Well, the most obvious answer is the paycheck. I get it. I think if we were all honest, that’s the biggest reason we work. Take away the pay, and the motivation goes down. But, is there another reason your employees work?
Do your employees get the big picture of what you do? Do they understand that you are not just a manufacturer, or a warehouse, or a retail store, or a service? In other words, do they know what their real job is?
Not very long ago, my youngest daughter worked as a volunteer at a conference. There were actually 2 conferences going on simultaneously. The first was a conference for parents. The second was a conference for the kids, so the parents could go to their conference. She worked in the Children’s Conference. Her job was a “runner”, running errands, taking kids to the bathroom, running things from one side of the room to the other, escorting kids when they needed to go somewhere, basically, she did whatever needed to be done. But, when you asked her (at least some of the time), what her job was, she would tell you that she was, “Helping take care of the kids so they parents could enjoy the conference.”
She wasn’t just a runner, she had a mission and a purpose. Her job was IMPORTANT!! She was helping a LOT of people, and she knew it!! What is your job? Do you make widgets, or do you work to make people’s lives easier with the things you manufacture? Are you a plumber, or do you make people’s lives and more pleasant? Do you clean, or do you make a clean environment so people can relax and be rejuvenated? Do you pack products for shipment, or do you help fulfill people’s dreams?
More importantly, do you as an employer convey what your employees really do. In short, do they just turn a screw, or do they understand the part they play in the bigger picture. Good pay can help make good employees. Purpose can help make employees who are FANS!!!