Employee Motivation Articles

ACTUAL CASE HISTORY: In his Welcome Aboard letter at a large securities firm, Lou was promised a base salary of $100,000 and a "minimum guaranteed" bonus of at least $250,000 after his first year on his new job. After his first year ended, he was told he would be receiving a bonus of only $100,000. When he asked his boss about the "obvious mistake," he was referred to Human Resources. When Lou brought the "obvious mistake" to HR's attention, they referred him to his written acknowledgement of having received a copy of the Employee Handbook.

Important Intro Note: On May 27, 2008, the United States Supreme Court issued decisions in two related cases that raised this fundamental question: When Congress granted employees rights to fair employment practices, did Congress also mean to grant employees protections from retaliation from employers for exercising those rights? The Supreme Court’s answer, to the surprise of many “Court-watchers,” was a resounding “YES.” It appears that, when it comes to the protection of fundamental, individual rights, “very conservative” and “very liberal” can sometimes mean the same thing.

There is always a good feeling when you receive an award, especially if it’s a prestigious and special award in your company or from a well-recognized organization. However, you don’t need to have a prestigious and great recognition to be able to give out awards to people. A simple wooden plaque or glass award will already go a long way in appreciating a person’s hard work and dedication. Here are some simple awards you can consider in your workplace, community, or orga

ACTUAL CASE HISTORY: Fourteen years of hard work had paid off for Enrique: he'd risen to Executive Vice President of a privately-held firm that was one of the country's largest providers of continuing medical education for surgeons. He was number two to the firm's founder, and the only non-family member among the senior-most executives. Enrique was considered by all to be a good prospect to run the company one day. The founder, who was 64, had been speaking of retiring for some time.

I was staring into the faces of the two colleagues who had become dear friends of mine, after spending the last several days together. I was bemoaning to them (through the tears streaming down my face), "I'm so frustrated that parts of my work feel like such a chore! I know I'm making a significant difference - but I'm frustrated that I'm working so hard and exerting so much effort. I feel like I've gotten off track with my integrity.

It was near the end of my radio interview with John Yokoyama, owner of world famous Pike Place Fish Market, when he made what we call in the coaching and consulting world, a 'throw away comment'. It was just an off-handed comment spoken quite casually, but it was rich with insight. John had been sharing about the process he and his staff went through to uncover their vision of being world famous.

Does this feel like a familiar experience to you?... As a women entrepreneur in a moment of awareness and panic you realize it's time to take some fast action to bring in some immediate income. So you work extra hours, reach out to prospects, do a little networking and possibly stretch yourself to launch a program or two.

"Teams do not go physically flat, they go mentally stale." - Vincent Lombardi In the midst of this recession in our country, company sales are down, layoffs are eminent, job security is dictated by numbers, and the remaining staff is overworked, overwhelmed, just trying to keep things going. And to top it off employee morale is at an all time low. So, how do you keep employee morale up in a down economy? Getting and keeping clients happy right now is always a number one conce

"Wise men talk because they have something to say... fools, because they have to say something."rn- Plato

Every time I teach money classes or coach one-on-one with clients I am always amazed at how much resistance comes up around gaining clarity about spending. It's almost as if our culture as a whole has a love/hate relationship around controlling their spending.

Webster's dictionary defines integrity as the state of being complete or undivided. When we act out of integrity we're operating from a deep and secure space within ourselves. This affords us enormous power to achieve our dreams and goals. When our inner selves and outer selves are in concert with each other we are not easily thrown off course with what we say we want.

We’ve all been there—everyone is being asked to do more with less. Fewer employees, less budget, and less time. It’s a common story especially in this economy. So how do I fit training into an already stretched budget and workforce? Training is one of those things that everyone agrees is important, but few of us really take the time to invest in. Much like saving money, we all think it is a good idea, but few of us are actually doing it. Let’s look at the importanc

In our businesses and work, we have the opportunity every day to take action and move towards our ideal future. The question is, How many of us will move towards our ideal future (or vision) while maintaining a connection to a higher purpose in what we do, versus simply taking action and going through the motions to achieve our desired end result? I recently read a study conducted by psychologist David Yeager. He interviewed high school students in the San Francisco Bay Area about their hopes, dreams and life goals.

