Keeping Employees Engaged and Motivated: Proven techniques that improve performance

Do you feel motivated and engaged at work or do you go to work simply because you have to? According to research, less than 30% of all Americans are considered highly motivated and engaged employees. It is important that all supervisors know how to motivate their employees not just to become better performers, but also to become more engaged workers. Most employees have the need to be respected, they want to have opportunities for personal development, and they also want to establish positive relationships. Without a doubt, managers can easily help their employees achieve the goals mentioned above. First and foremost, managers should create a safe environment for employees to express their opinions. Managers should also help employees optimize their strengths and talents by offering opportunities to develop skills, experience and knowledge in areas of these strengths. Managers should show appreciation towards workers. We all want to feel valuable. If, for some reason, we don’t feel that way at work, we start looking for new opportunities. In other words, if management is not being appreciative, employees are much more likely to leave the job than those whose management constantly praises and rewards them. To show appreciation, managers do not necessarily have to offer monetary bonuses. Instead, they can consider using low cost or even free ways to recognize employees, such as taking them out to lunch, sending positive emails, and tolerating reasonable mistakes. Providing timely performance feedback to employees is another great way to show appreciation. In addition, creating and maintaining mentoring programs and encouraging social network, helping people feel in control by allowing them to make decision, and fostering trust are all excellent ways to create meaningful work environment and progress towards the ultimate goal, which is developing motivated and engaged workforce. While it is apparent that managers play key role in shaping employees’ attitudes towards work, not all supervisors know how to address the issue. Furthermore, since managerial positions keep them busy most of the time and oftentimes require to work overtime, managers do not have much time for professional development. This is where asynchronous eLearning modules and concise desk reference guides come into play. Additionally, instructional designers may consider creating short audio segments full of tips and tricks, so that managers can benefit from them at their convenience or when they decide to take a small stretch break. Clearly, motivating and engaging employees is not the easiest task, but with appropriate training, managers can reach the goal.

If you want to learn more about ways to motivate employees and how to develop instructionally sound asynchronous eLearning modules and reference guides, feel free to check out my Instructional Design for eLearning: Essential guide to creating successful eLearning courses book. This book is also available in Spanish.