Why Is Motivation Important at Work?
For many reasons, motivation at work is crucial. First off, it increases our productivity. We are more inclined to make an additional effort and complete tasks when motivated. Additionally, motivation may foster creativity and innovation, expanding our propensity to look outside the box and generate fresh ideas.
Second, motivation may affect how satisfied we are with our jobs. We are likelier to like what we do and feel confident in our employees when driven. As a result, there may be a better work-life balance since we are less prone to experience job-related stress or burnout.
Finally, our total well-being may be impacted by our motivation at work. When motivated, we’re more likely to have a good attitude and view of life, which may result in better mental health and happiness.
Reasons for loss in staying motivated at work?
Do you see yourself every day having a big sigh staring at the ceiling as you wake up in the morning, knowing that you are going to the workplace feeling tormented by various setbacks at work?
You may encounter this familiar feeling at some point in your daily life for several reasons:
Boredom
When employees work in a place for long, doing repetitive and monotonous work daily can lead to boredom in their daily work routine and will cease their motivation or drive to work. Everything in their everyday work life is entirely predictable, and no more challenges to strive harder to accomplish the task.
Staying motivated at work requires a new challenge or task to cease employee boredom.
Related article: Why Is Self Motivation Important | 8 Qualities of Self Motivation.
Lack of recognition
Employees who work hard and strive to perform their job may feel undervalued and unappreciated if they only receive scrutiny about their mistakes instead of recognizing their excellent work.
Let’s make it real, nobody is perfect, and no matter how well the employee performs in their job, they will fail or make some mistakes at some point, which is part of learning and growing.
Lack of growth opportunities
Some employees strive for their best performance not only to make a living but to grow with the company as well. Employees who set their goals and expectations to succeed in career development and learn new skills may feel disappointed if companies overlook this type of opportunity.
Conflicting demands and tight deadlines
You can only imagine how vague and conflicting the tasks that your employer demands with limited and unreasonable deadlines throw at you. These are some of the causes of overwhelming stress at work and could eventually lead to a loss of motivation. Staying motivated at work in this scenario will be hard to attain.
Poor work-life balance
Setting your goal to balance your work and personal life is essential. Employees who work more hours and spend less time at home with their families can lose motivation. Staying motivated at work requires a good mindset enable to overcome this struggle.
At times, it could be a challenging routine to achieve an average work-life balance, but as long as you know how to compromise and find alternatives to come up with a better solution that is preferable to your type of norm and schedule, all that matters.
Related article: 6 Essential Guides To Regain The Life Balance After A Hard Days Of Work.
Limited autonomy
Have you ever encountered a manager or a boss that likes to micromanage? But first, we need to identify what micromanager means. Micromanager is the type who put more time into supervising their employees instead of giving them direction to do their tasks. This kind of manager will constantly input criticisms about employees’ work, leading to their employees losing motivation.
Employees staying motivated at work need a sense of ownership towards their work. A boss or manager must delegate tasks to employees and let them take control of their responsibilities. Managers can provide tools and guidance to create and mold excellent employees and leaders.
Inadequate support
Staying motivated at work will be difficult for employees if they lack support from their management. This situation will lead to a sense of isolation and decreased motivation. Employees with great perspectives and ideas may no longer care to impart talent and abilities to help grow the company if bosses ignore their importance and existence.
Bosses or managers may let their employees understand what they can and cannot do to support them for various reasons. In some cases, management cannot resolve all problems simultaneously. Prioritizing importance one step at a time is crucial instead of completely ignoring employees.
Lack of clear expectations
I’ve been working in various fields, and the lack of clear expectations of employees regarding their job responsibilities is still an unresolved problem for some companies. Companies with staffing issues tend to put some employees on other tasks, usually not their job responsibility. Doing this constantly to their employees will lead to decrease motivation.
To begin with, an employee that is not adequately trained to do their job responsibility and that tasks are not specified or identify what the company expects from their performance. Staying motivated at work in this scenario is quite challenging and frustrating.
Negative workplace dynamics
You may expect a distinct personality type if you work in a company with thousands of employees. Employees encounter harmful and toxic workplace dynamics, such as office politics, which can be a significant source of stress and decreased motivation.
Office politics involves favoring one employee over another. Promoting people close to management instead of selecting a qualified person for the job is an example of negative work practice. People with real potential may look for other opportunities to help them grow instead of staying at this job for an extended period.
