Skills and Business for butchers

Staff Motivation

Staff motivation is a complex subject. No two people are the same and what motivates one may do nothing for another, what inspires enthusiastic activity today may cease to be a motivator tomorrow

Of one thing you can be certain, if staff motivational problems prevail, there is a real chance that management are part of the problem. Then it stands to reason that you are also part of the solution.

When retail staff were asked to list the areas they felt most negatively affected their motivation, the following were their top 20 answers.

Failure to deliver on promises
Bad humoured managers
No opportunity for advancement or development
Overuse of fear motivation - "improve or else"
Lack of opportunity to offer opinions or influence events
A belief that others are getting unfair or special treatment
Lack of interest in the individual needs of staff
No recognition by management of a job well done
A perception that salary is inadequate for effort expended
Poorly communicated instructions
Not knowing where one stands in the eyes of management
Being chastised in front of staff or customers
Management overly critical of staff performance
A feeling of being "talked down to"
Unpleasant working environment
A perceived "bad deal" compared against conditions in the industry
Lack of co-operation within the store
Punishing staff for making "mistakes"
Dissatisfaction with management attitude or manner
Poor, ineffective or inadequate support from management

Study these answers and see if any are applicable to your situation. If they are, then there is a good chance that you need to revisit the whole area of motivation.