How to Use Employee Engagement to Increase Motivation [10 Proven Strategies]

Employee motivation plays an important role in workplace productivity, but keeping employees consistently driven isn’t always easy. While motivation can fluctuate, one of the most effective ways to sustain it is through engagement. This brings us to an important question: How to use employee engagement to increase motivation?

In this post, we’ll examine the differences between engagement and motivation and how they influence each other. Also, we’ll discuss 10 strategies that leaders and organizations can implement to motivate their employees through engagement.

 

Understanding Employee Engagement and Motivation

 

Employees stay committed to their work when they are happy with their overall well-being. Besides receiving paychecks, employees look for other ways to stay active and contribute more to their company’s work goals.

Here is where employee motivation levels come into play. Studies show that employee motivation directly results from increased engagement with the organization. For instance, a study shows that 52% of employees felt motivated when financial and non-financial rewards were combined for appreciation and recognition.

Similarly, most employees felt motivated when their work goals were a mix of their team’s goals and their individual growth requirements.

So, how do the concepts of engagement and motivation work in favor of employees and their companies? Let’s learn more.

What is Employee Engagement?

In simple terms, engagement refers to how committed an employee is to their work goals and the organization’s core policies. Engagement is crucial to determining employees' productivity and how they can impact the profits and growth of the organization.

Many companies have dedicated teams that determine and survey employee engagement levels. These teams are responsible for developing engagement initiatives and strategies to ensure that every team or group has motivated workers and responsive managers.

Engagement happens at different levels, meeting the well-being and recreational needs of employees through team bonding activities, flexible work schedules, healthcare benefits, rewards and recognition, and much more.

What is Employee Motivation?

Employee motivation refers to the driving force that helps employees achieve their work goals more effectively. In most cases, employee motivation is a consequence of one or more engagement initiatives, leading to improved engagement.

For instance, when employees receive appreciation or an instant reward for a job done quickly, it boosts their morale. Naturally, this becomes a motivating factor for them to perform better and earn more such rewards.

Similarly, a team leader who regularly values every employee’s contribution to the team motivates the employees to work in unison and produce quality results.

Above all, motivation is the emotional factor that increases an employee's engagement level with the company. A small motivational boost can make a neutral or disengaged employee become an active team or group member.

 

Employee Engagement vs. Employee Motivation

   

The above definitions of engagement and motivation show that motivation leads to improved engagement. On the other hand, disengagement can cause an employee to lose motivation to work.

So, engagement and motivation go hand in hand while having a few significant differences.

 

Factors	Engagement	Motivation
Goal	To bring out an increased commitment from all employees towards work goals and company policies.	To make employees feel they are capable of doing better in their personal and professional commitments.
Parties involved	Involves consistent and combined effort by the HR team, leaders, managers, and employees.	Involves an increase in individual effort to improve work performance.
Duration	Long-term process that involves several stakeholders to show improved productivity.	Comparatively quicker, where an instant boost can show up through better employee performance.
Influence	Engagement goes beyond motivation, relying on factors like employee involvement, voicing opinions, providing feedback, bonding with the team, and more.	Engagement initiatives can directly influence employees' motivation levels and boost their morale.

 

Why is Employee Engagement and Motivation Important in the Workplace?

 

Employees are no longer satisfied with paychecks alone. When choosing to work for an organization, they are looking for the roles and responsibilities that the company assumes to ensure a smooth, professional journey.

At no point should an employee feel they made a mistake choosing to work for their current team or company. Achieving this goal is one of the biggest challenges that organizations worldwide face today.

In addition to monetary benefits, employers and managers must devise an overall strategy to ensure their employees find a sound purpose for coming to work and being effective.

Engagement initiatives play an important role in getting employees involved in the workplace. Wholesome engagement initiatives target all kinds of employees so that none feel left behind. As a result, employees can connect better with their teams, peers, leaders, and the organization.

In most cases, engagement provides a purpose for employees to remain motivated to work. For instance, working in a company that provides safety and health benefits can motivate employees to work better for a company that values their lives and health.

Also, increasing individual motivation collectively leads to enthusiastic participation and work commitment among employees, naturally leading to better engagement.

Thus, initiatives to engage and motivate employees are crucial for an organization’s long-term success.

 

Benefits of Motivated and Engaged Employees

Motivation in the workplace plays a crucial role in helping employees and their employers. Here are some benefits for both parties to ensure a win-win situation.

1. Increased Productivity: Improved work performance is a direct benefit of motivation. When employees are motivated to perform better, this motivation is reflected in their work performance, often in numbers.
2. Reduced Employee Turnover: Employees who are engaged at the workplace feel motivated to perform better for the company that meets their needs. As a result, they do not think about switching companies or choosing another career, leading to lower turnover costs for the company.
3. Positive Work Environment: Just like happiness is infectious, one motivated employee can spread motivation to others in the team or group. This attitude creates an overall positive workspace, making the organization a more uplifting place to work.
4. Creativity and Innovation: When employees are motivated, their energies are focused on doing better. This attitude leads to the creation and implementation of new ideas and thoughts that can impact their work and improve results. Engagement with peers and like-minded employees often results in path-breaking innovations that can become profitable for the company.

