The Worst Employee Motivator

November 20th, 2011

I have asked thousands of people what the most powerful motivator is for employees. Most of them say, “Money.” Those people are correct; kind of. A pay-check is the foundation of the employee-employer relationship. Compensation gets the employee to show up. Does that mean the key to motivating or engaging employees is money? Unfortunately, the answer is not that easy. There could be many factors that motivate each employee; including money.

There are roughly 13 motivating factors in the workplace. These factors include money, interesting work, opportunity for advancement, a team environment, job security, making a difference, personal growth, responsibility, a flexible work environment, positive relationships and praise. What surprises many is that studies show us that, of those motivating factors, money is typically the least motivating factor.

You may have heard someone say, “They don’t pay me enough to deal with this!” There is a good chance that money isn’t actually the problem. It is most likely that one of the employees other needs are not being met. However, because of that foundational agreement of the paycheck, money is often times the default complaint for most employees. In other words the employee is saying, “If you pay me more I will put up with this abuse.” The problem with this logic is that money doesn’t cause the source of the frustration to change.

One of my favorite illustrations of this is in professional sports. It is amazing to me to hear professional athletes complain about their travel schedule. Most of them only play one game a day for a few hours at a time and they get paid millions of dollars to do so. They are complaining because the travel is an environmental issue and not a financial issue. The money doesn’t make the grueling travel go away.

In all fairness money can serve as a temporary motivator. Studies show that pay increases motivate employees for about 15 days. Just enough time to be excited about the first bigger paycheck, get the check, spend the money and start complaining again. Just like the professional athletes, money does not change an employee’s environment at work. Money changes the environment outside of work.

Consider a construction foreman complaining about being asked to take on more responsibility. He would not say, “I’m frustrated because I feel like the work I am already doing is not being recognized and now they are asking me to do even more work which I am sure will go unnoticed as well!” He is much more likely to say, “They don’t pay me enough to deal with this!” So what are you to do as a leader to determine if money is the issue or not?

Motivational Super-Secret Tip #1: Ask the employee what motivates them. Have a sincere conversation in which you ask them to consider the motivating factors presented here. Ask them what their top three motivating factors are. Don’t expect an immediate answer because they will need time to think about it. Once you have an understanding of what motivates the employee make sure you use the information. If they want to feel part of a team then focus on how they can be a great team player. If they want opportunities for advancement then walk them through a development plan to help them get there. To motivate the employee change the conversation from financial incentives to incentives that really matter to them. You might be wondering if money can be one of the primary motivators. Of course it can be but, after clarifying their motivating factors you and the employee will know money really is the issue rather than one of the 12 other motivators.

Posted in Career Advice

Alternative Job Seeking Methods

November 15th, 2011

Unemployment is at a record level in most countries with many people out of work and looking for a new career. If you want to find work, you need to show some initiative and think outside the box to find companies who are looking to hire additional staff. Newspapers are a great source for good jobs and it’s always worth applying to them, but also worth considering some alternative options that attract fewer applicants and will increase your chances of getting an interview. This article will look at a few alternative ways to find job vacancies.

The internet is still an invaluable tool for any job hunter. Sites like Monster and Craigslist are great places to begin your search. An alternative method is to actually use Google search itself to find work in your area. Type into Google the job you want with the location. This method can be useful to help you find work on websites that you may not of otherwise stumbled across. Google will also search companies that only advertise job vacancies on their own website. Try varying the search terms to see what difference it makes.

Another good tip for any job seeker is to look in the business section of your local newspapers. You are looking for any local firms that have won new contracts or lucrative deals that could mean they need additional staff. Phone up their HR department and mention you’ve seen they are doing well and you wanted to know about any new recruitment drive. Sell yourself; explain why you would be useful to help with their expansion. The aim is to show you have initiative and you can present yourself well – this will be viewed favourably by any potential employer.

Before you send your CV out to any potential employers why not visit your local job centre to see if they have a careers councillor available for you to talk to. They can give you honest advice and tips on how to best present your CV and often it’s free. Your CV has to make an instant good impression as most recruiters will receive a large number of resumes and decisions are often made in the first thirty seconds.

Before you attend any interview, research the company well. Make sure you understand their industry and the problems they face. You want to appear as a well rounded individual who takes an interest in your work.

Posted in Career Search