Article written by Marketing Team
How to stay motivated at work: strategies and advice
Staying motivated at work is a daily challenge for many, and one that can set in more or less quickly in any professional context. Motivation, the nature and impact of which can vary, plays a crucial role in our commitment and job satisfaction. This is a crucial issue, as it impacts both the overall performance of the company and our personal well-being. While extrinsic motivators such as salary or material benefits can offer immediate gratification, it is often intrinsic motivators, such as the meaning of the work and personal fulfilment, that help us to remain committed in the long term.
Intrinsic versus extrinsic motivations
When choosing an employer, it’s common to ask about material benefits such as salary, bonuses or material comforts (such as a ping-pong table or fixed working hours). However, studies show that these extrinsic motivations tend to be less sustainable than intrinsic motivations. It is personal values, a sense of achievement and alignment with corporate objectives that often sustain motivation over the long term. Striking a balance between these two types of motivation is a key to lasting job satisfaction.
The importance of intrinsic motivation
Without internal motivation, albeit less tangible, a team can quickly feel dissatisfied or unhappy, which could lead to under-performance, absence or even resignation. Fortunately, there are several ways of motivating your team more intrinsically. For example, curiosity can play a key role: when you attract and hold the team’s attention, this curiosity encourages members to explore their working environment to acquire knowledge. This can take the form of small ad hoc investigations, which stimulate the mind and add an investigative dimension to everyday life, which can sometimes be daunting.
Challenges are also essential. Whether it’s achieving a specific goal or performing at a certain level, challenges keep people interested and motivated to do a good job. Recognition also plays a vital role. When your work is recognised, you realise how important it is and you’re motivated to achieve new goals. Finally, a sense of belonging also reinforces intrinsic motivation: cooperating with team members creates a kind of community, increasing employee satisfaction and integration.
The role of the manager
The role of the manager is obviously very important in keeping employees motivated. Raphael Cohen, a professor at the University of Geneva specialising in management, stresses the importance of measuring the commitment that managers are able to generate. A good manager must not only be a leader, but also a mentor capable of recognising and valuing the efforts of their employees. A lack of autonomy and recognition, even in a well-paid and exciting job, can seriously undermine motivation.
In-house training
In-house training is something that we are all beginning to realise the importance of in a world that is changing much faster than the academic curriculum. It offers opportunities for personal and professional development, enabling employees to stay stimulated and progress in their careers. It straddles the line between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, as it can be offered by the employer or lead to promotions (extrinsic) while offering a sense of personal growth (intrinsic).
Another way of maintaining motivation is to link day-to-day tasks to the company’s overall objectives. Understanding how each task contributes to the wider objectives can give a deeper meaning to the work done. It’s also beneficial to set yourself different types of goals, both short- and long-term, to maintain an ongoing sense of achievement and changes of pace to break the monotony.
By applying these strategies and finding the right balance between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, you give yourself many more ways of maintaining and even increasing your motivation at work. The important thing is to listen to your needs and actively look for ways to make your work more rewarding.