You’ve likely heard the new buzz term “quiet quitting.”

The current climate of work is sapping employee motivation en masse – why?

Many workers have grown tired of being taken for granted while constantly under pressure to do better and give more. 

They are setting new boundaries, saying no to burnout, and yes to greater work-life balance.

As workers become more selective about what they look for in employment, many organizations are finding it harder (and more expensive) to recruit, train, and hang on to new talent.

So, how do we encourage people to reclaim their ambition while pumping up their enthusiasm for their workplace?

We do what leaders do best – we motivate them.

We’re not talking about “good jobs” and pats on the back. Motivating your team requires a serious and dedicated effort. The rewards for successfully motivating your team are myriad, including greater morale and retention and significantly ramped-up productivity.

Why Leaders Need to Make Motivation a Priority

There’s an old adage that people quit other people (usually their boss), not companies. And so the inverse must also be true: people stay because of people (usually their boss), not because of the company.

Salaries, perks, and bonuses are important, but they’re rapidly being overshadowed by more intrinsic rewards, like recognition and learning opportunities.

In his book Drive, Daniel H. Pink shared that the secret ingredients to true motivation, high performance, and job satisfaction are autonomy, mastery, and purpose. These represent our profound human need to be in control of how and when we work, to learn constantly, and to make our work meaningful.

And he’s right. Consider this – a recent upskilling study found that 74% of Millennial and Gen Z workers are likely to quit within a year due to a lack of skill development opportunities. 

On top of that, a staggering 94% of employees say they would stay longer at their current organization if it invested more in learning and development.

What are the reasons for this exodus? Dissatisfaction with pay, job fulfillment, and the ability to be one’s true self at work.

While these stats are alarming, they’re not hopeless. There are tangible steps that stand-out leaders are taking to improve the employee experience and retain their best talent.

Before we take a look at these, let’s examine some of the benefits.

The Benefits of Keeping Your Team Motivated

Team morale, good or bad, is contagious. When team members are motivated, they actively help and support each other. Instead of focusing on problems, they seek solutions, take risks and become more creative.

In such a positive and connected work environment, it’s rare to find a quiet quitter.

This effect spreads beyond the confines of the workplace. When a team member is motivated, they automatically become the greatest advocate of your organization, actively encouraging their inner circle to consider a role at an organization that makes them feel valued and empowered.

They are also likely to promote your company’s brand online. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, the most extensive exploration of trust out there, 41% of people believe that employees are the most credible source of information regarding a business.

What Motivates Employees (And 11 Ways to Inspire Them at Work)

Spoiler alert: these proven ways to inspire people will result in increased happiness at work.

1. Offer Autonomy

People crave autonomy – which is why it’s one of Daniel Pink’s key drivers of motivation.

Everyone wants to feel in control of their own destiny, especially when it comes to their careers.

But how do you give people autonomy while relentlessly focusing on the articulated goals of your organization?

A great start is to give people a say in how and when they work. Surveying your team members anonymously about their perceptions of the degree of autonomy they have will provide a guideline as to where and how things might need to change.

Next, ditch the micro-managing. No one likes a manager looking over their shoulder to make sure that everything is being executed to their exacting standards. Trust that the team you hired can carry out their tasks well and on time – naturally, with the resources they request to assure success.

When team leaders give people the freedom to be their best selves, think creatively, and produce meaningful work, it triggers high levels of motivation, energy, and excitement.

2. Provide Opportunities for Skill Development

During the pandemic, 60% of workers embarked on their own skills training, highlighting the deep human desire for greater knowledge. This was a massive missed opportunity for some employers, although many companies have comprehensive training protocols in place.

Starbucks, for example, offers its employees 100% tuition coverage for a bachelor’s degree through its education scheme. It’s a no-strings-attached opportunity for people to pursue a life-long dream, whether they remain with Starbucks or not. 

Why would Starbucks offer this if its employees might simply get a free degree and move on? 

The reason is threefold:

• Starbucks gets to enjoy a better educated and motivated workforce.
• It attracts new job candidates who are wired for learning and development.
• Its workers are more likely to stay, knowing their continued development is a priority.

By offering opportunities that actually make a difference to the individual, developing their leadership skills, and building new technical expertise, you open the door to the best, brightest, and most committed candidates.

3. Support Big Ideas

More likely than not, your firm’s professionals have big ideas just waiting to be uncovered. But these ideas will likely remain dormant unless they’re nurtured – with time.

These ideas may include an improvement to internal processes or an idea for a new product line. By giving team members time to work on projects that matter to them, you let them know that you’re interested in their unique strengths.

Google famously did this with their 20% time rule. As founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin stated in their IPO letter, Google encourages their employees to spend 20% of their time working on projects that they think most benefit the company. 

