22 April 2020

How to motivate demotivated employees

woman rests her head in her hand, glasses on her forehead, in a coffee shop next to a notebook.

Table of contents

Satisfied and motivated employees are indispensable for a well-functioning company. Motivating unmotivated employees is not always an easy task. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to know what are the specific grounds The main reasons for their demotivation, as well as the measures that should be implemented and which are the most appropriate to correct this problem. 

How to tell if an employee is demotivated

  • Usually arrives late
  • Constantly complains about his work
  • Decreases its effectiveness
  • Leave tasks half-done
  • Resists change
  • He is always in a bad mood
  • Conflicts with peers
  • Does not participate in activities outside of work
  • Does not collaborate with the team
  • He is only motivated by the salary

Demotivation within a work team is a problem for a company. Having motivated workers is fundamental for productivity. If we have happy people in our company, they will work more and better.

Companies with higher levels of employee engagement are able to increase customer loyalty by 50%. Increase your motivation!

How important is worker motivation for productivity?

Demotivation within a team is a problem for any company. Having motivated workers is fundamental to ensuring good productivity of a company. Unmotivated employees are less productive and also tend to have a high turnover in their jobs. 

Because of this, motivating unmotivated employees is a fundamental job for any company, as it will be one more way to increase the satisfaction of their employees and, in this way, to increase their productivity and also their profits. 

What to do with a demotivated worker

An employee who does not enjoy his work tends to be less efficient. In addition, his or her bad disposition affects others. It creates a bad atmosphere and makes colleagues tired and sad.
The best thing to do is to prevent these things. Take measures in advance so that no employee is demotivated. When there is no other option, we must follow certain steps: .

How to motivate demotivated employees

An employee who does not enjoy his or her work tends to be less efficient. In addition, their bad disposition affects others as well, so they tend to end up creating a bad atmosphere in the office.

It is best to prevent this situation. Taking measures in advance so that no employee becomes demotivated in his or her job is the best recommendation to follow. However, when a company has already reached the point where it has unmotivated employees, it is necessary to take some concrete measures to reverse this situation. 

In general, these measures will go through two phases: to know the reason of demotivation and support the employee in order to be able to recover it.

Knowing the reason

Knowing the source of the discomfort is the first step in motivating demotivated employees. The cause can come from one's own work or for an external reason.. If it is a work-related reason, it is necessary to analyse what circumstances or people have caused it. If it is a personal circumstance, you should talk to the employee, look for possible solutions and facilitate the process as much as possible within the company's capacity.

Supporting the employee

Once the cause has been identified, we must recover the worker. We have to think that each person brings something good to the group. Even if they are in a bad moment, if the unmotivated employee is good at something, we must offer support to regain initial motivation. In this respect, some of the most important guidelines for re-motivating demotivated employees are as follows: 

  • Valuing the employeeBy making him/her aware of his/her abilities and training him/her in his/her field and in others where he/she can feel useful within the company.
  • Establishing a common goalIt is essential that the employee sees his or her activity within the company as something useful and focused on the achievement of specific objectives within the company as a whole. 
  • Assessing the employeeConstructive criticism of the employee is important. This involves both telling them where they can improve and congratulating them on tasks they have done well. This allows the employee to evolve and develop as a professional within the company. 
  • Setting an exampleIn addition to being in charge, the boss must work hand in hand with the employee. In this sense, the boss must be perceived as a colleague and not as a distant person with whom communication is impossible.
  • Value your opinionAnother important element in motivating demotivated employees is to take their opinion into account. This means not only asking for it, but also valuing it correctly and including it in the final decision making, which will make the employee in question feel more integrated into the team and the company as a whole.
  • Explain the decisions takenIt is important that leaders and managers explain their decisions. This ensures that they are not misunderstood and that all the members of the different teams feel that they are an integral part of the group, and not just pawns under the orders of their superiors. It is not the same to carry out an activity because “the higher-ups tell you to” as because it is the best decision that could be taken based on the people who have the most experience and responsibility. 
  • Generating a good atmosphereThe creation of a good working environment is essential to motivate any employee in his or her job. In this sense, it is essential to encourage fluid communication and the reconciling work and family life. This fosters the right synergies which, taken together, will increase employee motivation and satisfaction, resulting in higher productivity on their part. 

In the company. Be friendly and fun when appropriate. Be concerned about the conditions of employees. Be united. Be a team.

Edenred Spain

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