Motivation is a key element to efficiency, success, and positive culture in a workplace. Being in the labor industry, motivation to work physically hard is an additional factor other industries do not face. Individuals are motivated in their own unique way, and as a manager, you cannot change what motivates them or not. What you can do is experiment with identifying how each of your direct reports feels motivated. Some people are motivated by encouraging works or shootouts. Others do not want the attention and are motivated by constructive criticism. While this is an important role as a manger, you also must know how to address individuals’ motivation, or lack of it. The answer is simple: how you reward work ethic.
Similar to how all individuals are motivated differently, work ethic can be hit or miss with your employees. Since work ethic is directly connected to motivation, it is important to encourage great work ethic, and correct poor work ethic. Here’s why:
Encourage Good Work Ethic
When you reward good work ethic, two things happen. First of all, you are rewarding the employee, which will motivate them to continue working hard. You are creating buy in from them. Secondly, anyone with poor work ethic will see the interaction. Typically, this will spark something in them to act similarly. So, by rewarding one employee’s work ethic, you are encouraging everyone to act similarly.
Correct Poor Work Ethic
Correcting poor work ethic can look like either a conversation to address it, or even a formal corrective action (write up). When you perform this act of correction, you are demonstrating to the employee that their action is unacceptable and setting a standard for good work ethic.
While this should not be “public”, as a reward for good work ethic can be, you are protecting your hard-working employees. The last thing a hard-working employee wants, is to work with someone who lacks work ethic.
When both actions are done – rewarding good work ethic and correcting back work ethic, you will increase motivation company wide.
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