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6 Tips for Managing Unmotivated Employees

By Conor McMahon - Nov. 8, 2022
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Recognizing there are weak links in your team chain may sometimes be the best thing for your business. Why? Well, weak chains are often just rusty. A little bit of polish and attention and they can be just as strong as the rest. Rather than following the old hat tip of removing the apparent ‘weakest’ members of staff, there needs to be more nurturing involved in team building, starting right in management.

You may think that your team could do with some new blood, but think about your current staff first. Do you really need new staff, or do you just need to invest a little more time in those ‘unmotivated’ employees? It is never easy to realize we have flaws in our own management skills, but there is hope for managing your unmotivated employees to nurture a better working environment.

Key Takeaways:

  • Tips to motivate employees include: opening up new opportunities for them, being observant of their needs, and engaging unmotivated employees in team meetings.

  • Causes for lack of motivation include poor leadership, burnout, and personal issues.

  • Discover what your employees value and what their goals are, then align them with the goals of the company.

  • Make sure to communicate diplomatically when dealing with unmotivated employees.

6 Tips for Managing Unmotivated Employees

6 Tips for Managing Unmotivated Employees

  1. Open up opportunities. One of the top reasons why employees turn unmotivated in their roles is that they do not feel they have any opportunities for progression. An employee could settle after a few months, realize they may be nowhere closer to a pay rise, and start to become a little lackluster in their performances.

    Take a chance on in-house recruitment.

    You may be surprised who will put their name forward, and think about it! You know this person, know what their standard of work can be, and they require little to no training to be brought up to speed with the business’s goals.

    Opportunities for growth could be just the thing to spur them into productivity.

  2. Keep your eyes and ears open. Listen and actively engage with all employees. It is easy to pay more attention to the loudest of the group, and notice the shortcomings of those at the weaker end of the scale, but what of those in-between?

    The unmotivated employee in the middle of the group may be that way for reasons you are not seeing.

    Addressing personal and professional problems with an understanding nature can make you a far more attractive employee to open up to, and could alleviate pressure from their shoulders and your own.

  3. Create tasks ahead of schedule. Unmotivated employees are notoriously good at looking busy when they have very little to do. They will find menial tasks to complete rather than work on larger projects with the rest of the team. To target this behavior, you should create tasks ahead of the next working day. A week in advance is even better.

    Tasks that are outlined in advance often fall under team projects that require planning, and general deadlines. Clarifying deadlines can be the difference between passivity and proactivity.

    Pay attention to each department and devise productive activities your employees can do on a daily, weekly, or even monthly basis.

    Work calendars help to give a unmotivated employee more to do, and using calendar or project management software, you can actively track their progress and view which tasks have been completed.

    Use a SMART goal structure to keep your tasks realistic and make sure the tasks you assign are not just busy work. Your employees should understand exactly how their tasks are necessary to the greater good of the company.

  4. Be a leader, not a ‘boss’ The unmotivated employee may simply not have the confidence to approach you, nor the motivation to bring up what they feel with you.

    By opening yourself up as a leadership figure, rather than a work dictator, you can improve more than one relationship in your workplace. Let your employees know you value them to get the work ethic you need.

    Open up the floor to casual discussion and make yourself available for everybody. Simply letting your employees know you are being supportive of them could be the difference between you being a leader and a boss.

  5. Hold team meetings and engage unmotivated employees. They may not like it at first, but having expectations of committed discussion from all team members during a team meeting. Don’t make it too long, as nobody is going to pay attention for it all, and you and the unmotivated employee both value time.

    Keep it short and sweet.

    Direct attention to individuals, and praise contributions. They might just become more willing to contribute, which is exactly what you want.

  6. Look for potential Managing your employees focuses a lot on the potential your team has to take on more strenuous tasks. You might think that your best employee is the loudest, but what about the quiet, hard-working individual who is happy to just chug along and complete any task they are given at their own pace? They could be your best employee and you didn’t even realize it.

    Being able to manage unmotivated employees is about more than just managing them – it’s about managing yourself. Having attention put on changing yourself can lead to improvements for the entire team. unmotivated employees needn’t be the black sheep of your business – they can be nurtured into the top performers, with the right guiding hands.

    Maybe you’ll even become the employer they will speak about in the future to friends as the one who opened up a door for them? That is quite the award in itself.

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Additional Tips To Motivate Employees

Along with the tips above, at all times consider the following while attempting to motivate employees:

  • Be clear on expectations. Whether its giving detail directions, or leaving the employees up to their own devices, make sure from the start you and your employees understand what is expected of them.

  • Have clear and open channels of communication. Keep your workplace in a healthy flow by keeping the channels of communication open and clear. Your employees should know at all times who is responsible for what tasks and who they can talk to (including you) when they have issues.

  • Provide and embrace feedback. You don’t want to over do it, but make sure your employees know you are keeping an eye on their work. When things are good, give them feedback that shows how you value their role. When things are bad, provide constructive feedback.

  • Own up to your responsibilities as a leader. With your team, the buck stops with you. Whatever happens, you need to show that you understand your responsibility as a leader. Don’t scapegoat others or ignore the efforts of your team. When a final decision has to be made, take charge.

What Causes Employees To Lose Motivation?

There are many reasons why employees lose motivation, including:

  • Lack of leadership. Without clear direction, some employees feel lost. In the process, they feel they are not cared about and struggle to find purpose in their work.

  • Values and goals misalignment. When an employee does feel like their efforts are leading them to a more meaningful life, they might just take work “as a job”.

  • Burnout. A lack of motivation is a common symptom for those experiencing burnout. With such little energy or ambition, employees are left struggling to simply get by.

  • Personal issues. Unfortunately it is possible that there may be something going on outside of the workplace for the employee. As a result, their personal issues start affecting their work life.

  • Feeling overwhelmed, under resourced. Sometimes an employee feels like giving up, not because they want to, but because they feel like they have been placed in an impossible situation.

Before you try to motivate your employees, carefully consider what the causes may be and take action accordingly. An employee who is having personal issues is different than an employee who feels like their goals are misaligned with that of the company.

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How To Motivate Employees

When you have an unmotivated employee, you need to take action as soon as possible, otherwise the problem can compound on itself. The employee’s quality of work may suffer or their lack of motivation may spread to others.

To motivate an employee:

  1. Discover the source. Using empathy, logic, and critical thinking, observe and analyze your employee. Try to see if you can figure out what makes the unmotivated.

  2. Pick a strategy. Once you think you have an idea of why the employee is unmotivated, pick a strategy that matches the causes of their behavior. Consider the tips on motivating employees above.

  3. Communicate with the employee. At some point you are going to have to talk to the employee. Be mindful and diplomatic. Make it clear to them that your concern is in their best interest so that they don’t feel threatened or defensive.

  4. Readjust when necessary. Motivation takes time for some people, and if you feel your strategies are not working, reconsider the causes of the employees behavior.

Author

Conor McMahon

Conor McMahon is a writer for Zippia, with previous experience in the nonprofit, customer service, and technical support industries. He has a degree in Music Industry from Northeastern University and in his free time he plays guitar with his friends. Conor enjoys creative writing between his work doing professional content creation and technical documentation.

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