How Motivation Killers Affect Productivity

Motivational killers are lurking around every corner of your business waiting to kill the productivity of your employees.

Motivation is a form of energy that makes you more productive in your daily work environment and it also makes doing the most mundane tasks easier to execute.

Motivation killers are factors generated by outside forces that can take away that energy very quickly if not managed well.

What are motivation killers in the workplace?
The effect of motivation killers on productivity
What are the biggest motivators?
How Motivation Killers Affect Productivity - Conclusion

What are motivation killers in the workplace?

Motivation killers are the main reason for low productivity in an organization.

Many senior managers do not recognize this as a threat and therefore do not deal with it before it is too late.

Only once productivity reaches the lowest level does management react but they are not always sure what was the cause.

A good manager will recognize motivation killers and immediately take counteractions to prevent them from interfering with the organization's productivity.

Seven of the most common motivation killers in the workplace are:

Poor communication between different levels of authority
Lack of training and self-development within the organization
No loyalty toward common organizational goals
Toxic co-workers infecting the workplace with negativity
Autocratic management styles
Lack of growth within the organization for certain individuals
No reward for achievement but quick rebuke for minor mistakes

The effect of motivation killers on productivity

The most common effect that these motivation killers have on productivity are:

Communication breakdown
Negative growth
Toxic organizational culture
Lack of innovation
Process breakdowns

Communication breakdown

Poor communication between the different levels of an organization can make certain employees feel left out which in turn will affect their productivity.

There is a reason for organizations to have structures in place and if not used correctly it will become a motivational killer for those affected. If current communication channels are not clear and kept intact motivating your workers will not be possible.

Negative growth

Most people work to better themselves and provide for their families. In a work environment where these goals cannot be achieved it soon turns into a motivation killer.

It is the duty of the organization to ensure that their workers are constantly developed or they will soon depart but not before they negatively affect productivity.

A lack of positive employee engagement will soon have the employee feel stuck in an unwanted job function and the only way out is to leave. This prevents your organization from retaining skills that can benefit long-term growth.

Toxic organizational culture

Toxic workers in the workplace with a negative attitude are the second most common reason for low productivity and lack of motivation.

These workers very quickly look for allies and if conditions are toxic already allies can be found quickly. Not managing these conditions in the correct manner will reflect on management as being part of the toxic environment.

Management must address these issues as soon as it is noticed or it will affect the organization as a whole. Not only will it waste time to manage these conditions if it is ongoing but the productivity of the whole team will suffer equally.

Lack of innovation

The most common of the lot is the autocratic management style practised by a lot of Senior Management. This creates an environment where everybody reacts only to instruction and has no initiative to innovate and grow the organization becomes common among workers.

Motivation and the drive for a positive attitude within the organization come from the top-level down and therefore in conditions like this, there is no easy return to normality.

Process breakdowns

It is also the duty of the employer to ensure that all of their employees are aware of the common goal organization. Not doing this will lead to a fractured team with no motivation to achieve these goals and processes will break down quickly.

Internal processes are the core of a business and its growth depends on them but without the correct productivity mindset, it will fall apart. The cost and time implications of trying to get processes going again can be very stressful for the whole team.

What are the biggest motivators?

There are basically hundreds of productivity killers in the workplace but luckily there are only a few things you as a manager have to do in order to encourage positive motivation.

Contrary to some beliefs money in itself is not a motivator as human needs go much further than that.

7 Top motivators in the workplace

Effective communication
Employee engagement
Employee recognition
Job security
Good working conditions
Personal development
Leadership loyalty

Effective communication

Leadership must ensure that effective communication channels are in place and used in a positive manner. These communication channels must be inclusive of all employees otherwise they will be meaningless.

It is human nature to feel neglected if not part of a communication channel and it can lead to ignorance as a defense model. Employee ignorance can lead to other negative actions especially if it involves a group of people.

Employee engagement

Every employee has the need to be engaged in what is happening within the organization. Ignoring this important need will put the employee into a disengaged position which is associated with no productivity but high negativity.

Employee recognition

If there is something every employee strives for it is to be recognized for their efforts no matter how small. Achievements should be recognized and rewarded in order to ensure the employee will become more productive in the quest for bigger achievements.

Job security

Job security is the biggest employee need of all and without job security, all of the other motivators become temporary or totally useless. Job security is what motivates employees to remain productive and engaged over the long term.

Unfortunately in today's economic climate, most organizations have become temporary workplaces and very few can guarantee long-term employment. This is also the main reason money is used as a motivator to have employees stick around doing worthless jobs.

Good working conditions

When it comes to selecting employers the employee will always aim for the organization with the best working conditions but most will find out later it is all artificial.

Being able to work in a place with good working conditions will increase productivity and boost team morale. Creating this type of work environment squarely rests on the shoulders of leadership.

Personal development

As already mentioned before employees work to better themselves and not being given the opportunity is a definite motivation killer. Employees work for a lifetime and personal goals might differ from their organizational goals.

It is a human ambition that drives employees up the corporate ladder and remaining stagnant at the bottom for long periods of time will definitely kill motivation.

Leadership loyalty

Employees expect their leaders to also show some sort of loyalty and respect towards them. When leaders have the perception that this is something owed to them by employees without any commitment from their side they are in the wrong job.

For an employee to be motivated and productive they must know that their leaders have their back in any situation.