You must keep in mind that unmotivated employees will never perform as well as one who feels motivated. It is always important that your employee can feel supported and encouraged by the organization where he/she works. Whether for work or personal reasons, it is always necessary to be able to identify and support them. Allen Woo, an expert in work environments and personnel management, talks about addressing demotivated employees and then turning them into key players in the strength and value of the company.
An unmotivated employee can exhibit several characteristics. On many occasions, they look stressed, distracted, look bad, smile little, and show a low level of performance. It is important that you can find out from other workers if they are going through a bad phase. Keep in mind that if you choose to ask the person directly, he or she probably won’t tell you the truth. If you do, try to do so casually and not directly.
On many occasions, it is advisable to ask them in a joking manner. This can help the employee gain confidence and tell you what is really going on. You must take into account that if your employees are happy the work will be much better. Therefore, it is your responsibility to make sure that everyone is comfortable and happy during working hours.
It is also important to indicate that personal problems should preferably be left outside of work. However, for them, it is advisable that the workplace provides the necessary environment for this to happen.
After being assured by several people that what you have noticed is true, you should tell the manager or supervisor in a professional manner the suspicions of a case of demotivation at work. He or she will probably consult this case with colleagues and superiors. If this is the case, appropriate solutions should be sought.
A conclusion should be reached and an interview should be held with the person concerned. This should not be done in a very formal way. But, it is necessary to note some concerns about his or her state of mind.
“It is important that before conducting this conversation, you set up a questionnaire with questions along these lines,” suggests Woo. “For this, you can use the help of another supervisor or manager in the company.”
Cases of demotivation are very common in employees who have moved up the career ladder. This is especially true in the first few months of their current position. It is quite normal that people may feel a little insecure or stressed by new responsibilities.
“Not planning and organizing tasks or schedules well can cause this kind of thing. This is why you should consider whether you have been trained for the position long enough. If you have been told that you will soon have someone else to help you in your new position. Or, in many cases, it is important to know whether you have been given a proper explanation of your duties,” says Woo.
Normally, in these cases, employee demotivation usually has an easy solution. It is simply necessary to find the root of the problem. For this, it is necessary to offer confidence to the employee. It is also recommended to recognize the merits of every employee when he or she does something well. If it is the opposite, the best thing to do is to teach them how to do it. Doing this correctly will make the employee feel much more comfortable in the workplace.
It is also recommended and used by many of the world’s largest companies as an apprenticeship technique. Where the employee is sent for a few weeks to another establishment where he or she occupies the same position. This is done so that he can learn and can become a veteran. This will help you learn from different people and gain more work experience.
“If the activity to be performed is repetitive in nature, study giving him new responsibilities and some autonomy,” Woo explains. “He will see more responsibility delegated to him, develop more leadership skills, and feel important to the company. In any case, you have to be careful not to delegate functions from the immediate superior to him.”
Finally, it is essential to be able to monitor the progress of the people concerned. In this way, it will be possible to see if the demotivation at work has been overcome or not. After three months, it is recommended to review how the affected employee is doing.
It is also important to encourage their autonomy, decision-making, initiative, and creativity. In short, it is something important in workers, their ability to achieve.