Posted on October 1, 2018 by Anthony Mortimer

The Influence of HR on Workplace Motivation

If you’re a HR representative, manager, director, chief of culture, or king/queen of quirky incentive schemes, you know that motivating your colleagues on a stuffy Monday morning can be a challenge, but it’s one you accept heartily. Whether you wake up to a stonking headache, hangry little ones, or a flooded kitchen floor, when you get to the office, we bet you’re still a ray of sunshine (at least, most of the time).

You are the workplace warrior, tackling mounting piles of paperwork and the growing tension between Hannah and Christoph following the soya milk incident, all in one morning. It never seems to stop, but neither do you, and it’s because you really do care about your co-workers that you’re always looking for new ways to keep them smiling – especially when it’s boiling hot outside, and the air conditioning has stopped working for the fourth time this week.

Be a monster of motivation

So, how do you keep your co-workers motivated? From the coolest ice-breakers to the dodgiest games of dodge ball, you’ve tried all sorts to keep the office happy. Unfortunately, you’ve likely discovered that motivating every single employee every minute of the working day is almost impossible. And whilst this is true, when you look at the stats, it’s clear that the responsibility to create an enthusiastic workforce rests almost entirely on your shoulders…

• 87% of employees expect their employer to support them in balancing their life between work and personal commitments.[i]
• 94% of executives and 88% of employees believe a distinct workplace culture is important to business success.[ii]
• 96% of employees want to be recognised and rewarded for their contribution to their organisation. And, just 37% of employee respondents think their employer does this well.[iii]

People want to be recognised

As a cheerleader, advocate and empath, showing your co-workers the support they require comes naturally to you. But with so many complicated people to look after in any one workplace, each with their own needs, wants and relationships, it’s a difficult job to say the least.

Employees are becomingly increasingly hard to retain, and it therefore makes sense that 97% of HR leaders are planning to increase their investment in recruiting technology by the year 2020.[iv] Whilst this might go some way to resolving the employee acquisition problem, the fact that in 2018, 79% of UK workers believe their employer does not care about their happiness remains. What does this mean? It’s doubtful that the employee retention problem will be solved by investing in technology.[v]

This statistic doesn’t have to be disheartening, though. It can instead be used as a jumping-off point. No matter who you are, feeling appreciated and understood is a part of what makes you happy – and employees are no different. If they’re not being recognised and rewarded for their efforts, the likelihood is they’ll go looking for an employer who appreciates them for who they are.

Keep on informing, influencing and inspiring…

Showing your employees they’re valued is a great way to keep them striving for success, and it begins with recognising and rewarding their achievements. With an M&S gift card, you can empower your team to spend it well, and give yourself a well-deserved rest from waving those pom-poms.

For more information on the changes in employee expectations (and subsequently HR departments) over the years, check out our infographic on HR’s evolution – from policing staff to motivating employees.

[i] https://risepeople.com/blog/fascinating-hr-statistics/

[ii] https://www.strayboots.com/blog/15-hr-statistics-youll-need-2018/

[iii] https://www.employeebenefits.co.uk/issues/may-online-2017/26-view-employee-engagement-as-a-top-priority-for-2017/

[iv] https://workplacetrends.com/the-employee-burnout-crisis-study/

[v] https://blog.accessperks.com/2018-employee-engagement-loyalty-statistics