Motivate Your Employees on a Zero Budget
Use this actionable motivation guide to win your people’s motivation - for free
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Is Money the Best Motivator?
Why Money Alone Isn’t Enough to Motivate?
How Can You Motivate Your People?
Conclusion
Frequently Asked Questions
A gardening enthusiast friend of mine gave me a bunch of baby plants of a rare flower. I was thrilled!
“I’ll grow them and see them bloom in their majestic colors one day.”, I thought immediately.
So I planted them with care and started watering them every morning.
They started growing just fine.
Seeing them respond well, I started watering them twice a day - even more on the weekends.
Within two weeks, they all started losing their
vibrance.
And one morning, I woke up to see their heads hanging down.
They didn’t survive.
I called my friend.
His verdict: Overwatering + lack of essential nutrients.
He said he sees people do this normally:
Only water or insufficient water.
No nutrients or insufficient nutrients.
What’s actually required:
Sufficient water + the right nutrients in sufficient quantity.
I see a striking similarity in how companies manage people.
Just replace “water” with “money” and “nutrients” with factors like recognition, learning, growth, etc.
Here’s a typical situation I’ve come across too many times now.
During a 1:1 with a sales manager, she complained of a lack of cooperation by a team member.
I asked her, “How do you think you can get his attention?”
“I think a bump in commission % can make him put his heart into it.”
“When was the last time you praised him for achieving his targets?”, I asked.
“Umm….”. Silence.
“What’s your annual budget to upgrade his skills?”
“Does he know of the next career steps in this organization?”
Crickets.🦗🦗🦗
This is all too common in organizations.
More money is considered to be the silver bullet despite not getting results from it.
It’s also a subconscious escape for managers to throw all the responsibility on the top management.
I want to highlight this misconception today and offer research-backed actions on how to win your people’s motivation and engagement at work.
Is Money the Best Motivator?
“Top dollar is the top motivator.” said nobody ever.
Research has consistently reported the limited role of money in motivating employees.
But it has been falling on deaf ears.
Let me quote a few instances:
This study analyzed the results of 86 studies and reported: “Despite the popular
theorizing, results suggest that pay level is only marginally related to satisfaction”.
This Gallup survey found that employees earning <$36,000/annum are not less engaged than those who’re making >$90,000/annum!
There’s no difference in employee engagement despite a difference of around 150% in annual pay.
Another study reported concluded by stating that, “... monetary rewards did not enhance intrinsic motivation.”
I can pull out a dozen more evidences but the point is clear.
Money is not the top motivator.
Why Money Alone Isn’t Enough to Motivate?
To answer this important question, let’s consult a classical theory, backed by gazillions of pieces of scientific evidence.
This piece of genius is called Herzberg's Two-Factor Motivation. It caused quite a commotion when it was proposed by a bigshot social scientist, Frederick Herzberg, in 1959.
It was a counterintuitive thing at that time. But it helped understand what makes people feel satisfied and motivated at their jobs.
We need to understand this theory to see why money isn’t the top motivator.
But I’m not gonna fire rounds of verbosity to explain it.
Let me quickly explain it in simple words:
There are two sets of things that affect how you feel about your work.
One set is about things that make you feel good like getting praised for your hard work, having interesting tasks, or opportunities for growth. These are called "motivators." They're like the positive side of your work experience that boosts your motivation.
The other set is about things that might not make you super happy, but if they're missing, they can make you feel miserable. These are things like a comfortable work environment, fair pay, job security, and basic resources. They don't necessarily motivate you, but they're necessary to prevent dissatisfaction. These are called "hygiene factors."
So, according to Herzberg, it's not enough just to take care of the hygiene factors to keep employees from being unhappy.
To truly motivate them, you need to focus on the motivators – the things that make them excited, satisfied, and engaged in their work.
Motivation = Motivators + Hygiene Factors
Here’s a quick list of motivators and hygiene factors:
See which category does salary belong to?
Yep. It’s a hygiene factor.
How Can You Motivate Your People?
Now it’s clear that only a pay raise is more of a snake oil than a silver bullet.
But what exactly motivates them?
As a team manager, you can make these changes on your own, without needing to go through a lot of paperwork for getting approvals.
Nurture strong relations among coworkers
Positive relationships among coworkers have a direct positive impact on their motivation levels. It’s a hygiene factor.
You can strengthen their bonds by encouraging them to participate in collaborative activities even outside of work.
This also calls for your conflict management skills. With the right skills, you can turn a conflict on its head and create positive bonding between your team members.
For me, it’s a pattern that relations that start rough often end up in strong friendships and amazing synergy 🙂
Offer meaningful work
According to HBR, “Meaning is the new money”! In a research study, employees were even willing to give up a percentage of their income to do work that was meaningful to them.
You can do this too. It’s not rocket science at all.
Simply find out your people’s calling, weave it into their jobs, and see their motivation jump.
Create development opportunities
Offer continuous and meaningful development to your people and they’ll stay pumped. An extensive survey by LinkedIn stated that 94% of respondents claimed to stick around if their organization offered development opportunities.
As their manager, you can:
i) Foster a culture of learning and knowledge-sharing in the team
ii) Negotiate a higher learning budget for your people from the HR
iii) Invest time in coaching them. After all, you’re the manager for a reason 🙂
Foster a culture of praise
Recognition of your team’s hard work doesn’t always have to be a red-carpet event where diamond-studded trophies are presented.
It can be a simple mention during a team meeting or a handwritten note of appreciation.
Never miss a chance to appreciate your team’s hard work and they’ll never miss any opportunity to go beyond their roles.
Remember This
If you take away only one point from this article, make it this one:
Winning your people’s motivation has two parts and both are mandatory. Make your own list of motivators and hygiene factors to come up with a motivation strategy for your team.
:::Disclaimer:::
It’s NOT okay to lowball people. Everyone should be paid equally and fairly.
This article intends to highlight the importance of factors that you can enhance to boost your people’s motivation levels.
Low team motivation hampering your team results?
Book a call with me to have me in your corner and we’ll work together to power up your people.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why is motivation important at work?
Motivation helps teams win by delivering outstanding results including high productivity, quality of work, and creativity which are desirable for both the organization and the employees.
What are Hygiene Factors?
Factors that might not make your people super happy, but if they're missing, people will feel miserable.
Can I motivate my team just by offering them more money?
Yes, you can but you’ll hit the ceiling pretty soon. Money is a hygiene factor. Its role is limited to avoiding dissatisfaction. To motivate them, you’ll need other tools like recognition, learning opportunities, and career progression.
How do I keep my people motivated?
Ensure both hygiene and motivating factors are built into their jobs. Any of them alone isn’t enough.