Why Employee Motivation Sometimes Plummets
Employees are the greatest asset in the organization because they configure resources and markets. Through their innovation new products and services are produced and marketed. Also employees are the ones who serve customers. Staff Motivation is critical because it increases productivity and innovation. In additions highly motivated employees are happier, less prone to sickness and they require minimum supervision. Endeavors are won or lost in organizations simply by how motivated their employees are. No matter how much you encourage or even threaten anyone, objectives, if your employees are demotivated you have very little chance to succeed. Many human resource managers and practitioners concur that committed, self motivated and consistently outstanding performers are lacking in most organizations. Why is that so?
Poorly Crafted Vision, Mission and Objectives
One major source of demotivation is a poorly crafted reason of existence in the company. If the vision and mission are blurred then its hard to rally behind them. Also if the objectives are inappropriate in terms of measurability, timing and environmental fit no one can sleep thinking about them. Objectives must be clear, well-timed and achievable. Its an insult for a high achiever to given impossible targets because he/she would not even attempt them.
Performance not Measured Properly
There are organizations that do not measure performance. Some do so but the targets are too historical and irrelevant. Some targets have nothing to do with the mission of current objectives. They were just put to add some numbers. If you achieve all those objectives there is very little movement in financial outcomes or customer experience. When compay outcomes don't change most staff are frustrated. its difficult to reconcile hard work and bad outcomes
Inequitable Reward System
Research has many times confirmed that employees are rational beings, who desire equity and justice
in the market place. Rewarding non performers at the expense of high producers is the worst sin. The minimum you can do is reward employees equally. The best is to ensure those who put the extra time, extra innovation and exra work resulting in good company outcomes are rewarded more. Behaviour that is rewarded will be repeated so if ypou reward underperformance you will get more of it. If high performance is rearded you are most likely to get better relsuts
Unfair labour practices
Staff motivations drops the lowest if the work environment is toxic. In most cares one form of discrimination is present. Someone is being overlooked on promotion or remuneration just because of ethnicity, religion, gender etc etc. The term "equal opportunity employer" is suspicious on company advertising materials. Let others speak for you. Sometimes there are overbearing supervisors and managers who believe in "driving staff" instead of coaching, teaching and delegating work. Once there is unfairness in the workplace its hard to solicit employee buying.
Not Meeting Promises
Some cases have also been recorded of employers who do not meet promises. They seem to forget that a verbal contract is still a legal contract. Some manufacturing companies in Zimbabwe have promised significant motivational bonuses in cash and kind, but once the employees achieved the targets they shifted the goal posts without any just reason. This takes away trust and employee commitment is compromised. In African traditions, a father should not lie. If he had promised to kill a beast if you did something good, and in the kraal there is only one left he should meet his promise . That's all, no further explanations. The same principle should apply to leaders of organizations. Their words should be trusted.
Conclusion
For organizational survival and success there is great need to minimize or eradicate all factors of staff demotivation in order to stimulate productivity, loyalty, innovation and raise customer experience. Business leaders must seriously improve work conditions and ensure the vision, mission and objectives are well crafted and articulated.
