Many people go to work everyday and do not feel motivated about their job. If you feel this way more often than not, then you have a problem that needs to be addressed. Avoiding dealing with this could lead to stress, anxiety and eventually burnout.
Psychologist Judith Kolomeir says that over half of her practice is dealing with people who are experiencing burnout or are headed towards it. She says the cost to companies is enormous due to absenteeism, cost of employee health benefits and the drop in productivity that results.
The main causes for this situation is poor life work balance and a bad relationship with a boss or co-worker. Toxic relationships at work can cause high stress and anxiety and contribute to physical conditions and strained personal and family relationships.
Sometimes there may also be a clash in values between an employee and the company or their boss. It is important to choose the right company or employee for the job based on fit with the company and not just for skills.
To stay motivated at work most people today value good relationships with their boss and coworkers, interesting and challenging work and opportunities to learn and grow. Of course fair compensation and rewards is also important but only really becomes an issue when the employee feels that they are not being remunerated equitably.
The boss, manager or supervisor has a core responsibility to make sure that employees are productive and able to perform their work. They need to be observant and sensitive to changes in performance, attendance and general demeanours of their staff members. When they feel something is off with a person, they need to address it right away through one on one meetings with the employee.
Each person is solely responsible for their own motivational needs. They need to address stress or a drop in motivation before it becomes a problem and starts causing physical problems such as poor sleep, drinking and overeating.
Psychologist Kolomeir says that employees appreciate when their employer provides workshops topics like stress management, work life balance, nutrition and fitness.
It is crucial for employers to be proactive and invest in employee health and wellness programs in order to prevent people from becoming stressed and demotivated.
As well management and teamwork training is equally as important to foster better interpersonal communication skills and to boost collaboration. People need to learn how to effectively handle conflicts so they don’t lead to back stabbing and toxic relationships, which will affect everyone in the department.
If you are an employee feeling demotivated and perhaps stress at work:
- Speak to your boss or someone you trust about how you’re feeling
- Find the cause of the problem
- Workout an action plan to address the issue
- Share your action plan with your boss or the person you trust to get support and follow up
If you’re the boss and feel that an employee is showing signs of stress or lowered energy:
- Meet one on one with the person and let them know what you are seeing and ask them how they are feeling about their work and of any issues that are affecting them negatively.
- Help them workout an action plan to address the issue
- Provide support and follow up
- Be proactive by providing workshops on stress management and good work-life habits
Stephen Goldberg
