Seven strategies for motivating and retaining employees

by Joanne Sujansky

It is increasingly difficult for organizations to compete in today’s evolving economic environment. Growing competition, emerging technologies and shifting workforce patterns make it harder than ever to attract and retain talented employees. The challenge for most companies is to create a working environment that employees find stimulating, supportive and rewarding.

Employee motivation and retention have always caused dilemmas for leaders. But, given the diversity of today’s workforce, leaders face a far more complex and critical task than ever before. Failing to motivate employees can be extremely costly in the long run. An unhappy, dissatisfied workforce can become a nightmare for leaders. High turnover, increased absenteeism, extreme job stress, poor product quality, bad customer service, inadequate quality control, labor relations problems and low morale are just some of the many problems that can result from poor employee motivation.

To complicate matters, today’s workforce is more heterogeneous than any in America’s history. Today, the rubric of “diversity” embraces not only race, gender, ethnicity, personality and thinking styles, but also includes employees from four different generations. 

Tom Brokaw’s “Greatest Generation,” WWII-era workers, is usually thought of as hardworking and highly loyal. Members of this generation rarely questioned authority and expected to spend their entire career with a single organization before retiring with a gold watch and a pension.

The following generation, the legendary post-WWII “Baby Boomers,” were seen as aggressive overachievers who weren’t afraid to switch jobs if and when opportunities presented themselves. Still, if Baby Boomers seemed less loyal to a single job or company, they nevertheless could be counted on to do what was expected with energy and enthusiasm.

The next two groups to come along – the offspring of “Boomers” – made their mark as “Generation X” and “Generation Y.” GenXers – born between 1960 and 1980 – grew up in a world where loyalty seemed to be a thing of the past since many of their parents were laid off after 20 or 30 years with one company. GenXers don’t expect a long career with a single organization. Instead, they expect to switch jobs many times and change career directions, perhaps more than once, over the course of their lifetimes.

GenYers – born after 1980 – grew up in a high-tech world of computers, cell phones, video games and digital music. They are a well-educated bunch whose experience includes after-school enrichment programs, summer camps and rising academic expectations. They bring a strong sense of self-confidence and high expectations with them as they enter the workforce. Both GenXers and GenYers are renowned for their ability to multi-task, but share a reputation for growing bored easily.

Much has been written about the unique challenge of recruiting and managing a multi-generational workforce. It’s not uncommon for employers to find – to their dismay – that rewards and sanctions which served to motivate one generation are ineffective with another generation. However, savvy leaders recognize that a number of strategies are quite effective in motivating employees and creating the type of environment that inspires enthusiasm and increases employee retention across the generations:

Promote employee involvement.
Employees of all ages generally like the feeling of involvement. Actively solicit ideas from employees and keep in mind that your employees may be aware of potential problems existing underneath management’s radar. This may require you to provide frequent updates about the organization’s status. By providing the “big picture” you will have an easier time getting employees to “buy into” the organization’s mission and goals.

Provide regular feedback.
Annual performance appraisals alone do not cut it. To be effective, employee feedback needs to be frequent and constructive. Acknowledge your employees’ achievements (catch your employees doing something right) and also offer constructive feedback that is intended to help employees understand the ways in which they can improve.

Offer training opportunities.
Today, employees typically consider employer-sponsored training to be a welcomed, valuable opportunity. They appreciate any workplace training they can receive because it helps to build their skills and also helps to keep them on the job. However, in today’s high-tech world, you need to offer a variety of development opportunities, including online learning as well as traditional classroom training and on-the-job skill development. This is particularly true of new generation employees who might be tempted to leave an organization if they are not utilized to their full potential.

Provide on-the-job coaching.
For many years, coaching has been recognized as the critical difference in employee success. A sincere pat on the back is greatly appreciated by all employees and is an inexpensive and convenient retention tool for most companies. But coaching is about much more than just offering flattery or empty praise. In the role of coach, you are charged with teaching employees and providing them with specific feedback on their performance. Individual attention is a critical component in making employees feel valued, as well as improving employee performance. Mentoring is another proven approach to helping employees develop the skills and experience necessary to succeed. And nothing motivates better than success!

Offer flexibility.
While a crew of workaholics may seem like an ideal workforce, most organizations need to find ways to help their employees lead balanced, fulfilling lives. Modern society can place a great many demands upon workers, including those “sandwich generation” employees with children and elderly parents. Younger workers also lead complicated lives. The key is to help employees of all generations balance job requirements with personal obligations. Demonstrating flexibility, while focusing on goals and accountability, can go a long way toward inspiring loyalty in these employees. Work may come first, but it doesn’t supercede the rest of employees’ lives.

Provide a challenging work environment.
The most credible research on motivation over the past 50 years demonstrates that employees are most motivated by the work itself, and that everything else is secondary. No job necessarily has to be routine, dull or de-motivating. There are job redesign strategies available to help renew employees’ interest and re-kindle enthusiasm. New tasks, new projects and new responsibilities can all help make your employees’ jobs more challenging. If you don’t attempt to stretch your people, you may risk losing them.

Cultivate an atmosphere of respect.
Employees of every generation don’t respond well to feeling like just another number, a cog in the wheel, or an invisible part of the organization. All employees need to feel their efforts are recognized and genuinely appreciated. The issue goes beyond being flexible, providing feedback or creating meaningful tasks. Respect your employees’ needs, acknowledge their individuality and provide fair opportunities. Make your employees feel valued and they will value their continued employment with the company.

Over the long haul, it has become increasingly difficult for organizations of every type to retain top talent. In a competitive environment – and there are very few environments that aren’t more competitive today than they were 20 years ago – it can be difficult to prevent employees from jumping to another company when a supposedly better offer is dangled in front of them.

Yet, can employers afford to forego the effort of retaining top talent? The consequences of failing to recruit and train an adequate workforce are far-reaching. Firms with poorly trained and ineffectively managed workers may be prevented from expanding or evolving as markets change. Even worse, a deficient workforce can stifle an organization’s ability to propel change and seize business opportunities in a positive and proactive manner.

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link and the seven strategies outlined above can help any organization ensure that employees don’t become that weak link. By utilizing these strategies, leaders can make sure all of their employees – no matter their gender, background or generation – are energized by the type of working environment that develops skills, capitalizes on talents and inspires them to strive for success!

This article originally appeared in the ISCON 2005 Convention Issue of Progressive Distributor. Copyright 2005.

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