A perfect employee can be summarised in three words: motivation, performance and enthusiasm. This trio of traits covers everything that has to do with employee engagement in a company. The problem is that an engaged employee is not necessarily engaged forever. And if employees lose motivation, this could affect how your company runs and hinder success.
4 Consequences for Companies When Employees Lose Motivation
Employees can lose motivation for a variety of reasons: low salary, insufficient appreciation at work, disrespectful management, excessive workload, etc. Whatever the reason, HR should not ignore this phenomenon. Because just one unmotivated employee can be detrimental to a company, let alone several.
1- Poor Work Environment
Lack of motivation is an insidious virus. Worse, it is as contagious as Covid. Employees who no longer enjoy their job or feel unappreciated by their employer readily criticise the work, the company and sometimes even their most diligent and motivated colleagues. This state of mind can only lead to conflicts between employees. Often, employees who are unmotivated at work are no less so when it comes to the company’s social events, which they do not attend. Lack of motivation affects all levels of the company, from the workplace to social relationships.
2- A Human Resources Deficit
The problem with lack of motivation is that it increases turnover. This can lead to resignations, which can in turn can lead to a loss of balance in the workforce and work allocation. Lack of motivation also affects employee health. Depression can then lead to increased absenteeism.
3- Decreased Profitability
An unmotivated employee no longer makes their best effort at work. Instead, they limit their investment to only what is strictly necessary. They will not be one of those people who will willingly stay late to finish an urgent task or revitalise the company with a new idea or project that they thought of on their way home. By domino effect, the demotivation of some hinders the goodwill of others because it slows down the pace of work and productivity. According to a 2019 APICIL and Mozart Consulting study conducted in France, the cost of demotivation amounts to 14,580 euros per year per employee in terms of lost revenue. That’s an increase of 9.3% from 2018!
4- A Damaged Employer Image
When an employee lacks commitment, they do not have the same enthusiasm as a motivated employee. They will not be as effective in selling a product or meeting a customer’s needs. They will also be less rigorous about the quality of their work and less focused, which can lead to mistakes. This can seriously damage customer relations and the company’s brand image.
How Can You Boost Employee Engagement?
The State of the Global Workplace report conducted in 2022 by Gallup makes an alarming observation on a global scale: only 21% of employees, the majority of whom are women, say that they are engaged in their work. Europe is in last place with only 14% of employees engaged, far behind the United States and Canada where 33% of respondents consider their engagement satisfactory. Faced with this reality, HR has no choice but to implement a corporate strategy to prevent this phenomenon.
1- Value Work
Your corporate culture should value skills and recognise efforts made. Celebrate successes and encourage personal initiative with salary bonuses or rewards. Don’t give your employees the impression that you are only interested in their success. Show them that you value them for what they’ve accomplished and that their efforts are worthy of Employee of the Month.
2- Survey Your Employees
Don’t wait until the damage is done and use all the means at your disposal to measure your employees’ satisfaction. The WBI (Workplace Well-Being Index) is an excellent tool for identifying demotivation factors at your company and implementing corrective actions.
3- Build Relationships
According to a study conducted in 2022 by Swibeco, team cohesion and trusting relationships are among the top motivating factors for 30.4% of Swiss employees. So you should provide team-building experiences for your employees, such as giving them the opportunity to meet informally over brunch or a cocktail. Encourage sharing of knowledge, mutual support and teamwork instead of leaving employees isolated at their desks. Quality of life at work will be better for it.
4- Talk About It
If you have identified unmotivated employees, arrange a one-on-one meeting with them to understand why they have lost motivation. When you openly discuss the issue, you’ll have a better chance of finding solutions and keeping the talent you value.
