by Geoff Mutton
The critical shortage of automotive technicians in Australia has triggered more aggressive recruiting processes , while on the other side of the coin , workshops are desperately trying to hang on to good existing staff . Offering pay rises to existing staff may help in the immediate short term but often , the initial surge of motivation that follows , can quickly dissipate . There ' s no question that money is important to employees , but in the overwhelming majority of cases it ’ s not the only factor an employee will consider if another job is being dangled in front of their nose . The most powerful kind of motivation for team members is incredibly simple – praise and recognition for a job well done .
Why do employees need praise ?
It ' s no secret that being praised often makes people feel good . Pride , pleasure and increased feelings of self-esteem are common reactions to being paid a compliment or receiving positive feedback . This is because being praised triggers the release of dopamine , a neurotransmitter that helps control the reward and pleasure centres of the brain . As well as making people feel good , dopamine can also contribute to innovative thinking and creative problem solving . However , these positive effects are relatively short-lived , and for praise to have an enduring impact on employee engagement , it needs to be offered regularly . This means that supervisors need to be on the lookout for good work and make the effort to praise employees for jobs well done .
The impact of praise
Psychologists have long been fascinated by the effects of praise on workplace performance and behaviour , and what this means for organisations . Pollsters quizzed more than four million employees world-wide about the importance of praise and recognition . Gallup concluded that employees who receive regular praise were more productive , engaged and more likely to stay with their organisation , than those who were not regularly praised . The survey also indicated that employees who are praised receive higher loyalty and satisfaction scores from customers , and even enjoy better health than employees who are not praised .
What about poor performance ?
But all this uplifting talk doesn ' t mean that poor performance should go unaddressed . Of course it must be discussed and action taken . The point is that if all staff ever hear is negative feedback , motivation will plummet . As a general yardstick , staff should receive more praise for jobs well done than negative feedback for poor performance . But don ' t make the mistake of mixing the two together . If you praise someone for a job well done and in the next breath chide them for doing something wrong , all they will remember from that conversation will be the negative .
20 CAPRICORN IGNITION MARCH 2018