The management needs to review their criteria to impose a positive workplace, eliminating biases and discrimination in various decisions. Staying motivated at work will be much easier if management gives everyone opportunities instead of discriminating against one’s potential.
Related article: Reasons For Intimidation In Management: 5 Negative Leadership Signs.
Burnout
Some companies may experience a high turnover from time to time. This dilemma has something to do with people feeling burnout by their job. Staying motivated at work with prolonged exposure to high levels of stress and demands is hard to attain.
There are many factors of employee burnout. This situation may include a compilation of everything: poor management, boredom, lack of recognition, growth opportunities, conflicting demands, poor work-life balance, limited autonomy, inadequate support, no clear expectations, and hostile workplace management.
Related article: How To Prevent Exhaustion: 6 Critical Signs To Avoid.
What are the steps to consider in staying motivated at work?
Motivating oneself at work might be difficult, but the following suggestions may be of assistance:
Sometimes it’s hard to keep oneself motivated at work, but these ideas could help.
1. Set Goals
Make short-term and long-term objectives that are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely). One way to keep oneself motivated and focused is to have well-defined goals.
People go to work for obvious reasons: to earn a living, afford life and provide for the family. These are the main reasons to find a job and stay motivated. But, others may set goals more than just earning a living and providing for a family, such as establishing a career and development, purchasing a house, buying a car, saving money, building a retirement portfolio, etc.
Some may not want to set any of these goals other than making some money, which is completely fine too.
No matter how simple, setting a goal to stay motivated at work is essential. You have the focus and the reason to wake up early morning, do all the hard work, and deal with various situations. You got to have the motivation to drive to work regardless of obstacles.
An example of initiating SMART goal setting is the following:
Specific: To grow with the company and achieve a career at the management level.
Measurable: Achieve excellent performance of my tasks and responsibilities, great work standing in attendance, Learning every step of the job, maintaining excellent behavior toward people, learning and developing skills at work, developing being a team player, and coordinating well with situations at work.
Achievable: Learn proper work standards and adhere to responsibilities as expected, go to work daily, patiently learn every task and ask clarification from leaders if needed, avoid procrastination and unnecessary discussion, and seek to learn a new skill if offered.
Relevant: Start learning relevant courses to boost the current work and business, apply opportunity postings to enhance position levels, develop interpersonal skills, and start mentorship to cultivate leadership skills.
Time-bound: To achieve this specific goal within five years.
2. Focus on progress
Rejoice in any victories along the path. Keeping tabs on your development might help you realize the fruits of your labor and maintain your motivation.
There may be some hurdles in your path; whatever these circumstances may be, it is vital to direct your focus to your specific goal while resolving some hindrances.
Sometimes we cannot control our environment or the circumstances in our life. Dealing with different dilemmas will drive us away from staying motivated at work. We can pause for a moment and re-evaluate our priorities. Life is full of surprises, so be flexible in any situation. That said, it is self-assuring always to have a backup plan if a specific goal backfires to enable you to stay motivated at the workplace.
In addition, focusing on your progress is a significant step to keeping you motivated most of your day. After all, achieving one plan for another need constant self-motivation.
3. Find meaning or purpose
Find purpose by relating your job to a more significant cause you care deeply about or with some other significance.
This step has something to do with setting your specific goal. Finding meaning or purpose in going to work daily is much easier than having no purpose. It will help keep your sanity intact despite the unpleasant situation at work. Your job is tolerable, and problems are easy to handle if you have a purpose for why you do what you are doing.
These significant purposes or drive for work have something to do with providing a good life with your family, acquiring valuable possessions, savings for your retirement, paying off all your debts, and personal career growth. Whatever urges you to keep pushing yourself to be at work helps you ignore trivial situations.
Related article: Highly Motivated People: How To Know The 7 Signs.
4. Surround yourself with positivity
Seek out encouraging and upbeat coworkers, and surround yourself with them. It might be helpful to be around people who exude positivity to have a good mood and keep your motivation high.
In every workplace, some always like to complain about everything. This personality type may be unaware of their behavior, affecting others’ motivation and perceptions of their job. If you encounter a pessimist, try to avoid them and surround yourself with the ones that can help you motivate.
Sometimes, finding a person with genuine intention and a positive outlook is challenging and part of human nature. People, including myself, easily get frustrated in a lot of circumstances, but what is essential is that you go back to your purpose and evaluate the present circumstances. Is it worth your time and frustration? Is it bearable and avoidable? Negative scenarios can be eliminated and lessened while building positive perceptions in staying motivated at work.
