FREE RESOURCES
FREE RESOURCES

How To Motivate Employees: 5 Data-Backed Tips For Business Owners

03/27/2023 14:20:41 +0000
If we consider that 65% of people in the US are happy, but only 20% of that same group are passionate about what they do, we have the answer right here.
 
You may still approach this issue.
 

While you may have given this much thought, data can help you and HR.

This could be a way to engage with your team and recognize the things that matter.

Read on to find out what the data says about the most common advice you may hear and if it could be helpful to your business.

Does Motivation Matter?

Suppose we use the World Economic Forum for our working statistics.

In that case, we can see that 70% of employees say they are disengaged with work, which has been shown to affect productivity and creativity and leads to 87% of those engaged is less likely to quit.

Part of this issue may come down to the job roles your business is set up with, as they may allow for some creativity, but this may come at a cost.

This may be due to rules and the fact that there may be a few variations in your employee's job.

These rules and processes may end up hurting your productivity line, which can be proven by the fact that only 36% of people feel engaged with their work, while the global figure is 15%.

So then, business owners may already be feeling this problem even if they have a reasonable employee retention rate, but for the specifics, we may have to go deeper, which we turn to next.

How To Use This With Data
You want to create a more open and friendly workplace that may seem significant to some but may not address what is needed there.

That is why it's helpful to look at statics to see what aspects are more important than others, which we turn to next.
1. Rewarding Employees
This won't surprise many, but things like pay and benefits are essential to many, with 64% of people using these as a benchmark when deciding whether to go for a new job.
 

If you have a tight group of people and there may not be any employee representation, you should consider whether pay negotiations are worth doing.

If not, look for ways where employees have some say on their income.

We can look at the industry standard using tools like Paylab or the US Bureau Of Labor Statistics site, where you can see pay by averages, sector, and market size.

Here you can get am idea on how to make these negotiations more productive.

2. Offer An Advancement Track
We understand the challenges of management, and one of these is what areas to prioritize and how your workforce fits into this.
 
This includes a broader issue when deciding where to invest with employees, and the results may not surprise you.
 

A study by 400 major businesses found that poor communication costs these employers millions of dollars as these employees needed to be more directed with their talents.

A good way to make ground here is to ask your employee what they enjoy about their role and whether any training would help them.

It can also help if you have a big project coming up where you would benefit from the skills shown by that employee.

3. The Feedback Loop
A shocking stat is that only 2% of people get recognized by their employer daily, while 20% of those receive it quarterly, and 11% say they accept it weekly.
 
This can create a lot of negativity, and feelings of low self-worth begin to appear here.
 

You could break this trend and find ways of offering your recognition, so you could do this weekly or fortnightly, whichever work for you.

Again it all comes down to asking what your employees want to make them feel worthier and more productive.

4. What Does Your Schedule Look Like?
Extended hours are bound to be linked to higher levels of stress, accidents, and fatigue, and give an overall poor work/life balance which can be easy to neglect and forget exists.
 
This also links to job retention, as the weighing up of this balance will be on many employees' minds.
 

That figure is around 72%, and less surprising is that 77% of Americans who have worked full-time suffer from burnout at some point in their jobs.

There is also a growing trend of people working on the weekends, which may be something you wish to address.

For example, offering people the choice to work from home has given people a lot of flexibility in their jobs and has generally helped them feel more positive about their roles.

While this may not be possible for you, things like this give employees more flexibility.

5. What Are Your Most Important Values?
There is a reason why many businesses these days have a focus on values and goals that separate them from similar companies.
 
You only need to list a few words to see how easy these are to pick up and use across your organization.
 

This also explains why publications such as the Harvard Business Review look at these values and see the need for their existence.

This, in turn, helps potential customers get an idea of what their business is and what they care about, which can be very effective.

These values have been described as being authentic and having a sense of urgency, so they sound more like the result of a mistake that has been picked up on, and the process of learning past this is underway.

How Does It Help With Productivity?
Looking at this in a global sense, there doesn't seem to be that much of an issue, as it is said that 79% of people are happy in their jobs, which in an ideal world would mean more productive, but this can vary by sector.
 

For example, as a whole, the average employee is [productive for 60% of their workday, but for office employees, this is much lower at only 31%.

This can be even more concerning when you think that this equates to office workers only being produced for only 4.8 hours per day.

As we have said, this could be down to many things, so instead of trying to isolate the issue, have consultations over these and ask why these aspects are less satisfying than others.

The Bottom Line
If you can identify where you need to start and how you can make those changes, you can instantly benefit from this in the long run.
 
Not only does this help with motivation, but it can also help with cost-cutting, something that many businesses are interested in constantly.
 

You may be interested in using forms of AI or software to streamline this process.

The key here is to understand that there may be an emotional or habitual factor that you may have to look into if you want to focus on retention and keep employees working for your business.

Loading...
About the Host
Sophie Howard is the founder of Aspiring Entrepreneurs, a community designed to help people develop the skills and confidence to build a business and a life that serves them. Sophie began online in 2013 with an Amazon firm, which she sold for more than $1 million in 2015.

Sophie has lectured on stages all around the world, encouraging and teaching other ambitious entrepreneurs. She has established instructional programs educating thousands of students how to sell online, in addition to releasing over 1000 products.

Sophie has also written a book titled "Aspiring Entrepreneurs: A Guide to Finding Your Best Path to Financial Freedom."
Connect with Aspiring Entrepreneurs:
web icon web icon web icon web icon
Featured Episodes
Free eBook
Find and buy profitable online businesses to gain instant cash flow, a passive portfolio of income streams and a lifestyle you love (even if you aren't tech-savvy!)
 

Get your copy of The Digital Asset Investor eBook free.

Get Free eBook
Copyright © 2021 Aspiring Entrepreneurs ∙ All rights reserved.
Free Resources!
Gain access to our downloadable workbooks for free! Designed to complement our eBooks they are the perfect tool to ensure you're getting the most out of your readings.
 
We'll also send you regular tips and updates about online business.
We respect your privacy and never share your data.
Free Download!
Freedom Navigator FREE eBook
Receive regular tips and updates about online business, starting with this free ebook today.
We respect your privacy and never share your data.