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Master Fid Pid

Registered: 04-2006
Location: USA, Western hemisphere, earth
Posts: 305
Reputation: 4 (+4/-0)
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Motivating Workers?


I probably could have come up with a better subject for this post, but 'Motivating Workers?' is certainly relevant enough.

One of my pet peeves involves anyone who is in a superior position trying to motivate a worker by telling him/her anything which implies that that worker does not normally perform their assigned duties with due diligence, or that they do not do their best.

After I spent one entire, busy day, in grocery retail work, wearing myself out, I came in the next day and experienced such an attempt on the part of the highest manager in my store. The manager told me that he needed me to "work at double speed today, because it is going to be a busy weekend". This was at the very beginning of my shift and did NOT inspire me to do my best work all day. On the contrary, it made me feel like I am basically a failure in the eyes of that manager and that perhaps he is thinking of needing to discipline me if I do not do better. I still proceeded to do my best work (as always), BUT, it was NOT because of my manager's attempt to motivate me to it!

How does a manager inspire/encourage workers to do their best. Well, I have a few thoughts, but nothing new or too profound...

1. Superiors should enforce positive behavior and work ethics by noticing and praising workers when they act in such a desired manner.

2. Superiors should set a proper example of the type of work they expect out of others -- whenever able. Another manager I noticed did just as much, or almost as much, work as I did on the same day in my area. This same manager had no negative comments or implications to make concerning my work. That manager gets much more respect in my book than the other.

3. In the case of actually-observed delinquent, lazy, or uncaring job performance by a worker, the superiors should follow the proper, established procedures for resolving the problem(s).
I am guessing that if such procedures are followed consistently, then the truly 'bad apples' will be either 'shape up or ship out'. (I know, mixed metaphors! lol)

I presume that most such procedures involve discussing things with the worker and giving them a chance to explain their situation. Sometimes it is a simple matter of another superior giving them other responsibilities which take them away from their normal tasks. At other times, the worker may be having more trouble focusing properly on their work due to trying problems outside of work.

In some cases, the superior's expectations may actually be too high based upon what is possible with the current amount of man-hours available versus the workload for the area. Where I work, one worker may have to try to single-handedly keep an area stocked (on the sales floor) while hundreds of people are emptying it! Imagine needing to take one's hour lunch in the midst of this and feeling that any moment one of your superiors could walk by and ask "What has the worker been doing?"

Perhaps someone would like to discuss this subject or add to my list of ways to motivate workers...

Last edited by OldWarrior, 5/Sep/2015, 5:27 pm


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Old Warrior

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31/Aug/2014, 5:45 pm Link to this post Email OldWarrior   PM OldWarrior Blog
 


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