Motivating employees with nonmaterial rewards --[Reported by Umva mag]

We can’t afford to pay high salaries and benefits. This results in an average attrition rate of 15% per annum. How do we solve this? — Water Lily

CONTRARY to the general belief, employee motivation is not about giving cash or material things. It’s a misinterpretation of the old carrot and stick method that evolved when farmers raised donkeys. Lazy donkeys were enticed with carrots or beaten with sticks.

This method entrenched itself in the minds of early managers, who thought that people could be treated like donkeys. Such a theory, even if proven ineffective, persists today with new managers displaying old thinking. It happens all the time because managers are not creative and they don’t positively communicate with people on a regular basis, except when castigating them.

In my more than four decades of experience in human resources (HR), I’ve long realized that money is not everything. If money is the only motivator for employees, then it’s only a matter of time before they move to another company with a higher offer, resulting in high turnover.

That’s happening in many organizations. Fortunately, there are people who are not attracted solely to high pay for whatever reason. However, you need to know how to identify and cultivate them.

MANAGEMENT BY KINDNESS
Aside from material things, some workers find work meaningful and satisfying, with the help of nurturing employers, thereby ensuring corporate growth and profitability. So, how do we motivate people without paying them good money? There are many ways. To summarize them all would point us to a common denominator — management by kindness.

Here are ten examples:

One, give workers a sense of ownership. If it does not adversely affect product quality, allow workers to stamp their names or insert a “calling card” inside the box containing the products which they made. It makes them fully responsible for product quality.

Two, be accessible and readily visible to all. Do management by walking around, not as a “snoopervisor” but as a boss offering assistance to all who may need them. Make visits casual and “accidental” and not viewed as routine.

Three, listen carefully to ideas and complaints. Don’t rush a judgment. Take time without appearing to delay the process. If necessary, ask for more details in a separate face-to-face meeting. Don’t require people to put it down in writing. Many loathe writing.

Four, offer employees the chance to work near home. Daily traffic is a hassle. It robs many of productive hours. If people work near home, you’ll take away their commuting stress and give them time to be with their families.

Five, organize an annual skills Olympics. If you’re in a fast-food restaurant, conduct a time-based competition in fried rice making, veggie-slicing, pizza dough making (and catching). For administrative work, you can showcase people skills in customer service.

Six, remove discriminatory practices. Ban exclusive perks. Allow everyone to enjoy executive dining, executive elevators, and even executive parking. Generally, executives have drivers who can easily park their cars somewhere.

Seven, establish an honesty bakeshop with concessionaires. If not, allow the workers to buy bread at a special volume discount for family consumption. This requires only a small space inside the cafeteria and need not incur costs for the company.

Eight, invite the workers’ families to company parties. It’s easy to create theme parties for this purpose. One example is Halloween or Christmas parties for kids. Give prizes or other freebies for participants.

Nine, allow employee flexible work hours. This will vary with the company’s business and the specific tasks that must be performed. Focus on productive results rather than the workers’ physical presence or hours they spend in the office.

Ten, empower people to make simple decisions. Document their best practices that you can share with other workers who are similarly situated. Over the long term, this can help them develop an interest in problem-solving as well.

EXPIRY DATE
You will only be limited by your creativity. You can create your own “management by kindness” policy to fit the workers’ specific needs and wants. Experiment, monitor, and adjust as the need arises. Be dynamic. These examples are not written in stone.

Treat your workers as valuable assets.

But do more than lip service. In due time, your organization should obtain impressive results. Once again, you’ll realize that money is not everything. But I must warn you that kindness has an expiry date. Be aware of this every step of the way.

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