 

10 Proven Strategies to Use Employee Engagement for Motivation

 

We learned about how employee motivation is a consequence of employee engagement initiatives. Balancing and developing a holistic list of well-being initiatives can help boost the motivation levels of all kinds of employees.

Let’s look at some ways in which we can increase employee engagement and increase motivation levels.

1. Foster a Positive Work Environment

 

When employees join a team, they expect the managers and team members to be warm and welcoming. Any disinterest towards a newcomer signals that the team has been having trouble, such as significant turnover, a boss who burdens the team, and so on.

Managers and leaders must lead by example to create a positive work environment. When leaders lead by example, their energy rubs off on the employees. To improve engagement levels, managers must work alongside the team and be prompt in resolving and responding to team members.

• Make your company’s culture prioritize employee well-being.
• Provide opportunities for employees across the organization to connect with each other, online or offline.
• Ensure every team’s dynamics are in line with the company’s core policies so that employees never feel left out or disoriented.

 

2. Recognize and Reward Contributions

 

The second crucial motivation for employees after their salary is appropriate recognition at the right time. Timely recognition and suitable rewards provide an instant boost to an employee’s self-esteem.

The rewards and recognition system must be flexible and dynamic to facilitate appreciation from leads and peers. Such tools help recognize small and significant contributions from employees.

Also, the rewards system must be flexible enough to let the recognized employees choose what they want as a reward. Many rewards and appreciation solutions offer employees the option of cash, coupons, discount vouchers, gifts, and more.

• Mandate a rewards system for leaders and co-workers to recognize small and significant contributions by other employees.
• Flexibility to choose from reward options makes employees feel personally valued, increasing their motivation to work.
• Focus on instant or quick recognition rather than postponing it to annual or quarterly events. Timely recognition provides higher motivation than delayed recognition.

 

3. Encourage Employee Feedback and Participation

 

Any decision relating to work within the team, group, or organization must involve two-way participation. Leaders must consult with all levels of employees and hear their opinions before making any major decision.

When employees’ opinions are respected, they feel motivated to work harder for the company. In fact, employee feedback is an important engagement metric for determining what is required to keep employees committed to their work.

Here is where the HR team comes up with different kinds of surveys and discussion threads on the company’s intranet to help employees voice their opinions. Encouraging employees to participate in such important discussions and significant events makes them feel like valued assets of the company.

• Encourage mandatory employee participation in team meetings and part-level events with leaders.
• Float online surveys where employees can share opinions regarding new initiatives and suggestions to improve existing ones.
• Allow employees to post their views anonymously on company-wide discussion threads, physical suggestion boxes, and more.

 

4. Offer Career Growth and Development Opportunities

 

Every employee faces a situation in their career when they feel stagnant at work. The monotony of work at certain periods can make employees lose motivation and become less engaged with their team.

During these periods, employees often wish to learn more and improve their skills. Companies that help employees meet their learning needs and utilize these skills to grow their company help prevent costly turnovers.

Collaborations between teams without many formal procedures help employees utilize their skills better. Similarly, providing access to e-learning portals, conducting company-wide training on topics that help employees, holding technical workshops, and other methods can keep employees motivated whenever work feels overwhelming or monotonous.

• Provide access to e-learning courses and portals that the company can track.
• Company tie-ups with universities can help employees pursue distant learning without quitting their jobs.
• Attending courses with the whole team helps the team stay motivated during low phases.

 

5. Provide Autonomy and Purpose

 

Employees must be empowered to work in a way that makes them feel comfortable, as long as they can deliver the expected results on time. So, it becomes important for the leads to understand the working style and preferences of each employee under their supervision and plan the teamwork dynamics accordingly.

When employees have autonomy over their work and less interference from others, they feel a sense of purpose and empowerment. This empowerment, in turn, boosts motivation.

Clear work goals and objectives, tracking the status of everyday tasks, and appreciation for timely completion provide employees with a sense of purpose in their work and the organization.

• Allow employees to work independently while also being with their teams.
• Encourage employees to collaborate within the company to utilize their skills better.
• Ensure the team operates in sync with all team members' work schedules and working styles.

 

6. Enhance Work-Life Balance

 

Flexibility is a major factor for many employees searching for a new job. More and more employees are prioritizing a good work-life balance to ensure harmony in their personal lives.

Thus, remote working and flexible work hours are becoming mandatory expectations from employees. There is a common misconception that fewer hours at the workspace means less engagement.

However, studies prove the opposite. A survey shows that employees working remotely or in a hybrid setting are more productive and perform better. In fact, many companies have recently switched to a four-day workweek after seeing improved performance.

Thus, companies must focus on quality of work while ensuring harmony for employees.

