It is widely accepted that a motivated workforce is the dominant contributor to the well-being of any organization. Among the various things that motivate employees are recognition, new challenges, opportunity to learn and develop new skills, high degree of involvement in the organization and setting of challenging yet attainable goals. However, in practice, some or all of the above are often missing in the workplace due to which demotivation rapidly sets in among employees. In this context, this article takes a look at various factors that are responsible for demotivation of employees and how it affects not only the employees but also teams and, ultimately, the business. Some of the motivational techniques which can be adopted by managers are also highlighted.

It has been found that most employees are rather excited when they take up a new job. However, the environment prevailing at the workplace, which encompasses work content, responsibilities, attitudes of the superiors etc., is a key determinant in governing whether or not the interest and excitement are subsequently sustained for long. Not infrequently, it is noted that employees’ morale comes down drastically after the first six-months or so on the job and continues to progressively decline. Although there are a number of reasons which can be attributed for such a state of affairs in an organization, the management has been often recognized as being significantly responsible for the deterioration in the employee motivational levels. The policies and procedures deployed by the companies to manage their workforce, as also the relationship between the managers and their subordinates contribute substantially to the problem. One of the major challenges faced in human resource management is to sustain an enduring and effective method of motivation. Once the core meaning and notion of motivation has been identified, and the required skills and mechanisms to implement the motivational framework have been put in place, it inspires the employees towards achieving both organizational and personal goals.

Motivation contributes most to a large extent in enthusing employees to diligently work towards achievement of goals, gaining a positive outlook and building self-esteem and competence.Motivating employees towards success is one essential ingredient in maintaining a dynamic, practical and productive organization. This is true of every business, whether it is profit-oriented or a non-profit organization. Staff motivation, or rather the lack of it, is an important issue for every organization. Apart from the obvious adverse effects on productivity, demotivated employees can have a lethal effect on the working environment if left unattended. As individuals are motivated by different things and in varying ways, it is important to get to the root of the problem rather than assume that the loss of drive in the employees comes from either money or career dissatisfaction alone.

Global CEO Magazine, Employee Demotivation, Motivational Techniques, Human Resource Management, Organizational Goals, Organizational Systems, Micro-Management, Employee Motivational Programmes, Human Resource Devolopment Programmes.