Best Practices in Motivating 21st Century Workers

Best Practices in Motivating 21st Century Workers

I think the biggest concern that most people have today in their jobs is fear of corporate downsizing. People realize that no matter how hard they work, their employer could come in any day and tell them that they are laying off workers and you’re the one going today. It is hard to motivate someone if that is hanging over their head. Most people have a sense if there is trouble within the company whether it’s from the way upper management acts or through the grapevine.

There used to be an understanding between employers and employees that they had job security, but the 21st century has brought layoffs and better job opportunities. Employers might say that their employees are important but they still act like each one can be thrown away. In the 21st century, they are going to have to motivate employees to allow their needs to be met. By doing this they can keep employees and be lucrative (Longnecker, 2010).

In the business setting of today, employees look to their leader for the motivation to do their best. By motivating them, you will get their very best performance. People are looking for more than a paycheck. Employees want to know they are part of something, they want to make good choices about their careers and move up to better themselves. “Leaders and managers must make motivation an integral part of their daily job if they hope to build the kind of workforce necessary to succeed in the 21st century” (Brusman, n.d.).

I feel like to hardest part of motivation is the different people and personalities you have to work with. I have worked in many different offices, and personalities are from one extreme to the other. It’s wonderful when you have those people...

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...never know when you walk in the door what your day is going to be. Since it is a small office, they dictate the mood. Because I’m self motivated and I also discovered reading this week that I have selective perception, I can get to my desk and do my job without it effecting my work. Different personalities act different ways though because someone else in the office gets very frustrated when the mood is bad and she let’s their mood dictate her day. Leaders need to realize that as leaders their behavior sets the tone.

References

Brusman, M. (n.d.). Once Again, Just How Do You Motivate People?. Retrieved from www.workingresources.com/nss-folder/pdffolders/howdoyoumotivatepeople.pdf

Longnecker, B. (2010, August 2). Motivating a multigenerational workforce in the 21st century. Retrieved from http://houstonbusinessdaily.com/advisor/brent_longnecker/?p=7