The recent uptick in #MondayMotivation social mediaposts triggers four questions:
- Are Mondays truly a downer for a majority of workers?
- Do people need – and crave – a pick-me-up when reentering their professional lives after the freedom of the weekend?
- Why are motivation levels in the workplace declining?
- How can we shake off the Monday blues?
Beyond social media, there seems to be a significant amount of quantifiable research that reaffirms this dispiriting trend. A recent Gallup survey found only two in 10 employees strongly agree their performance is managed in a way that motivates them to do outstanding work. Just over half, 52 percent, say they are “not engaged,” which we define as performing without enthusiasm or pride in their work.
Forbes magazine reports that employee engagement is on the decline not just in America, but around the globe. Forbes reported that mere 30 percent of employees strongly agree their manager or superior involves them in goal-setting; and only 14 percent (1 in 7) believe the performance reviews they receive “inspire them to improve.”
This creeping malaise is a growing concern in the HR world because disengagement translates into diluted efficiency and productivity. This particular people problem is causing an estimated $960 billion and $1.2 trillion in annual lost revenue, largely attributed to problems with employee retention. Discontent translates into turnover, and turnover is quite expensive. Replacing one worker with another costs a hiring company anywhere from 100 percent to 300 percent of the base salary of the person who left.
These human-loss torpedoes smack the bottom line and collateral damage such as ruptured team dynamics, weakened business outcomes, and diminished customer loyalty. Each of these negatively impacts employee satisfaction and shuts off the tap to a recruiter’s best source of replacements: referral hiring.
High performing companies and team leaders consciously engage and motivate their workers. Doing so creates better customer experiences, gains in individual and collective productivity, higher employee retention rates, fewer employee health issues, and increased profitability.
On one hand we realize that worker engagement is diminishing, but on the other we see that potential rewards for keeping people engaged are large.
Why does this happen? Why are just one-fifth of working professionals showing up at the beginning of the work week proudly engaged in undertaking the responsibilities tied directly to what they are paid to do?
As with any sad crime, suspects abound. Culprits include:
- Digital dependence
- Decreasing attention spans
- Increasing stress
- Social media happiness suppression
- Job insecurity
- Laziness
- A reduction in feeling valued, and
- Declining physical and emotional fitness.
The answer isn’t always obvious. The root cause of stress creation is change. Change is always disruptive—far more for some than others—and the velocity of workplace change continues to accelerate as windows of opportunity open and shut faster than ever. Change comes about in a myriad of forms but these days change is relentless.
Managing dynamic change effectively is easier said than done. The more it happens, the more likely employees are to suffer from communication gaps about direction, goals, expectations, dealing with change-averse co-workers, salaries of new hires, and uncertainty (or lack of faith) concerning strategy and leadership.
Leaders set the tone. When workers trust their leaders and feel respected, they engage. When workers do not, they get restless. Uninspired, they disengage or job hunt.
So, how do we remedy this dilemma? HuffingtonPost recently published an article suggesting three ways to motivate employees:
- Communicating better
- Empowering them, and
- Offering opportunities for advancement.
Solving the problem of Monday drudgery sometimes requires a change in approach:
- Listen more than direct.When we learn about efficiency bottlenecks and seek solutions from those closest to the action—the workers—we can find new ways to better approach frustrations and challenges.
- Examine what you see.Managers tend to gloss over the details of the work performed by those beneath them. When we take the time to understand how each person’s puzzle pieces fit together, we are better equipped to recognize and appreciate the work that man or woman does.
- Connect workers to their purpose. Engaged workers marry pride with motivation. Being respected, and seeing how our work is integral to team success, motivates employee creativity. It also triggers a willingness to work through challenges rather than giving up. Companies grow stronger when employees connect their individual purpose to that of their positions; and then connect their roles to the overall success of the organization.
If jobs were seashells and balloons, we wouldn’t be paid to do what we are hired to do. Be grateful for your employer’s trust and never let gratitude awareness stray too far from your emotional commitment.
Our work efforts are our autographs. Sign each day with a flourish.
Ocean Palmer