5. Take care of yourself
It’s important to prioritize self-care, so ensure you’re getting enough rest and doing things that make you happy and relaxed. Caring for oneself may give you renewed energy and enthusiasm for your profession or work.
Seek a professional to help you cope with the ongoing emotional trauma and anxiety. It is impossible to stay motivated at work if you are dealing with emotional problems which may negatively affect your relationship with peers and performance at work.
If your pressure is too much to handle at work, take time off to heal yourself and re-evaluate your priorities. Nothing is permanent in life; whatever you deal with at a particular time may also pass at a certain point.
Do not define yourself to your present circumstances. Instead, learn to overcome these struggles and seek support from the right person. When you have personal issues, nobody can understand you around your workplace. They can only see and understand your action and behavior towards them, so it’s essential to have yourself under control.
Related article: The Value Of Self-Care | 6 Important Guides.
6. Reward yourself
Reward yourself for all the effort you’ve put in and the objectives you’ve achieved. It might be as easy as indulging in a dish you like or taking time off to soak in the tub.
Always celebrate every step of your victory and achievement with your family and friends. Doing this will motivate you even more to proceed to your next move until you achieve your purpose in striving.
Encourage yourself to level up from a simple to a more challenging task as you achieve every milestone of your success. Every step of your accomplishment is crucial to attaining your primary goal, don’t overlook these little steps. It is part of your work motivation.
Pamper yourself by going to a spa, getting a new look on your hair, etc. This is your perk whenever you obtain each success of your goal.
7. Find a mentor
Get a more experienced mentor who can help you with advice, motivation, and support while you pursue your ambitions. Having a guide or mentor might help you maintain your drive and determination.
A mentor at work can guide and orient you about whereabouts that will directly impact your job. Some companies initiate mentor groups to support new employees. It is also crucial for a mentor to set a positive attitude towards their mentee to develop a strong work motivation and work ethic to help the mentee succeed in their job.
You may also approach an experienced employee as your work mentor or your leader to guide you every step of the way.
There are different types of mentors you can approach:
Career Mentor: This mentor assists people in navigating their professional growth and advancing their professions.
Personal Mentor: This mentor offers counseling on personal development, life skills, and decision-making.
Technical Mentor: This mentor specializes in a specific technical subject and gives assistance and knowledge in that area.
Executive Mentor: This mentor works with high-level executives to provide advice and direction about leadership, strategy, and management.
Entrepreneurial Mentor: This mentor gives entrepreneurs direction and assistance, allowing them to launch and expand their enterprises.
Peer Mentor: This form of a mentor is someone who has just through a comparable experience or problem and may provide guidance based on their own experiences.
Subject Matter Expert Mentor: This mentor is an expert in a topic who assists others with advice and information.
It’s also possible for a single mentor to fulfill multiple roles and provide guidance in various areas. The most important thing is to find a mentor who matches your needs and goals well.
How to find a mentor at work?
Staying motivated a work sometimes needs a mentor for guidance. Finding a mentor at work who can help you advance both professionally and personally might be beneficial. You may follow these procedures to locate a mentor at work:
Identify your goals: Before searching for a mentor, you must understand what you want to gain from the partnership. Consider your professional aspirations and any areas you want to develop.
Consider your role models: Who do you look up to at work? Who do you value for their education, expertise, or abilities? These folks may be excellent mentors.
Do your research: By speaking with coworkers, reading their writing, or perusing their web profiles, you may learn more about possible mentors. You will better understand their knowledge and experience as a result.
Request introductions: If you have a coworker or boss who knows someone you admire, ask them to introduce you. This step can be an excellent method to establish a connection.
Reach out directly:
- If you have a mentor in mind, get in touch with them right away.
- Describe your motivations for the mentoring and your interest in their work.
- Be thoughtful of their time and show respect.
Participate in a mentoring program: Many businesses provide mentoring programs that might help you find a mentor. Check with your HR department to find out whether your organization has one.
Be ready to describe your objectives and what you intend to achieve from the connection when you meet with your possible mentor. Be receptive to criticism and prepared to absorb new information.
Finding a mentor may be a terrific way to advance your career and build essential relationships while learning new skills and gaining experience. It’s important to remember that developing a mentoring relationship takes time and work, but it may be fruitful for both sides.
