Engagement & Motivation

A prime reason for employee unhappiness is that companies do not adhere to a set of standards. Some are too forgiving of employee misconduct, while others are managed by people who themselves overstep boundaries and could care less about rules.

Interesting and challenging work is what drives most managers to go the extra mile, not performance-related pay, cash bonuses or a stake in the business.

There's much discussion these days about passion and purpose in the workplace – and also much confusion. The important thing is the end towards which passion is directed. Because passion isn't always a good thing and it needs purpose to complete the equation.

With the outlook increasingly uncertain, the UK's appalling record on employee engagement could be just the catalyst that tips it into an even deeper economic malaise.

What's the number one complaint employees have when it come to their boss? Year in, year out, the answer stays the same.

The Generation Y of up-and-coming workers are all too readily dismissed as spoilt, demanding slackers. But, as a survey suggests they are in fact just as hard working and hungry to succeed as their parents, is it just generational sour grapes?

Open and honest communication is far more valuable than cash when it comes to keeping staff happy.

Fewer than a quarter of managers mange to create a high-performance culture in their organisation – and four out of 10 actually act as a demotivating influence on their staff.

Everyone possesses motivation – but tapping into it can sometime be a challenge. Here's how to do it.

Everyone possesses motivation – but tapping into it can sometime be a challenge. Here's how to do it.

You can't seem to move on the web at the moment for stories about bad bosses. In fact, bosses appear to be getting worse – or at least, our perception of them is. But why?

Workers in Europe and Asia may have itchier feet than their counterparts in the U.S, but American employers still have plenty to worry about.

We've heard of some downright bizarre initiatives adopted by some companies in an attempt to motivate their staff, but being nailed into a coffin as part of a mock funeral ritual has to take every prize going.

Traditional management theory treats workers like any other input. Get as much out of them as possible and pay them as little as you can get away with. Unfortunately, like so much management theory, it is largely garbage.

I've had the privilege of working in both Europe and in the United States, but clearly my horizons aren't amply expanded because I've yet to come across this during my work experiences.

Managers may weep at office politics, despair at the latest initiative from on high and worry about poor performers. But half have also experienced moments of real clarity about their role and how they are meant to lead.

If you want to find performance in an organization, follow the joy! That's the starting point for Dawna Jones' discussion with Nick Zeniuk, a former Ford executive who is now best known for his work on organizational performance and learning.

When I think of engagement I think of a smiling couple, shiny rings and promises of a bright future together while everyone smiles and thinks "I'll give it three years". Come to think of it, that's not that different from hiring employees.

Ten tips for breaking out of that stale old mindset and seeing your worklife afresh.

As another survey confirms that over a third of the workforce is disengaged, perhaps it's time to look a bit more closely at exactly what this means and what employers can do about it.

Loyalty is something that seems to have been lost in many modern organisations. Corporate decision-makers seem to think that paying people more will gain their loyalty. It does not. All it gains is their compliance.

For Britons and Americans it is all about respect. For Indians and French it is the type of work they are doing. For the Japanese, it is pay. Employee engagement takes many different forms around the world.

Complacent senior management is tearing TJ's company apart, causing an epidemic of demotivation among staff who genuinely want to contribute. Is there any hope, or is their cause hopeless?

It's not just the everyday workers who hate their jobs. Even some of those hoping to be the President of the United States have had their fair share of jobs that they loathed.

Committed and engaged employees will generally have a clear line of sight of where their company is going, something that can only come from good management.

It's little wonder so many British workers are sulky, unproductive and unmotivated when they're pedominantly managed by authoritarian, unimaginative bureaucrats

Grumbles about a lack of work-life balance are often a sign that staff are unhappy about other areas of their job and how they are being managed.

Employers who go out of their way to help their managers communicate better make more money for their shareholders and have a more committed, engaged workforce.

There's nothing worse than working at a job you hate. You need the money, because you have bills to pay, but that means spending most of your time at a place you hate. How do you cope?

Want a bit of respect from your team and fellow managers? Then you need to stop being all friendly and approachable and get out there and knock a few heads together.

