the agenda if organisations don't want to suffer a mass exodus of talent once confidence starts to return to the jobs' market.

A couple of weeks ago, Wayne Turmel spoke to Joyce Gioia, President of The Herman Group, for our last podcast of 2009, about the ways your organization can become an employer of choice in 21010 – and why, despite the recession, this matters. Knowing just how quickly most New Year's resolutions get forgotten, here's a reminder of her salient points.

Tammy Erickson is an author and expert on organizations and the changing workforce and, in particular, the generational differences between workers today. She spoke to Des Dearlove about the best ways to unite generations into a productive workforce.

It's often said that money doesn't bring happiness. But the truth could be more complicated, according to researchers at University of Toronto and Stanford University.

Since the recession began, many organizations have had to cut costs, lose staff and demand more from their remaining employees. But this can lead to negative energy and a loss of goodwill. So how do you keep your employees on board for the road to recovery?

How do organizations boost the performance of employees when times are so tough? Stuart Crainer hears from Sylvia Ann Hewlett that ignoring your best people leads to the evaporation of loyalty and trust as alienation and disengagement sets in.

Trust is an essential requirement of effective leaders. Without trust, leaders have no followers. And if they want to build trust, leaders need to understand that trust as driven more by aligned commitment and shared responsibility than by an assessment of individual capabilities.

The reason employees become disengaged is because management takes the lion's share of ownership. So if you want to build real employee engagement, relinquish your monopoly on leadership, change the way you view employees and push ownership down throughout the organization.

With new research highlighting a sharp decline in employee commitment - particularly among top performers - isn't it time organisations stopped cost-cutting and lay-offs and started to plan for the future?

The real toll of the recession is its impact on everyday people. Smart managers know that creating a climate of fear isn't going to help. Instead, they need to focus on the right things that together create a more motivating work environment for their employees.

How do you inspire confidence and innovation in an organization whose employees are worried sick about their jobs? The answer isn't that complicated – and it doesn't involve employee engagement surveys.

For all the talk about its importance, the vast majority of organisations simply don't take employee engagement seriously. And they never will until those who run these organisations acknowledge that every employee is a potential asset, not a liability.

Job cuts, endemic uncertainty, too much change too quickly – it's little wonder that so many people feel pretty alienated from their organisations at the moment. So here's some very sound advice from consultants Watson Wyatt about the steps you can take to reconnect employees.

Companies looking for a novel way to boost employee morale and engagement are turning to corporate vegetable gardens as the latest tool in the battle to win hearts and minds.

Employee engagement could be improved by cutting back on military-style management layers and improving workplace democracy, a Welsh academic claims.

Despite what bankers continue to claim, money buys neither happiness nor loyal employees. So throwing good money after bad isn't a long-term solution for employees suffering from occasional feelings of low job satisfaction. There are lots of tools in the box – tools like pamper power.

Getting your employees to focus at least once a day on an element of their job the previous day that went well could boost happiness across your company, according to a UK academic.

While many companies concentrate on physical employment contracts during a downturn, the psychological contract often gets overlooked. Dr Graham Dietz of Durham Business School warns against this and offers advice on ensuring your company's contract remains in good health.

Can you put a cost on bad manners? Does politeness pay? According to a US business school professor, the answer is an emphatic "yes" – in fact the cost of bad behaviour can run into millions.

Belief is a powerful thing. People who look at a challenge and say "I can't" have already determined their outcome without even an ounce of effort. That's why it is so important that managers engage team members by communicating belief in their abilities.

If an organization really wants to attract and retain the best and brightest, a good place to start is by painting a vision. I don't mean some tired mission statement, I mean something with depth, something so compelling that the average working professional wants to be part of it.