How Does Employee Engagement Increase Motivation?

Both research and common sense tell us that engaged employees will be motivated to achieve better outcomes for their place of employment. We know that fostering employee engagement is a highly effective strategy to increase motivation.

The terms “motivation” and “engagement” are often used interchangeably however they do not have the same meaning. Motivation is the drive to achieve outcomes and take action. Motivating employees is key to achieving business success but not all methods to increase motivation are created equal. Fear and insecurity can drive an employee to perform but at a cost to their well-being and the morale of a company. The long-term effects of fear include burnout, reduced creativity, increased turnover, and a culture that hides mistakes and challenges.

In contrast to fear, engagement increases motivation in a way that enhances employee well-being. Employees who are engaged are passionate about the work that they do and are personally invested in business outcomes. High employee engagement correlates with high intrinsic, or internal, motivation. Turnover is reduced and there is a two-way investment between employee and employer. Engaged employees perform their very best and are rewarded by knowing they are truly valued.

Identifying employees who have high levels of engagement is essential in recruiting, developing, and retaining employees but employee engagement is not fixed. Engagement can increase or decrease over time. Supervisors and managers have a significant impact on the engagement, motivation, and achievements of their teams. One of the key factors to a high-performing team is the ability of leaders to increase engagement and motivation for their team members. This ability can be strengthened and developed.

Empathetic leaders increase the emotional connection within their teams and deepen their commitment. The benefits of implementing an effective engagement strategy can be transformative: employees are motivated and connected, they have strong personal alignment with the business outcomes, they experience professional and personal growth and organizations achieve business success.

Engagement is contagious. Individual employees have the power to motivate other team members and create a vibrant, high-performing culture.

Those employers who cultivate engagement will attract, retain, and develop a workforce motivated to succeed.

14 Tips for Cultivating a Team of Driven Employees

Chances are you have seen many engagement initiatives focused on the extrinsic, or external, motivators for engagement. Extrinsic motivators include compensation, bonus systems, perks, and operationalized systems of reward and recognition. They have their place in creating an engaged workforce but the effectiveness fades over time.

Intrinsic, or internal, motivators for engagement and performance stand the test of time. Although they are the most lasting, they are also the most elusive. Intrinsic motivation flourishes in working environments where there is trust, employees feel valued, and their personal values are in good alignment with the company’s working environment. Managers and supervisors play a key role in creating a working environment with a culture of engagement. Here are a few tips for cultivating a team of driven employees.

  • Manage your team with integrity. Trust is essential for employee engagement.
  • Recognize and reward highly engaged and productive team members.
  • Get to know individual employees and understand their motivators then ensure that your engagement initiatives are flexible so that they meet the needs of each member of your team.
  • Get out of the way! Don’t interfere with the motivation of highly engaged employees with time-consuming extrinsic programs to reward engagement and performance could reduce their motivation.
  • People are motivated by relationships. Emulate the leaders in your career that made you buzz with excitement and helped you see your own possibilities.
  • Commit to the long-term. True engagement strategies are long-term investments. Switching tactics and reward systems make engagement initiatives appear superficial.
  • Know your change agents and set them in motion.
  • Share the limelight in times of success and take responsibility during challenging times.
  • Adopt a culture of transparency. Shielding employees from business targets and the financial realities is an obstacle to aching a fully engaged team. When everyone understands the long-term goals and their role in achieving business success, engagement is increased.
  • Don’t micromanage. Provide employees the autonomy to achieve the desired business outcomes in their own way.
  • Debrief mistakes and successes alike to discover the learning opportunities.
  • Be direct and empathetic when delivering feedback.
  • Never criticize employees or their performance in front of others.
  • Give your team the gift of your focus. Focus shows people that they are valued.

Contact Us Today

You have the power to create a working environment where employees feel valued and engaged.  Contact us to find out you can partner with TANDIUM Corporation to you deepen employee engagement and motivation. TANDIUM’s knowledgeable staff will work with you to develop an engagement strategy tailored to your business and your team. TANDIUM Corporation is a complete human resources service organization.