The online magazine Slate.com asked America last year for stories about "Corporate Scrooges" in order to create a list of the worst office parties, worst gifts, and worst bonuses the working world had ever seen.

Many organisations are quick to act when things go wrong. But what about when things go well? Given the importance to staff of praise and recognition, why is customer praise not handled with the same energy as customer complaints?

Even organisations that acknowledge the vital role staff play in achieving success are failing to give them sufficient help and support to deliver to their full potential.

With eight out of 10 workers complaining they feel let down by their boss, it's perhaps no wonder that so many managers complain it's lonely at the top.

Jealousy is possibly one of man's basest instincts. In the workplace, however, it could work in your favour - because jealousy cann push you to bigger and better things.

Most workers believe their senior managers are largely a waste of space, doing little to motivate them and failing to help them contribute to the success of their organisations.

Employers complain about not being able to hang on to top-performers, yet most don't make any effort to understand why staff join or leave.

More than a third of U.S. workers don't rate their boss as a leader, with a similar number believing they are not even qualified to do their job.

The employer-employee relationship is a voluntary union that must be based on respect and trust. Which is why the trend for snooping on employees' every move is not just a fundamentally flawed strategy, but suggests that organisations have completely lost the plot when it comes to managing their people.

Few British managers are enlightened enough to encourage an atmosphere where workers feel free to discuss their aspirations.

Company owners and managers often wonder why their employees don't feel the same dedication to the job that they do. The answer is simple. It is because they aren't owners.

Constant pressure to increase efficiency and boost profitability is redefining the nature of work for millions of Americans. But it is also creating a demoralized, disengaged and far less productive workforce.

Here's a subversive thought. Why can't work be fun? Think about it. Let's say you own and operate your own business. You're likely spend up to twelve hours more a week working than the people who work for you. So shouldn't it at least be enjoyable?

If only a third of us are truly loyal to their organizations, what does this tell us about the state of the unspoken contact between employees and employers?

If you are involved in employee communication, how can you ensure that you are able to measure whether your employee communication tools are really measuring employee engagement?

Look around the average workplace and it's a sobering thought that the proportion of employees who are uncommitted and likely to leave within two years outnumbers those who are truly loyal.

What are the best and worst jobs around? Researcher Les Krantz has some views on this he has espoused in a piece for CareerJournal.com - and some of his answers may be a bit surprising.

Do you hate your job? Are you sure? Because there are certain key signs to look for that might indicate how you really feel about it.

So what is Microsoft's secret weapon in the battle to attract the brightest and best minds from across the globe? The answer is cricket.

You might think that standards of manners and behaviour at work are on the decline, but according to a new survey, good manners are critical if you want to move up the career ladder.

American workers have a very simple wish-list. They want to be paid more, they want better healthcare coverage and, above all, they want greater respect from their managers.

Surely everyone knows that productivity is largely affected by the quality of human relationships including cooperative, social group moods and interaction? So why does it take an academic study to remind us?

Forget all the management babble. According to new research, if you really want to create a successful, productive workplace, all you need to do is to build trust, a sense of purpose and strong human relationships.

Most employees enjoy a honeymoon period when they are involved and engaged with their new job. Then the thrill begins to evaporate and the rot sets in. But how can you stop employees disengaging and keep the honeymoon aura alive?

Some employees seem to be working at a steady level of hell that can scarcely be believed. The imaginatively-named website Work or Spoon has been created for these unfortunates.

How far people feel they have control over their own lives is key to many of the most pressing issues facing managers today – particularly those two elephants in the room, workplace stress and employee engagement.

Levels of commitment and employee engagement vary enormously between nations and are closely linked to the overall happiness of a population, new research has found.

In a damning indictment of the quality of British management, a new poll has found that almost half of British workers think their bosses are incompetent, lack confidence and are poor decision makers.

Managers should stop kidding themselves that their pearls of wisdom that make a difference. Because most of us rely on one another, not the boss, to solve problems in the workplace.

There are a lot of things that annoy people in this world. And a brief visit to IReallyHateThat.com reveals complaints about work cascading down the page like a waterfall.