4 Steps To Reignite Your Seasoned Employees’ Drive And Motivation

Seasoned workforce and the lack of motivation 

Often, the more seasoned employees become, the less motivated, and the more unwilling they may become to continue facing unfamiliar problems and challenges head-on. “It is quite easy to recognize the seasoned workforce who have lost their passions. They refuse to step out of their comfort zone and take the risk as the fear of failure. Besides, they also tend to become content with what they have, without proper direction for their career path. In some cases, this group of employees are also afraid to speak up during difficulties.” – Ms. Nguyễn Thị Thanh Hương – Deputy CEO of Talentnet shared. 

When an employee begins to take a complacent attitude or has stopped proactively striving to bring better values ​​to the business, it is a sign of stagnation. However, deciding whether to lay off these employees will not be easy for businesses. 

The secret to “keep the seasoned employees’ fire alive”  

Explore these 4 actionable steps, provided by our experts, for HR and business leaders to support the seasoned group to reignite their passions for work, maximize productivity, and overall, be back on the shared track. 

Step 1: Have a direct conversation with your employees 

There are many reasons that cause productivity loss and lack of motivation. Businesses need to define what the causes are by creating opportunities for them to share and take a deep look at the problem. This action needs to be done tactfully with a respectful and willing-to-listen attitude toward employees. 

Step 2: Get an update on employee objectives 

A key factor that impacts employee performance is their objectives such as compensation and benefits, however, these objectives will change over time. For that reason, businesses and employees need to discuss and keep track of employee objectives. 

If the compensation package is the key cause of their loss of passion, both sides can take this into consideration. If the employees find their goals to be expanded vertically, leaders can help improve their abilities and skills through training programs. 

Step 3: Create challenges for employees  

A detailed solution is required at the end of the discussion. In which, leaders should provide employees with a clear improvement period with tailored goals, timeframe, evaluation criteria, and KPI for each individual. More importantly, “Instead of just applying KPIs and putting pressure on employees, leaders also need to empathize, share, motivate and encourage employees to achieve their objectives. This is the motivation for seasoned employees to step out of their comfort zone.” – Ms. Thanh Hương recommended. 

Step 4: Monitor performance 

Finally, performance monitoring is an essential step for leaders to evaluate employees. Businesses should organize monthly review sessions to provide feedback as a way to evaluate the effectiveness of challenges created for seasoned employees. At this point, compliments are the motivation to keep employees on track. 

In addition, rekindling seasoned employees’ passion for work is not a matter that can be solved depending on business only. Ms. Nguyễn Thị Thanh Hương advised: “Businesses are willing to change and provide policies that satisfy employees but can do nothing about their attitudes and motivation except themselves. Long-term employees are an irreplaceable resource, but without any effort and cooperation, leaders can provide stiff solutions to ensure business operation.” 

Therefore, for enterprise solutions to work, long-time employees themselves need to be aware of and contribute to the process of reviving their enthusiasm. 

Source: Cafebiz