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Motivation in the Workplace: Decisions, Decisions…
Imagine this situation and try and determine how you would feel as an employee in the situation.
You have been working for this company for five years now. Everyday you do almost the same thing. You don't really
know anyone that you work with other than a casual hello here and there in the office. This is because you stay
very busy just doing your job. One day you receive a memo stating that the dress code in the office is going to
change. Everyone must wear long pants each day. There is no explanation, and since you usually wear a skirt, you
assume that it has something to do with you, but are never told why. How would you feel in this situation? Would it
make you feel better if a problem with the dress code was brought to your attention and you were given the
opportunity to give feedback on the issue?
Consider this.
You have been working at your job in a factory for about six months now. Ever since you began working there you
have thought that the policy concerning time sheets could be done better. After you had gotten to know your manager
a little better you make a suggestion to him about how to change the policy. He tells you that there is a
suggestion box in the lounge and that he thinks it is a good idea to add the suggestion to that box. He also tells
you that the factory manager reads the suggestions once a week. You put your suggestion in the box in October and
in January there has been no change or any talk of change. No one has approached you about the situation. Would you
feel ignored? Would you feel that your suggestions meant very little to the management?
It is common to feel that you should be able to have some say so in decisions being made that will ultimately
affect your working environment. Most say that they do not want to be the one to make the final decisions, however
they would at least like for their opinions to be heard. In order to motivate employees through allowing them to
make decisions, there are some things that you should do:
1. Do not punish or reprimand someone because of their input. Everyone's opinions should be considered, even if
they seem outrageous. You will build confidence and motivation by acknowledging everyone's opinions.
2. Be sure to give the person who is making the decisions ample time and tools to make a good decision. The person
should not feel rushed or otherwise burdened by the process.
3. Try not to override decisions once they have been made. After you give a person or a group of people the power
to make a decision, let the decision stand. However, it is not a good idea to voluntarily let the person fail in
order to teach a lesson to that person. It is a better idea to coach the person before the decision is made.
4. Set a clear standard of expectation. Let the person or group know exactly the issue at hand and what you would
like for them to do.
5. Recognize those who take part in a group to make decisions. These people should be rewarded for their time and
effort that they put forth to make the company better.
There are times when employees think of involvement as a bad thing. They may think that
employee involvement is something that isn't their job or something that they shouldn't have to do! The
overall goal here is to do what the employees feel comfortable with. It is not necessary to form groups and
committees for simple decisions. If overused, groups and committees may become a hassle for your employees,
which is certainly not what you want to do. You want to make the employee feel that their opinion is valuable
and useful. You should make your employees feel as though they are capable of making their own decisions and
capable of giving feedback that is worth something. This will increase motivation and participation as well
as overall productivity for your company.
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