At work as elsewhere, individuals experience a range of emotions: pride, recognition, frustration and dismay among others. The greater the degree of positive emotion at work, the greater the overall satisfaction. Conversely, often feeling negative emotions, notably towards one’s own company, has devastating effects: decrease in global satisfaction, self-esteem, motivation, etc.
Because motivation is a key aspect of personnel management, motivated, happy employees cost companies a lot less than employees who are not. Motivation generates direct savings: increase in work attendance, better concentration and performance, as well as indirect savings: decrease in absenteeism, greater loyalty to the company, greater retention and enhanced creativity. Employers that can motivate their employees have everything to gain!
Emotions to be avoided at work
Clearly, one cannot feel happy all the time. What’s important is to experience more positive emotions than negative ones and avoid emotions that stifle motivation, such as feeling looked down on or rejected.
Start by observing the overall atmosphere at the office, particularly during “festive” moments. Is it light-hearted and relaxed? Are some people shunted aside? Or heckled like school kids at recess? Ask yourself what role YOU played in the schoolyard.
You are not only entitled to, but SHOULD denounce all forms of psychological violence. If you want your employees to experience positive emotions, sexism, racism and harassment must be banished from speech and behaviour, such that it’s up to you to “rescue” unfair situations.
It should be added that it is essential to clearly communicate expectations regarding the rules to be observed, without having them seem out of line or arbitrary. By creating a sense of fair play in your employees, you will increase their feeling of belonging and regard. Priceless!
Identify stressors
Everything is not based on your own behaviour! You need to keep an eye on all factors that drain motivation:
1. Surroundings: noise, crowding, broken or inadequate material, pollution, smells, unhealthy elements.
2. Group dynamics: Is there a “little boss” who undermines morale and humiliates the more vulnerable? Who are the most influential people? Do they have the appropriate merit and values with respect to creating the most stimulating group dynamics for your employees?
3. Organizational culture: What are your firm’s traditions and values? Do you have any, or you don’t know? This can kill any meaning work has for your employees, along with their sense of belonging, so monitor this carefully!
4. Leadership style: Roosevelt’s secret was to remember the name of each person he met, right down to the garage mechanic. . . It’s easy to be nice to people on whom one depends, but the greater merit lies in behaving like this with everyone. At the other end of the scale, making someone lose face, especially in public, conveys something about you and your values: Do you want to look like a leader who doesn’t care about your employees’ feelings of shame and rejection? Tyrannical bosses and rigid rules stifle creativity and motivation. Employees have a fundamental need for independence in order to find fulfillment in their work.
5. Feedback: If your employees do not know if they meet the expectations and needs of the company, they will naturally slack off, telling themselves that if it doesn’t matter, they might as well spare themselves. It is therefore important to regularly give individual and group feedback. Individual meetings will infuse the employees’ work with meaning, encouraging initiative and creativity. The worst thing for motivation is when employees are very motivated to improve some aspect of their job, and want to work even harder, only to run up against a brick wall. Finally, keep in mind that no feedback is just as bad as negative feedback—both give the impression that doing nothing is less costly! So, just as a bouquet comes with both flowers and thorns, the art of giving criticism involves emphasizing strengths and suggesting possible improvements after having mentioned the weaknesses. The key lies in not attacking the person but focusing on his or her behaviour instead.
Finally, one of the most regrettable killers of motivation is not to leave enough room for humour. Laughing at yourself and others is liberating and releases a great deal of pressure under certain situations. . . Recommended, but only in moderate doses!