The result? Some of Google’s most-used products like AdSense and Google News.

Giving people the opportunity to think creatively and work with passion and purpose is nothing short of magic when it comes to boosting motivation.

4. Encourage Personal Goals

People feel motivated when they have a clear idea of where their career is headed. Knowing that they are earmarked for a future leadership position, for example, could be a greater motivator than a pay rise.

Allowing team members to articulate their own career goals and working with them to set realistic growth strategies will encourage greater commitment. Not only that, but it also builds trust between team leaders and their direct reports.

5. Discover a Shared Mission or Cause

Groups work most productively when they have a shared mission driving them forward.

As a leader, it’s essential to understand what really spurs your team’s collective enthusiasm.

It could be a shared desire to outperform the competition, or perhaps they’d like to see more diversity and inclusion within the organization.

Whatever it is, if you allow time to tackle it, you’ll unleash their creativity and passion.

6. Surprise and Delight

Chances are you already indulge your team with regular treats in the workplace. But throwing in the unexpected surprise – as a gesture of appreciation – can provide a motivational boost.

Get creative with your wonderful displays of appreciation. (Anyone up for a celebratory sushi lunch, followed by gourmet macarons?)

An enjoyable break can do wonders to ramp up workers’ energy and mood.

In fact, research has shown that access to free food in the office can increase employee happiness by 11%. On top of that, shared meals build stronger internal relationships by helping communication flow more freely.

7. Prevent Burnout With Breaks

Sooner or later, everyone’s tank starts to run dry – it’s a natural part of working at any fast-paced organization.

Experienced leaders recognize the first signs of burnout or a decline in productivity. In these situations, it’s helpful to insist that team members take a break to recharge. 

On a micro level, this could be a 15-minute walk around the local park. If a team member is particularly stressed, a recovery day away from work could be in order.

A refreshed worker is far more likely to feel motivated than one who never catches a break.

8. Show Gratitude

When showing gratitude, a generic “thanks for the good job” won’t cut it. Specificity will.

Acknowledging precisely what someone did and the impact their efforts had on the business will influence their determination to excel.

Saying it to them in person is a wonderful booster, but spotlighting it publicly will compound the effect. An excellent way to do this is by starting every meeting with a call-out to an individual who did something stellar or to the team that collaborated successfully on a project.

9. Embrace Diversity With Empathy

The demand for diversity in the workplace is real and necessary. Every one of us has the opportunity to become more aware of – and empathetic to – people’s unique differences, experiences, and perspectives.

Inclusive work environments are led by sensitive managers who are curious. They take the time to understand individual reality, and in doing so, they learn how to motivate situationally.

A truly diverse workplace is inclusive, making everyone feel psychologically safe and encouraging every professional to achieve without bounds.

Focus on DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) also provides an impressive boost for organizations.

According to McKinsey, companies identified as diverse and inclusive are 35% more likely to outperform their competitors. While a BCG study showed that diverse management teams lead to 19% higher revenue.

10. Pay What People Are Worth

While intrinsic rewards (like autonomy, mastery, and purpose) can motivate more powerfully than extrinsic rewards (like salaries and titles), financial reward is highly valued in our society. 

Fundamentally, professionals seek fairness. They check that their base pay is consistent with others in the same industry and area. They are rightfully angered by biased compensation packages. They also welcome an increase in base pay that makes it competitive and attractive. 

There are many ways to package up tangible rewards that serve as additional motivators. Extra perks can include childcare allowances, flexible and hybrid working arrangements, gym memberships, stock options – the list goes on!

11. Celebrate Individuality

We all crave recognition for our authentic selves.

Research has shown that if organizations use their onboarding process to focus on the personal brand values of a new hire, it can increase employee retention by 50% and customer satisfaction by 18%.

The authors of the research said: “Entering an organization is an extraordinary opportunity to negotiate one’s identity with new colleagues. And our research shows that it can be powerful, motivating, and even addictive to become known by others as the person you are when you are at your authentic best.”

A Final Word on Motivation

A lack of motivation is the slippery slope to disengagement and quiet quitting. What follows is a drop in productivity and the likelihood of losing exceptional talent who are expensive to replace.

On the flip side, motivated workers will go the extra mile when their deep human desire for autonomy, lifelong learning, and performing meaningful work is being met.

When we tap into the underlying forces that motivate individuals to bring their heads, hearts, and superpowers to work, we create an environment of innovation, productivity, and collaboration.

Interested in giving your team a motivational boost? Let’s explore how CareerBlast can customize a personal branding program for you.

Our BrandBoost Experience motivates team members to bring their unique, authentic selves to work. When they do, they stand out, make their mark, and amp up their success.