Motivation at work:
How are you doing with that? Do you value success and having fun at work? What motivates you to achieve top performance? Money, recognition, or maybe flexible working hours? Do you find meaning in your job? And is it important to you to know and share the employer's goals? It pays to think about these questions now and then. Because knowing what moves and motivates us at work can contribute a lot to our own satisfaction in life. Even more: When people go to work motivated, the economy also benefits.
What is motivation?
What is motivation? The business psychological society describes motivation as an internal source of energy that drives behavior. Motivation describes the pursuit of goals. This pursuit can be based on various motives, such as power, self-actualization, or social contact.
A distinction is made between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation is caused by the environment. In addition to financial incentives, for example, the work environment, supervisors or colleagues can motivate them at work. The intrinsic motivation comes from within and is based on the joy of the job itself: The work is fun and motivates by itself. Each of us controls this kind of motivation. The innate optimism, the ability to regenerate, or the inner conviction can contribute a lot to one's own motivation.
Motivation in the job: more and more important
With the change towards the knowledge society, many tasks have become more complex. Whereas in the past the clear distribution of tasks was more common, today many threads often come together with one person. We are increasingly working in multidisciplinary teams, with flatter hierarchies and more flexible working conditions. Perhaps you also see this development in your job? We are freer in our work organization than perhaps our parents, but we also have to make responsible decisions more often ourselves.
Our motivation at work is therefore extremely important. Due to the disintegrating, clear command structures in many professions, employers must increasingly rely on the internal motivation and control of employees. A low level of motivation can not only spoil the joy in the workplace but also significantly disrupt the flow of work.
Motivation at work increases satisfaction and added value
According to the Federal Statistical Office, adults spend an average of 45 hours a week at work - not counting the time each of us spends mentally at work at home. In addition, work and leisure are merging more and more thanks to flexible work models. The time we spend in the office is decreasing. You have probably already worked at home too? Or, conversely, maybe spend free time with your colleagues or employees? The job contributes a lot to our quality of life. Satisfaction and fun go hand in hand with a high level of motivation. Those who work with motivation also protect their health: the risk of depression, burnout, or other signs of overload decreases.
Companies also benefit from motivated employees. Research results show: When we work with motivation, we perform better, are more innovative, are less absent from work, make fewer mistakes and stay with the company more often. In addition, motivated employees increase profitability, productivity, growth, and competitiveness.
In short: if people are motivated in the job, they increase the added value. That makes sense because those who are motivated are more committed to looking for solutions than someone who does their job according to regulations. Conversely, employers lose a lot of money due to demotivated employees.
The 10 most important motivators at work: what motivates us
But external incentives are also an important factor in increasing motivation in the workplace.
- Good working relationship with colleagues and superiors (46 percent)
- Flexible working hours (37 percent)
- A friendly relationship with colleagues even after work (30 percent)
- Good coffee (27 percent)
- Free drinks (27 percent)
- Lots of teamwork (24 percent)
- Small gifts. (23 percent)
- Workplace health promotion (23 percent)
- Appealing interior design (21 percent)
- Plants in the office (18 percent)