A
Ensuring employees arrive at work geared up and ready to give their all is a major challenge facing managers today. It used to be so easy. A fat pay cheque and the promise of promotion was all that was needed to keep people committed, loyal and happy. But the world of work has changed, and nowadays, organisations cannot rely on the corporate cheque book to give them the edge. Numerous employee surveys have shown that although pay still makes people tick, a whole raft of other issues have entered the motivation equation.
B
One of the problems is that managers often don't appreciate they are playing in a completely new ball game, and a reliance on old-style motivational techniques just won't work in today's technology-driven, fast-paced business environment. For example, an employee could be working in South Africa, with a boss sitting in London and the main client they are dealing with based in Asia. So for someone who is very motivated by face-to-face contact and a collegiate environment, that could be a huge problem.
C
What most employees expect is the chance to work flexibly, on interesting and stimulating tasks that give them the opportunity to develop their skills and talents. Managers on the ground may not always be able to influence pay and working practices - but, if they are to extract top performance from their teams, they need to know how to press the right buttons and create a culture that will inspire their workforce, a culture in which achievement is acknowledged and people feel valued.
D
Organisations should focus on asking people what they want - a relatively simple task that is too often considered unnecessary. However, questions about motivation have to be asked skilfully, or you won't get to the bottom of what really makes people go that extra mile. Two people may both say they want an interesting and stimulating job, but have widely divergent ideas of what would constitute such a position: a city trader would probably find business consultancy boring, and a consultant might be scared by the city trader's job, but both may be very satisfied with their own job.
E
There are huge gaps between what employees expect from employers and what they actually get. For instance, employers' emphasis on employability (equipping workers with 'marketable' skills) may be somewhat misguided. One study showed that what people really wanted was not employability but job security. As a result, employees had the feeling that their employer wasn't delivering, which had a detrimental effect on the employees' workplace performance and attitudes. The problem lies partly in a lack of communication: to ensure mutual understanding and to align employees' values and goals with those of the organisation, much more conversation is needed.