National Employee Motivation Day takes place this week (Thursday 25 February) with the aim of inspiring organisations to put staff motivation at the forefront of business thinking. The key message of the day is that increased employee motivation has a powerful impact on a businesses’ bottom line and the economy overall. As strong advocates of employee engagement, of which employee motivation is a significant element, we wholeheartedly agree. Here’s just some of the key reasons why:
Higher revenues and GDP
This is the second year National Employee Motivation Day has taken place. It was originally created by Argos for Business in response to a 2015 survey which showed that over half of the UK’s employees regularly felt demotivated at work. But using the findings of a Kenexa study, Engage for Success has highlighted that if the UK were to increase its employee motivation and engagement levels to be in line with other European countries, such as the Netherlands, this could be associated with increased revenues and growth leading to a £25.8bn increase in GDP.
Improved productivity and performance
Motivated employees are more productive. They have more enthusiasm and drive to finish projects and play their part in making the business a success. They invest more of themselves in their work and strive to do better which results in higher quality work. They also work more efficiently and with greater levels of collaboration, creativity and commitment, all of which has a positive impact on the bottom line.
Better customer service and staff advocacy
Engaged employees will be stronger advocates of their organisations and help protect the employer from the reputational risks associated with poor service levels or product quality. The more motivated an employee is, the more likely they are to be customer focussed. They will have the patience and willingness to go the extra mile to deliver the best possible service, and a happy customer is a returning customer.
Lower turnover and absenteeism costs
Motivated employees are more committed and therefore more likely to stay with an organisation, increasing your employee retention figures, helping you keep hold of top talent and reducing the costs involved in recruiting and training new staff. Higher levels of employee engagement also impacts positively on levels of absenteeism as many sick days are not taken because an employee is unwell but because they feel undervalued, demotivated and disengaged.
Increased innovation
The more motivated employees are the more they will feel empowered to drive innovation. This needs to be fostered through the creation of a workplace culture in which they have the opportunity to put forward ideas which could be the key contributors to market differentiation and growth. Given the chance, motivated employees could provide creative solutions to improve the customer experience and boost profitability or offer inspired marketing ideas to help build the brand.
Boosted morale
By increasing employee motivation you will create a workforce which is proud to be a part of your organisation and which is inspired to do their best. They will care more about the future of their organisation and put in greater effort to helping meet its objectives. It only takes one de-motivated person to have a significant impact on the morale of an entire team, reducing this level of inspiration and effort in the business.
Do you know how motivated and engaged your employees are?
If you would like to find out more about how motivated your employees are then take a look at our Best Employers Eastern Region initiative which includes a completely free employee survey on a company’s culture and values, and the impact this has on engagement and the way in which people perform.