CASE HISTORY: "Objection!" I bellowed, "My client is not an atto ey, and so his understanding of the law is irrelevant to the issues before this arbitration panel." "Objection overruled," the arbitration panel chairman immediately shot back. "What is in writing, and therefore binding on your client is, indeed, relevant. Now, Ms. Downey, proceed with your questioning." I sat down.

Most of us live our lives identifying ourselves as someone who is completely separate and independent of other people, places, circumstances and situations. We have the experience that other people, places, circumstances and situations just "randomly happen to us" - completely independent of us and we are powerless to do anything about it.

Mahadevan had a diploma in Hotel Management from a renowned institute in Delhi. This 24-year-old native of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, had completed two years as a receptionist in the front office department of a mid-range Delhi hotel catering to overnight business travelers. The young man was restless because he worked in a 14- hour shift and had no savings. He was unable to get into any of the Five Star establishments where the pay was better and the opportunities for promotion

Many years ago I listened to the audio book, "Fish Tales." This is an incredible story about John Yokoyama, the owner of the Seattle Pikes Place fish market and how he took it from a struggling work place, where staff fights and employee walk-outs were the norm to the financially successful, world-famous fish market that it is today.

Monitoring the efficiency of your workers is one of the most important keys to making your business succeed. Your employees are the backbone of your company, and if they are not working the way they should, it is your business that will suffer the consequences. One of the ways you can track the progress of your workers and find out whether they are satisfied with their current jobs or not is by conducting an employee satisfaction survey (find employee satisfaction survey here

When I reflect back at the times in my life when I achieved my goals and dreams with the greatest ease I realize that these were times when I wasn’t attached to or trying to control a particular outcome.

Are you somebody who is in charge of running the operations at the corporation you work at? Does your organization consist mostly of loyal employees who stick around for at least a few years or do you mainly have employees who take off for greener pastures within a few months? You might say, “Most of my employees leave quickly but it is not a major deal because there are plenty of warm bodies out there to replace them. No skin off my back.” I have some sobering news. High em

A company’s life is full of ups and downs. There are times when we lose hope and interest to move ahead and employee motivation is the only solution to cope up with the situation and turn the tables with spectacular performance. Those businesses which know how to manage a motivated labour force enjoy long term viability of their wholesale business through more sale and more profits. rnEvery business has some realistic, specific and attainable goals. Employee motivation is t

"I don't know what to do - I've been trying to make $4,000 in my business each month and it just isn't happening. I don't understand what I'm doing wrong. I'm very clear about my bold money goal and I even have it written out where I see it everyday. Plus I've designated a clear time frame to achieve it by. But I'm still struggling with making anything beyond a few hundred extra dollars. I'm just not sure what to do!"

When I first started my coaching business I felt inept and powerless when it came to making money. I had a difficult time imagining that I could ever make a decent income. I believed that the only way I could end up with any money at the end of the month was to manage it very frugally.

ACTUAL CASE HISTORY: Alex had been employed in the Information Technology ("I.T.") department of a large insurance company for 20 years. At 54 years of age, he was looking forward to retirement in just a few years. His wife, Barbara, had recently retired as a school teacher in a private school, and the two looked forward to traveling and spending more time with their grandchildren.

The experience that I share in this story occurred eight years ago – I’m excited to share this story with you in the hopes that it will inspire you. “It’s my husband’s responsibility to pay most of the bills,” the voice inside my head stubbornly insisted.r

This is an article that appeared earlier this week in a monthly column that I write for "Balance: A Magazine for Montana Wome "… Have you ever experienced times in your life where things were unfolding with ease, and life seemed to be humming along just great when suddenly, without warning, your "good fortune" came to a screeching halt and you found yourself feeling stuck and stagnant?

