Why Having Good Relationships With Your Employees Is Not Equal to Having Motivated Employees
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Why Having Good Relationships With Your Employees Is Not Equal to Having Motivated Employees
Having good relationships with your employees is not the same as having motivated employees.
You may know their hobbies, their private life situations and challenges, and you may constantly have informal discussions with them, but this does not guarantee that your team members are satisfied with their jobs.
An employee evaluates his or her job based on their expectations regarding a number of factors.
Besides the relation with their leader, their motivation is impacted by:
- The activities and responsibilities that they have in the company
- The work environment
- The benefits and rewards they receive
- The relationships they have with other members of the company
- The development opportunities that are available for them
- The company’s values
- The internal practices and rules, etc.
Are Your Employees Asking for What They Want?
Some employees prefer to look for other opportunities instead of asking for what they want from their current employer. It’s easier for them to choose a new job that fulfil their needs to a higher degree than address their expectations at their current workplace and risk being rejected and judged for it.
Did you have employees who left even though you thought that things were going well with them?
They did their job well, they were reliable people and good team players. They expected to be rewarded and grow, but if this didn’t happen how they wanted, they didn’t say anything.
No doubt that are people who don’t have any problem asking for what they want, and there are people who ask more than is reasonable (although what is reasonable may be questioned).
The funny thing is that people who ask for and receive what they want may be less valuable to the company than those who don’t ask. As an HR professional, I have seen this situation many times. I’m not saying that it’s wrong that the person who asked received what he or she wanted, just that this creates situations that are not fair for those who contribute more.
Although some benefits are confidential, over time people can figure out what their colleagues receive. In other situations, they may make wrong assumptions about this, which can decrease their motivation.
Equity theory affirms, and research shows, that employees compare, consciously or unconsciously, what they give and receive from the company with what other colleagues in similar positions give and receive. In addition, some of them compare what they give and received with what other people in similar jobs at other companies give and receive.
My Outputs His/Her Outputs
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My Inputs His/Her Inputs
Our decisions are based on how we perceive things, and sometimes our perceptions are not accurate; they are wrong.
Have Conversations with Your Employees to Understand Their Perspectives
It’s important to have conversations with your employees to find out how they perceive different aspects of their work and their particular needs and expectations. It’s a leader’s job to know his or her people and create safe and transparent relationships with them. Only in this way you can find out what drives them and help them grow in the directions that they want.
According to a PwC survey, 1 in 5 employees are considering a job change. Among the first reasons why employees want to change their jobs are lack of fulfilment in their jobs and the opportunity to be one’s authentic self at work.
Retaining and motivating your employees has a significant impact on your business. It affects the time and energy you need to invest in managing your employees and their performance, your business’ financial situation and growth, and it saves you from recruiting and training new employees, to name just a few benefits.
How to have these strategic conversations?
You’ll find a step-by-step guide in the online program: How To Motivate Your Employees So They Care For Your Business And Help You Grow It. This will help you address those questions through which your employees needs and expectations are identified and create personalized action plans for each of them to improve their motivation. In addition, I’ll give you my support through online meetings, where you can address the particular situations from your company and discuss the questions that you have.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PROGRAM HERE
You can also e-mail me at: daniela.tancau@improvework.ro if you need to know more about the program.
