How NOT To Motivate And Reward Employees
Originally posted January 21, 2015 by Bernard Marr on LinkedIn Pulse.
When a newspaper company had to cut costs it made their entertainment writers redundant. To fill the entertainment review columns it came up with what it thought to be a novel way to both deliver reviews and motivate the remaining employees. The newspaper offered free tickets to staff for theatre, music and cultural events, but with the condition that they write reviews. The writer of the best review each month would be rewarded with a bonus of $100.
Not only did the staff immediately see that this was a way for the company to cheaply replace what it had chosen to forgo, through redundancy, by asking the remaining staff to carry out extra work essentially for free. The artists and organizers connected of the events also soon realised they were being short-changed. As the tickets are generally offered free to media outlets, on the understanding their artistic endeavors will receive professional coverage in return, they were often a little surprised to see the newspaper’s advertising sales rep, or office manager, turning up to “review” their play, concert or exhibition.
Needless to say, this “motivational measure” was widely ignored by the paper’s staff, adding to the growing sense of disconnect between staff and management during already turbulent times.
If you are thinking about how to best motivate your employees, to ensure they know their efforts are appreciated, here are a few mistakes to avoid, if you don’t want it to backfire.
Don’t just reward results
Effort is often just as important – while a select few may be responsible for a winning “result” (a big sale, or a major project for a client completed on time), don’t let those working behind the scenes feel underappreciated. Big projects may take a long time to come to fruition and it is important that you keep employees engaged and feeling appreciated for the duration.
Do not promote a “superstar” culture
Motivating and incentivizing should be carefully balanced so individual success does not appear more beneficial to the business than the work of the team as a whole. If staff feels that one “superstar” employee is constantly rewarded for the performance of the group, then motivation will suffer. Success can be recognized at individual, departmental and company-wide level – and it should always be recognized at all three.
Don’t directly and permanently link KPIs to reward
While this may be a great tactic for a one-off or short-term campaign, for example to increase sales in a certain sector which is flagging, it can lead to box-ticking behavior if implemented in a heavy-handed way, and even encourage attempts to “game the system”. KPIs should be there to check that the company is moving in the right direction, not to incentivize (or de-incentivize) staff.
Don’t delay rewards or praise
Studies show there is a direct relationship between how quickly someone is praised or rewarded for their efforts, and how appreciated they feel. It’s easy to think that you will get round to sending out congratulatory emails (or gifts) at some point in the near future, but every second you delay is another second that someone (or your whole team) may be feeling unappreciated.
Don’t become predictable
Vary the rewards and incentives you offer your staff from time to time. Familiarity breeds contempt, and once something becomes routine, it is an expectation and no longer a great pleasure. Put some time and imagination into coming up with ways to make your team feel valued.
Bullies taking a toll on their workplace targets
Less than 10 percent of workers experience bullying on the job. But for those who do, the consequences can be severe.
Ball State University researchers reviewed 2010 data from more than 17,000 workers who were asked, among other things about bullying on the job.
The study found that 8 percent overall reported they had experienced bullying, with women being far more likely to be the targets of bullying than men.
Of those who were bullied, researchers reported, they were far more likely to report physical and psychological responses to the bullying, including stress, loss of sleep, depression and anxiety.
The report, “Workplace Harassment and Morbidity Among U.S. Adults,” says these targets tend to report higher levels of low self-esteem, concentration difficulties, anger, lower life satisfaction, reduced productivity and increased absenteeism than those who said they were not bullied.
“Harassment or bullying suffered by American employees is severe and extremely costly for employers across the country,” Jagdish Khubchandani, a community health education professor at Ball State and the study’s lead author, told Bloomberg BNA Dec. 18. “The first thing that we have to do, and employers have to do, is admit that there is a problem,” he said.
Among other findings:
- Females were 47 percent more likely to be bullied or harassed than males;
- Victims of harassment were more likely to be obese and smoke;
- Female victims reported higher rates of distress,smoking, and pain disorders like migraines and neck pain; and
- Male victims were more likely to miss more than two weeks of work and suffer from asthma, ulcers, hypertension and worsening of general health.
- Bullying was more prevalent among hourly workers, state and local government employees, multiple jobholders, night shift employees and those working irregular schedules.
Khubchandani said that employees are generally reluctant to report harassment because the result is often “just handle it.” Companies need to have anti-bullying policies with teeth in them, and they can also conduct an annual survey of employees that includes gathering information about bullying.
An awareness campaign that educates managers on the signs of bullying such as employees chronically using personal or sick leave — will help to identify those who possibly are being targeted, he said.