In his book, Free Play, Stephen Nachmanovitch writes about the joy of playing. He describes play as a state of mind where we focus on the process – the sheer joy of play, and not the end result. He encourages us to recognize that the act of play in and of itself is the destination. When we play we have nothing to gain and nothing to lose because we have no expectations.

Do You Have a Healthy Relationship With Money? I remember many years ago having a pretty amazing insight about a client's relationship with money. I was looking at her financial numbers and she had asked me what steps she could take to improve her situation. I looked at her debts and quickly assessed which ones she should focus on paying down first.

Many entrepreneurs wonder how to manifest in their business and life. There is a wonderful story that explains this concept so beautifully... An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.r

I've come to realize that the situations that challenge me the most as a leader and business owner are the ones that bring up a lot of emotions for me. Immediately my internal dialogue kicks in. In the moment it seems like my internal dialogue is simply reporting the truth about my situation or the person I'm upset with. And before I'm aware of it I get caught up in my inner commentary and self-made internal reality and forget that it's simply an internal conversation that I've created about my situation.

In an organization where empowerment is the watchword, all things are possible.nnNo magic elixir, no one-time effort, no management fad will make people gung-ho about the company they work for. Creating a positive environment is an ongoing commitment. I have often said that profit is the applause you get for taking care of your customers. That starts with building an organization that motivates and empowers the people who work there.nnIn Gung Ho!, a book I wrote with Sheldon

It was time for my yearly eye exam and I decided to change my Ophthalmologist. I needed to find an optical shop closer to home. I spent a lot of time finding this particular optical shop and was happy that the shop was conveniently located, had plenty of parking available, and was open during the evenings and weekends. When I called to schedule the appointment, the receptionist was very pleasant and accommodating. Convinced that I had found the perfect place for all of my opt

Are you a building professional who wants to ride the increasingly large sustainability wave? Well becoming a LEED Accredited Professional is a lot easier than you think! Passing the LEED exam will make your self look that much better, not only on paper, but also in practical terms. nnEver since the United States Green Building Council appeared, people have been becoming more and more serious about building green. The USGBC created a rating system to help set industry standar

Lesson 4: Inspire Others With a Future That Creates Their Desired Results getyourfuturestartedI have received many questions from business owners and leaders about how to hold others accountable so they can lead their team to achieve extraordinary results. This is lesson #4 out of six lessons I’ve learned about being a leader who powerfully holds others accountable. I inspire and invite others to create and commit to a future that naturally expresses their desired results.

Office incentives is a very dynamic and forward thinking company which are rapidly expanding in the world of corporate events management. at office incentives we feel the fact that objective of an incentive program is to improve performance of your respective business, whether it is to motivate your employees, customers or suppliers. Incentive schemes have allowed organizations to retain, and lift the performance of employees. Motivating staff to work harder is just about the

"Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life." - Confucius rnConfucius stated the above at a time career options were limited and careers were built on simples needs. However, as time progressed, our basic needs have been altered towards complexity and our career choices have become burdened by our limitless needs. People approach work in one of eight ways, based on their Myers-Briggs personalityrntype.They are “Responders, Explorers, Expeditors

There are thousands of learning resources online, many of these resources are free for everyone, so if you are willing to learn a new language, online learning will be a great choice. However, when you are learning something new online, there is an important hint you need to pay more attention to. If you are an Internet lover, you could know nothing more than the websites. Exactly, the majority of online websites are very useful more or less, and some sites are very comprehen

At first glance this story might seem like it has nothing to do with building a thriving business. However, as you read this, I invite you to consider where you haven't been willing to "get off it" with someone or something in your business. Getting off it is a willingness to take responsibility for your part in the drama and the story you've been telling yourself about those situations in your business where you feel stuck.

