How do you motivate your employees to come together as a team and function at a higher level? Many managers and owners believe that incentives get results, but the opposite is true unless the goal involves repetitive or simple tasks. Dan Pink, author of Drive explained that an MIT study of incentives and motivation showed that if a goal involved cognitive thinking and problem-solving, incentives actually diminished performance and engagement. In fact, higher rewards actually led to poorer performance!
So, as a business owner this means I don’t need to worry about money and incentives when it comes to my employees, right? Not exactly! It’s a fact that if you don’t pay people enough, they will not be motivated. You need to pay an employee a wage that is high enough that they aren’t constantly worrying about money. They need to earn enough that it’s not an issue. Once you’ve accomplished that, then there are three elements that engage employees and fulfill their happiness at work:
Self-Direction
People want to have control over their own lives, even at work. The more we can ‘let go’ as managers and allow talented people on our team to be creative and solve problems, the more engaged they will become. We have to assume they want to do something fun and unique, to solve problems and be part of a better work environment. Stop being dismissive of your team members because you think they’ll never change—-it’s time you start asking them what they think is wrong with our practices and systems, rather than spoon-feeding them your solutions.
Self-Improvement
Individuals have a drive to learn. We all want to become better at certain things, and job satisfaction is tied to mastery of our skills. Providing employees with growth and development opportunities not only engages them, but is one of the five tenets of a psychologically healthy workplace. The key to learning today? Make it fun, engaging and interactive! Don’t stop at learning experiences that are directly related to roles within your veterinary practice—look for ways to encourage creative thinking by providing opportunities to master other skills like music and art. Tap into what really turns your employees on!
Purpose
True employee engagement happens when individuals know their efforts at a job make a difference. They need to know that what they are doing has a real purpose, and this element is probably the most important one to the 85 million strong Millennial generation. That Mission statement that lives in a drawer in your desk? You know—-the one that is supposed to define the purpose of your business? That purpose is what your employees need in order to carry your practice into the future. It’s time to take a look at not only what it says, but what it means. It may be time to completely redefine your Mission so that it truly outlines a purpose that you and your team can work towards.