Motivation in the Workplace

In business, it seems that few things motivate people to accomplish more than greed. If I do A and B, then maybe I can work a raise out of the deal. All of us have thought like this at one time or another. Or, if I fail to get this done, maybe I will get fired. Living well and having as much money as possible are two of the greatest motivations we will ever know throughout the course of our lives.

Sales or Marketing

Motivation in the sales and marketing spheres is not hard with a bonus system in place. By rewarding the top performers with bonuses, you are surely motivating people to go out and do everything they can to get those extra rewards. The competition in such an atmosphere can turn brutal at times, but there is no denying the effectiveness of bonuses for stimulating higher output.

The bonus can be a simple certificate the top selling person getting their name on it. The incentive need not be terribly elaborate or expensive in order to be effective, people just have to want it. Different groups of people will be motivated by different incentives.

Pay per performance is a much larger motivational per- formance factor. Above and beyond the annual raise funds provided, a portion of profit is set aside to distribute to employees exactly proportional to their yearly performance. Increasing annual income, adding year-end bonuses, and rewarding employees in this manner is like asking them to "walk on water daily". Those who are capable of performing like this do extremely well.

Assess Accordingly

Some people simply don't have the ability to perform at rocket-science levels every day, or even some days. It's best to gauge your motivational technique to the workforce with which you are dealing. For instance, an announcement to your office staff on Monday that 100% attendance for the entire week receives a reward like a "gift certificate worth $50" is bound to encourage an increase in attendance.

There will always be employees incapable of maintaining an elevated performance level throughout the year, and those who cannot do so throughout most weeks. You must constantly assess the effect your incentives are having upon the workers. Attendance will naturally be better if you give out $75 to anyone with perfect attendance for a month. But would it work if you offered the same amount for a year?

I'm the type of person who works best when provided with a clearly defined task and then left alone to do it. My boss knew this and he also knew that if I needed help, further direction, or had a dilemma of some sort, he WOULD find a note on his door "Must talk TODAY" signed by me.

Within a few months, my boss and I had our relationship down solid. He trusted that I was steadily pounding out the work and that if I did send that e-mail asking him to call me, it probably was not to talk about who won the game the night before. Before long, I was pulling in those bonuses mentioned earlier!

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Vlad Ehrsam is the chief writer for, and editor of Full Info on Business, visit there today for the latest Business advice, and while you're there sign up for the free newsletter.
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