I remember feeling confused, stuck and burdened when it came to handling my money. My husband and I had multiple piles of traveling bills that I could never seem to locate when it was time to pay them. There were even occasions when I avoided opening my bills for fear of how much they were. And to make matters worse I didn’t have a clue as to where my money was disappearing to each month and how much debt we had.

Do you know that less than three percent of the population has a list of written goals? You can put yourself in the top successful three percent by learning how to write out your goals, either by yourself or with your partner, so that you too can reap the magnificent benefits of living your life on purpose and achieving your dreams. Do You Know Where You're Going With Your Financial Goals?

I once received an invoice from my former bookkeeper. The amount didn't seem accurate so I contacted him to inquire about it and was shocked at his reaction. He became defensive and said, "If you don't trust me then perhaps it's best that we don't work together anymore."

Sometimes, making a post or status update in Facebook could damage your career. We all know that it is the no. 1 social networking site as of the moment that its usage is definitely affecting one’s life too. For some, this “in thing” about social media is new to them. Of course, many would love to update their status with the latest happening in their life say how their baby made its first few steps. People love sharing these simple priceless moments. We used to keep ph

Like most solo entrepreneurs when I first started my business I was hyper-focused on making money. It made sense - I had to make money to pay my bills and meet my monthly expenses. Then there was always the "in-my-face" annual income goal that I held in the forefront of my mind (which I never seemed to be able to achieve). I was constantly struggling with making money; it occurred as a lot of internal pressure and hard work.

Is the first thought of your morning and the last worry of the evening dominating your day? Is it looming over your shoulder and robbing your leadership from experiencing greater depth, meaning and purpose in your work?

Lesson 3: Recognizing That People Want to Avoid Accountability I have received many questions from business owners and leaders about how to hold others accountable so they can lead their team to achieve extraordinary results. This is lesson #3 out of six lessons I’ve learned about being a leader who powerfully holds others accountable. I realize that it’s part of the existing human culture to avoid accountability. People avoid accountability because they are afraid of being punished if things don’t turn out.

I've realized that regardless of the current circumstances that I'm experiencing in my business, I have an opportunity to create a brand new future. As a leader and business owner, I have two choices: I can choose to create a future based on my past or I can choose to create a future that is inspiring, exciting and based on pure possibility. To distinguish this, I ask myself 3 questions: 1. What is the future that I've been moving in to? In other words what is the current conversation that I've been living in my mind? This is the default future that I've been creating.r

I have received many questions from business owners and leaders about how to hold others accountable so that you can lead your team to achieve extraordinary results. In the upcoming weeks I will be sharing six lessons I’ve learned about being a leader who powerfully holds others accountable: How to be a Leader who holds others Accountable 1: Clean Up My Own Act For starters, I take the time to reflect and identify those areas in my business and personal life where I have broken agreements or promises.

ACTUAL CASE HISTORY: InterActive Corporation is an internet giant, often mentioned in the same breath as Google, Ebay and Amazon.com. It's headquartered in New York City, has over $2 billion in annual revenue, and represents a stock market capitalization in excess of $16 billion (Nasdaq stock symbol IACI).

At the core of every successful company is a high-effective team. As a business leader, one of your main responsibilities is working with your employees and getting them motivated and able to accomplish the goals that you’ve set out for them. This isn’t a process that’s set in stone, and as such there are countless different ways that you can go about improving morale and performance. Leading your employees to optimal performance may seem like "Mission Impossible," since not

When you’re running a company during a time that the economy is rough, you have to think of other ways to motivate your employees than giving them monetary raise. This is where the importance of corporate awards and gifts comes in. While giving monetary bonuses is a good way to push a worker to work harder, giving a gift as priceless as a trophy or a plaque is always the more effective way to motivate employees.rn rnCorporate Awards Provides Inner Zealrn rnThe feeling of re