Candidates with high degrees of motivation make for the best employees. Motivated employees are dynamic, creative, ingenious, and have that added bit of “can do” attitude that separates them from the others who just do as they’re told. Identifying motivation in your candidates isn’t always easily done in an interview since candidates typically put their best image forward in these situations.
Employees who feel like they have a sense of purpose and contribution in their work tend to be more motivated than those who don’t. When employees feel this sense of purpose, they are also more likely to report greater job satisfaction, engagement in their work, and overall higher morale.
Fletcher Wimbush, CEO of The Hire Talent
“I’ll hire for motivation over experience any day. Motivated employees outperform their less motivated, albeit more experienced and well-trained, counterparts. Over time they develop the skills needed to become top performers.”
How Can Motivation Be Created at Work?
Research dating back to 1998 found that employees are motivated by a number of factors including:
- Being interested in their Work
- Good Wages
- Full Appreciation of Contribution
- Job Security
- Favorable Working Conditions
- Promotions and Growth Opportunities
- A feeling of Being Involved
- Personal Loyalty
- Tactful Discipline
- Sympathy With Personal Problems
Further, a survey conducted by TINYpulse in 2014 concluded that nearly half of the participants were most motivated to do a great job because of peer influence, followed closely by intrinsic desires, over money, or earning potential.
An organization’s success is directly tied to the people it employs, thus the more motivated to succeed the employees are, the higher rate of productivity, the more stable, profitable, and successful the business becomes. Even if their efforts cannot be calculated and measured using quantifiable data, employees are directly responsible for improving the efficiency and quality of your business services and practices. Therefore, in order to develop a thriving business, invest in the people that make up your organization through understanding both individual and collective needs, values, desires, and intrinsic motivations, and offer whatever you can in the way of incentives, rewards, and recognition so that employees feel appreciated, heard, and their contributions respected.
