3 surefire ways to motivate employees

Now more than ever, companies are weighing their budgets carefully, and employee replacement is cost most want to avoid.

We have employees saying they want more customizable benefits, employers listening and reacting, but we still see some employees unsatisfied and feeling underappreciated with their benefits. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Throughout my career, I have interviewed many people, and every time a candidate sits in front of me, I am always curious as to why they are interviewing with me. Is he or she running towards a potentially great opportunity or running from something else?

Related: Recruiting, hiring top employer challenges in 2021

What I tend to find is that it is typically a combination of the two; however, the latter is more of a driving force. It is through these interviews and experiences, that I have discovered three of the top reasons that an employee commits to a new opportunity — or runs from another:

I have found that, above all else, a company’s culture and the appreciation they receive in the workplace tends to be the key motivator in an employee’s decision to make a move!

Pay and compensation

What motivates employees to show up and do their jobs every day? No surprise, it’s their paycheck. Employees want to provide for themselves and their families. They want to feel stable, live a certain lifestyle and eventually achieve financial security — all of which take money. I think we can all agree that employees respond well to higher pay and compensation.

When it comes to compensation, the key is fairness. Employees will always want to earn more, of course, but they generally understand that compensation depends on many factors such as the job market, the value the position creates, the company’s financial situation, etc. At the end of the day, employees want to feel as if they are being fairly compensated.

Benefits

Now, more than ever, companies are weighing their budgets carefully, and employee replacement is costly between recruiting, onboarding and lost productivity. Therefore, a strong benefits package is key for a company to attract and retain talent. Benefits are essential for motivating employees, and offering employee benefits that aim to make people’s lives better, both in and outside of work, helps to boost their mood and sense of loyalty to the company.

According to an article published by CNBC, one in three employees faced some type of pay cut due to Covid-19. While increasing salaries may be a stretch with tight budgets, adding to the benefits package may be the way to go. One of the easiest ways to increase a benefits portfolio, is to expand voluntary and wellness offerings. Based on the Mercer 2020 National Survey, in 2021, 21% of employers will expand or add voluntary, 38% will add or incentivize virtual care, telemedicine, or digital health resources, and 29% will add virtual health services.

It seems that changes to the benefits packages offered by employers are changing, and that these changes will help organizations to attract and retain talent. Right? Not exactly, based on the Hartford Future of Benefits Study, only 55% of employees believe their company is making the best decisions about their benefits, and just 44% think their benefits package is above average compared to what other employers are offering.

Where is the disconnect? We have employees saying they want more customizable benefits, employers listening and reacting to offer those benefits, but we still see some employees unsatisfied and feeling underappreciated with their benefits…

The answer may be in the communication strategies used to convey the benefits available to the employees! Without an effective communication strategy and method, many of the benefits offered to employees will be overlooked and underutilized.

Company culture

It all boils down to making the employee feel valued and appreciated, and this value is embedded in a company’s culture. One of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to make a tangible difference in how you attract and retain top talent is to reinforce the value in the benefits that you are bringing to your employees and to make them feel appreciated!

So how do you do it? MetLife says, “Engage employees as if they were customers, communicate benefits more effectively, look to communicate the value of benefits throughout the year.” Bottom line, If employees don’t know about their benefits, they are of no benefit to them.

Focusing on the right digital communications to effectively communicate your appreciation to your employees and the benefits you offer them can have a drastic and immediate impact on your business and those that work within it.

While communicating these benefits to your organization’s employees may seem like a daunting task, there are solutions available to help with employee education and engagement using video and mobile responsive content and other interactive, communications platforms.

Stephen Graziano is the director of channel sales at Flimp Communications. Prior to Flimp, Stephen spent most of his career working in the insurance consulting space, specifically in the voluntary insurance and benefits communication arenas. He is passionate about helping employees and employers have a better experience with their benefits through better understanding, higher engagement, and cost savings for both parties.

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