Others drag themselves to work with difficulty and are also too tired for other things. An important cause for this is often a lack of motivation: satisfaction is no longer taken out of work and the progress towards work is getting harder every day. In recent years it has become increasingly clear that a lack of motivation is the cause of burnout complaints. To prevent this, it is important that sufficient attention is paid to motivation in the workplace.
Definition of motivation
Motivation refers to what drives an individual to a certain behavior. The concept of motivation can be distinguished into intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
Intrinsic motivation
People who are intrinsically motivated do something because they want it themselves. They like the work and do it with pleasure. Motivation is fed here from within.
Extrinsic motivation
With extrinsic motivation, having to be central. They do something and receive a reward such as a salary. So the incentive to do something comes from outside, from external factors.
How can you recognize motivation
As a supervisor you cannot escape to immerse yourself in the motivation of your employees. On the outside you can clearly see from the outside whether someone is motivated by a task. It is therefore usually not difficult to recognize whether someone has a motivation problem. On the other hand, it is more difficult to find out what is going on inside someone and to discover what makes him so passionate or listless. There are a number of characteristics that you can recognize a motivated or unmotivated employee.
Motivated and unmotivated employee:
• Radiates energy Radiates listlessness
• Comes up with ideas Is often negative
• Inspires colleagues. Much criticism
• Works purposefully Is much distracted
• Is little ill Is often absent
Motivation in the workplace
What exactly motivates people, what are their reasons for doing the job well and how can they be encouraged to perform even better? The Maslow pyramid is ideal for answering these questions. The Maslow pyramid is a model containing five levels of needs that people have. The basic premise here is that people always strive to satisfy their needs and that people only meet a need at a higher level when it is met at a lower level. In other words, the lower needs are a condition for the higher needs. This applies to both social and labor level. With regard to the latter, it is therefore important that the organization first meets the basic needs: the physical need and the need for security and safety. This is because they are the condition for motivation and for delivering better performance. If these basic conditions are not met, it has a demotivating effect. A classic example of this is that in organizations where salaries are not paid on time, there is unrest and grumbling. The absence of the basic need for “salary” in this case causes demotivation. The table below shows the Maslow pyramid with a representation of the five needs levels.
Needs
5. Self-development
On a social level: Development, your growth, creativity.
At workt level: Growth opportunities, training and education, career, career guidance.
4. Need for appreciation and recognition
On a social level: Respect for yourself and receive from others, talent, status, success.
At work level: Important work, job level, privileges, promotion, rewards.
3. Need for social contact
On a social level: togetherness, contact friendship, relationship, attention, involvement.
At workt level: collegiality, staff meetings.
2. Need for safety and security
On a social level: No danger or threat, protection, safety, stability.
At workt level: An employment contract / permanent appointment, social insurance, pension
1. Physical needs
On a social level: What you need to stay alive: food, drink, shelter.
At workt level:: Salary that men receive in exchange for playing a certain task.
Tips to motivate your staff
Motivated employees are the best employees! Below are five tips to motivate your staff to perform well, namely:
• Give compliments
• Ensure good working conditions
• Communicate with your staff and involve them in decisions
• Stimulate creativity and offer career opportunities
• Celebrate the successes