• Work around a hybrid schedule to help employees take up remote or work-from-home options.
• Undertake the right initiatives to engage employees working remotely.
• Deploy a tracking and monitoring system to ensure employees do not misuse the benefits of remote work.

 

7. Strengthen Leadership and Management Practices

 

Motivation in an organization works best when it comes from the top down. When motivation comes from the top leadership, managers and other leaders grasp it and pass it on to those working under them.

Therefore, the team in charge of engagement should first empower managers and leaders to be flexible and responsive to employee needs. The company must ensure sufficient training and resources are available for managers to handle their teams’ changing dynamics.

Also, managers must be mandated to have regular one-on-one sessions with each of their direct reports to understand their individual engagement and motivational needs.

• Leaders must follow the ideal work ethics that they expect from their employees.
• Be open to feedback anytime from any team member or peers.
• Leadership decisions must always go along with the majority while also accommodating minorities.

 

8. Improve Communication and Transparency

 

When employees are unaware of their work's results, the company's performance, and what leaders are discussing, they feel detached from the company. Naturally, they become less engaged with their work teams and lose motivation.

Hence, it is crucial to have an organization-wide communication channel where all employees can learn about the latest happenings in the organization. Any new initiative, new company leader, or new work policies, must be announced to all employees.

Similarly, team leaders must encourage daily meetings or quick stand-up sessions where everyone discusses their progress and tasks completed. Such actions ensure that employees know the latest details relating to their work and the company.

• Employee engagement can happen through an organization-wide intranet portal.
• Encourage feedback from employees through online, offline, or anonymous modes.
• Keep the processes relating to decision-making transparent across teams or the company.

 

9. Create Meaningful and Challenging Work

 

Employees apply for a job role after analyzing the requirements and the company’s history. If the job description and the company’s policies conflict with their own values, it’s very unlikely a candidate will select that company. This is why companies like us strive to optimize the hiring process so the right candidates land their dream jobs. While employees do their best to prepare for their expected job roles, organizations must do their role by creating meaningful work that challenges employees to test their skills.

When employees find their work challenging rather than hectic, they hardly find a reason to leave the company.

• Be clear with job descriptions when filling a role in your company.
• Stay connected with industry experts to know how work gets done in your field.
• Analyze how your competitors and partner companies are faring in employee engagement and retention.

 

10. Use Technology and Engagement Tools

 

As we saw in the previous topics, there are numerous ways to ensure employees remain engaged to increase motivation. However, implementing and tracking the results of each initiative and measuring motivation levels can be a huge challenge for leaders and HR professionals.

Several employee engagement solutions and software are available today to assist companies in achieving their personalized engagement goals. Most offer an interactive dashboard, provide AI insights, and connect with existing cloud platforms and workspaces to ensure that engagement add-ons do not require additional overhead or a learning curve.

• Choose a tool that fits your company’s employees and their engagement requirements.
• Make sure such tools provide mobile support and integrate with your official workspaces like Google or Microsoft.
• Go for software solutions powered by AI and data-driven insights that ease decision-making for engagement.

 

Engaging and Motivating Remote Employees

 

One of the major challenges companies have faced since the COVID-19 pandemic is managing remote work and employees who work remotely full-time or in a hybrid manner.

While some claim it can be difficult to engage employees on a remote team it has been proven wrong. Thanks to digital workspaces and tools like Zoom, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and many more, connecting and communicating with remote employees is now hassle-free.

In fact, employees now see working from home as a source of motivation to work and better balance their personal lives. The remote working option is definitely different from working in an office, as nothing can match the vibe of an actual workspace.

Here are some ways to ensure remote employees stay engaged with their teams and leaders from anywhere else:

1. Have daily calls and group meets to sync with work updates.
2. Have weekly or quarterly Zoom sessions to reflect on learnings.
3. Conduct and encourage employees to participate in online gaming with the team.
4. Plan for physical meets or lunches whenever possible.
5. Encourage employees to conduct seminars on topics that could help them at work.
6. Plan on co-working at one team member’s place on a rotational basis while hanging out with the team.

The leaders and HR team can come up with innovative ways to keep up their team spirit and get the work done while accommodating employees’ needs and space.

 

Driving Motivation Through Employee Engagement Solutions

 

Employee engagement can be a great way to increase motivation among employees. When employees feel that a company takes care of their overall well-being and provides some unique perks, they don’t feel an acute need to make a change. A company’s treatment of its employees can be a great source of motivation for them to contribute.

As we have seen, motivation and engagement go hand in hand. Increased engagement leads to higher motivation and vice versa. Companies and leaders must develop engagement initiatives catering to the motivational requirements of all kinds of employees.

We at Revaluate180 have a skilled team that specializes in team building, employee engagement, and well-being programs Our data-driven model helps companies choose the best engagement initiatives that can provide significant results.

Connect with us today to learn how to improve employee engagement levels and increase their motivation for a better tomorrow.