As a manager you notice when an employee suddenly becomes unmotivated. But with most employees, the low morale doesn’t drop overnight, it has been declining right before your eyes. They lose motivation gradually, there are many reasons for this. One way to combat low morale is an effective employee incentive program. Here are some signs that you need a new employee incentive program.
1. Lack of Motivation
If you pay attention, lack of motivation is easy to spot. Your team start to take longer to complete tasks. Employees come in late or skip work altogether. They complain more. They give off the impression that they don’t want to be there. The worst part about having an unmotivated team is that the negative energy spreads. One of the best ways to keep motivation high is to ensure the work is challenging and rewarding. It is hard for employees to stay motivated when their responsibilities are boring and repetitive. The good thing about architecture and design firms is that the work is inherently creative. You just need to find ways to encourage risk-taking, problem solving, and collaboration. And make sure your team members are being rewarded for their contributions.
2. High Turnover
One of the most noticeable signs that you need a new employee incentive program is high turnover. If you have a revolving door of talent, you know you have a problem. Your team members are not satisfied and are finding better opportunities elsewhere. Moreover, high turnover affects the team members that have stayed loyal to the company and often leads to more turnover – a slippery slope. Employees will become insecure and start questioning if they will be the next to go, or they’ll wonder why everyone is quitting and wonder if there is something they aren’t seeing.
3. Burnout
In industries like architecture and design, burnout can be a real problem. If your team is overstressed or driven by unrealistic deadlines, they can’t perform at their best. Eventually, they will stop enjoying the work and motivation will slip. If burnout is an issue, your incentive program needs to incorporate more strategies to limit the team stress and restore work-life balance. It is also important that the workload is distributed fairly. If individual team members are given too much of the workload, you’ll end up losing top performers. The last thing you want is to lose your best talent.
4. Inability to Attract Talent
Another clear warning sign is that your organization struggles to attract quality candidates. Your firm might have developed a bad reputation. If people know the team has low morale, high turnover, and other issues, they won’t want to work there. Reinventing your employee incentive program will help you rebuild your reputation and appeal to more candidates.
The right incentive program will ensure that your team is motivated and productive. Unfortunately, some firms have incentive programs that don’t address the root causes of low morale and end up failing. If you notice any of the above issues, you likely need to reevaluate your incentive program.
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