Why salary ain't satisfactory to keep employees motivated!

Employee Motivation is Key

Employee Motivation is Key

The success of a company stands and falls with the motivation of its employees. Nowadays, skilled workers are spoiled for choice when it comes to finding a job. If they don't like it in one company, they most likely move on to another. Employee turnover is a major problem. Any HR department will tell you how difficult it is to recruit new employees. And that's not all - after all, they still have to be trained. How do you manage not only to win employees for a company, but also to keep them? By giving work back its purpose, we can increase employee engagement in the long term. Time spent at work is time spent living. Do we live to work or work to live? Why do we head strictly for the weekend and often enjoy the two days off more than the rest of the week? Precisely because we spend so much time at work, it is all the more important to boost happiness within the company.

Employees long for work-life balance

The results of Workmonitor 2022, a global survey conducted by Randstad, are quite interesting in this context. A total of 35,000 people from 35 countries aged between 18 and 67 were asked about their opinion of what working life is and should be like. According to the survey, about 50 % of those surveyed would quit their job if it did not fulfill them and the work-life balance came up short. Younger people in particular share this opinion. Companies should therefore act now and focus more strongly on a people-first mentality.

Employee Appreciation Day Every Day

Employees often long for recognition of their work by their employer. How can the well-being of the workforce be sustainably increased in the company? Employers can - as is so often practiced - express their appreciation in monetary ways. However, money alone does not make people happy and only helps to a certain degree. At worst, it can have the opposite effect. Extrinsic measures such as a financial incentive can be de-motivating instead of motivating. Wait, what? This paradox is also known as the overjustification effect.

Measures such as more money are no longer enough to keep employees happy. In other words: If an originally intrinsic motivation is replaced by an extrinsic monetary incentive, this can lower employee engagement so that employees consciously or unconsciously work only for the sake of money. Every employee originally applied for a job in the company on the basis of an intrinsic motivation. Money is very rarely the sole reason. Essentially, it's about autonomy and self-determination or even the feeling of belonging to a company. Above all, the image of the company plays a major role as well - whether it stands for the same values, for example. The problem of luring with money is likely that an employee feels pressured to perform better in exchange for a monetary reward. If an employee's pressure to perform better in exchange for a monetary reward grows, the air is quickly cut off. Of course, there are always particularly hard-working people, so-call overachievers However, these employees usually also look for commission-based payment models and often opt for this model out of their own choice. Not every staff member is made to play a part in "The Wolf of Wall Street". Timing is also key with any type of reward. A reward after completing a task that comes unexpectedly has a much more positive effect and can actually increase employee engagement.

Employee: Engagement by agile leadership

When we talk about employee engagement these days, it's not just about compensation, but above all about immaterial values. These include soft factors such as freedom, flexibility and self-fulfillment. Motivating employees is also a question of leadership. The leadership style a company pursues is a crucial factor: How does leadership work today in a business that takes the well-being of its employees seriously? The answer is agile! An agile leadership style in which employees are not controlled but supported at eye level to overcome challenges together. A positive working environment is characterized by team spirit. New work from home, career opportunities and possibilities for personal growth, as well as health-promoting measures such as corporate fitness, are all beneficial factors that make a company attractive today and increase employee engagement and motivation.

Money can't buy happiness, right?!

Should monetary incentives be avoided? Not at all! One thing is for sure: There will always be a company that offers more money. That's why immaterial incentives are so-so important to ensure that employees feel good about working for the company in the long term and enjoy coming to work. There are other incentives than a high salary that make a company attractive and ensure a good working environment. Several surveys suggest that employee engagement is most likely to kick in when a company shares the same values, including:

  • diversity and equal pay
  • flexible hours and free time management
  • meaningful activities and varied tasks
  • personal and professional growth
  • corporate social responsibility (CSR)
  • work-life balance
  • openness within the organization and a healthy culture of error
  • respectful communication and positive feedback

Valuable feedback is like a compliment on an employee's competence. It is good to hear praise for one's commitment and dedication. But again, feedback should not be given strategically as part of an evaluation, otherwise it can quickly come across as phony and make an employee feel monitored. Instead of controlling people put your trust in them and give them more responsibility for their own actions.

Sustainable gifts for employees

In addition to workplace health promotion or teambuilding events you can also surprise your employees with small gifts. No, please not just another ballpoint pen with a printed company logo! Surprise your team with a sustainable gift they really can enjoy! Our AWESOME PRODUCTS are unisex and make the perfect employee gift.

Crew Love is True Love

You work in the best team in the world and want to show your appreciation? Okay, a fruit basket in the communal kitchen or pizza on Casual Friday for everyone are already a good thing. More imaginative are sustainable products like our AWESOME SOAP natural soaps that delight men and women alike. Our soap represents that you care about employee health, making it the perfect employee gift. As the saying goes. Never underestimate the power of a small gesture! By the way, we offer special B2B rates upon request via e-mail.


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