Engagement & Motivation

Let's face the fact that life in most offices is a drab, miserable existence. No one likes working in cubicles and, if the internet is any guide, there seems to be no end to the complaints employees have about their bosses.

Many senior managers miss a very simple and key trick. They forget to acknowledge their employees and show that they even care.

The idea that positive thinking can affect our lives for the better has been gaining momentum over the past 80 years, and even more so recently. So does the concept work? I dare say it does - within reason.

It can be a tall order trying to keep your employees interested and engaged in their work. These ten tips can help.

Are people at the heart of your organisation? Do you think you're a good employer? If you're sure that you are and you're based in the UK, then why not enter Best Companies Accreditation or The Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For Competition.

The knives are out again for Generation Y as a new survey finds that in almost all parts of the world, employees born since 1980 are the least engaged members of the workplace.

When I ask teams what they would like from their supervisors, the same simple things keep coming up. You might think they're obvious - but if they are, teams wouldn't continually be mentioning them!

A four-day work week might seem like a radical way to cut energy consumption, but it is gaining acceptance among state governments across the U.S. and looks set to spread further still.

It's not the lack of money, the daily commute or even the mindlessness of what they are doing that makes workers feel most unhappy. It is - you guessed it - their managers.

In a downturn cutting back on benefits may seem like a win/win decision. But according U.S business school Wharton, firms that take an axe to their perks may soon live to regret it as it.

You may, right this moment, be sitting in your cubicle wondering if your job is really worth the time and effort. What are the signs that it may be time to start looking elsewhere?

With rising fuel prices hitting workers' wallets, an employer's green credentials are becoming an increasingly important retention tool as well as something nice to have from a brand perspective.

Without trust, there's no passion or desire for excellence. Employees stop contributing, valuable new ideas are never brought the table and bad ideas are never challenged. An organization suffering from these conditions eventually becomes incapable of correcting its own mistakes.

There are a lot of commonly held beliefs in life, and that extends into the working world. While some beliefs have a kernel of truth in them, many of them are nothing more than myths.

Shoe manufacturer Zappos has a reputation for treating their employees well. They also have a unique policy for new hires. They pay them to quit.

Seven out of 10 employees still trust their bosses highly, despite the fact that the vast majority of managers generally fail to live up to their expectations and aspirations.

People tend to see work either as an obligation, overbearing, or an opportunity. And if you want to take the opportunity to rise above the mundane and "make a difference", try thinking like an entrepreneur.

It's official. Endless meetings and the constant deluge of emails really do drain most of us of the will to live, let alone work effectively.

I had a great laugh reading an article from Reuters India that mentioned that 25% of Americans feel that their company is a dictatorship and over half feel that their employer stifles creativity.

The modern workplace is a hot-bed of simmering resentment, with workers feeling ignored and overlooked and preferring to communicate by email rather than actually speaking to each other.

Half of US workers believe that the American dream of a nice home, financial security for you and your family and hope for the future is now unattainable.

Here's a challenge for you. Find someone doing something good today and tell them what a good job they're doing. Because praise is the thing that motivates us the most, even though it takes so little time and costs nothing.

A prime reason for employee unhappiness is that companies do not adhere to a set of standards. Some are too forgiving of employee misconduct, while others are managed by people who themselves overstep boundaries and could care less about rules.

Interesting and challenging work is what drives most managers to go the extra mile, not performance-related pay, cash bonuses or a stake in the business.

There's much discussion these days about passion and purpose in the workplace – and also much confusion. The important thing is the end towards which passion is directed. Because passion isn't always a good thing and it needs purpose to complete the equation.

With the outlook increasingly uncertain, the UK's appalling record on employee engagement could be just the catalyst that tips it into an even deeper economic malaise.

What's the number one complaint employees have when it come to their boss? Year in, year out, the answer stays the same.

The Generation Y of up-and-coming workers are all too readily dismissed as spoilt, demanding slackers. But, as a survey suggests they are in fact just as hard working and hungry to succeed as their parents, is it just generational sour grapes?

Open and honest communication is far more valuable than cash when it comes to keeping staff happy.

Fewer than a quarter of managers mange to create a high-performance culture in their organisation – and four out of 10 actually act as a demotivating influence on their staff.

Everyone possesses motivation – but tapping into it can sometime be a challenge. Here's how to do it.

Everyone possesses motivation – but tapping into it can sometime be a challenge. Here's how to do it.

You can't seem to move on the web at the moment for stories about bad bosses. In fact, bosses appear to be getting worse – or at least, our perception of them is. But why?

Workers in Europe and Asia may have itchier feet than their counterparts in the U.S, but American employers still have plenty to worry about.

We've heard of some downright bizarre initiatives adopted by some companies in an attempt to motivate their staff, but being nailed into a coffin as part of a mock funeral ritual has to take every prize going.

Traditional management theory treats workers like any other input. Get as much out of them as possible and pay them as little as you can get away with. Unfortunately, like so much management theory, it is largely garbage.

I've had the privilege of working in both Europe and in the United States, but clearly my horizons aren't amply expanded because I've yet to come across this during my work experiences.

Managers may weep at office politics, despair at the latest initiative from on high and worry about poor performers. But half have also experienced moments of real clarity about their role and how they are meant to lead.

If you want to find performance in an organization, follow the joy! That's the starting point for Dawna Jones' discussion with Nick Zeniuk, a former Ford executive who is now best known for his work on organizational performance and learning.

When I think of engagement I think of a smiling couple, shiny rings and promises of a bright future together while everyone smiles and thinks "I'll give it three years". Come to think of it, that's not that different from hiring employees.

Ten tips for breaking out of that stale old mindset and seeing your worklife afresh.

As another survey confirms that over a third of the workforce is disengaged, perhaps it's time to look a bit more closely at exactly what this means and what employers can do about it.

Loyalty is something that seems to have been lost in many modern organisations. Corporate decision-makers seem to think that paying people more will gain their loyalty. It does not. All it gains is their compliance.

For Britons and Americans it is all about respect. For Indians and French it is the type of work they are doing. For the Japanese, it is pay. Employee engagement takes many different forms around the world.

Complacent senior management is tearing TJ's company apart, causing an epidemic of demotivation among staff who genuinely want to contribute. Is there any hope, or is their cause hopeless?

It's not just the everyday workers who hate their jobs. Even some of those hoping to be the President of the United States have had their fair share of jobs that they loathed.

Committed and engaged employees will generally have a clear line of sight of where their company is going, something that can only come from good management.

It's little wonder so many British workers are sulky, unproductive and unmotivated when they're pedominantly managed by authoritarian, unimaginative bureaucrats

Grumbles about a lack of work-life balance are often a sign that staff are unhappy about other areas of their job and how they are being managed.

Employers who go out of their way to help their managers communicate better make more money for their shareholders and have a more committed, engaged workforce.

There's nothing worse than working at a job you hate. You need the money, because you have bills to pay, but that means spending most of your time at a place you hate. How do you cope?

Want a bit of respect from your team and fellow managers? Then you need to stop being all friendly and approachable and get out there and knock a few heads together.

The online magazine Slate.com asked America last year for stories about "Corporate Scrooges" in order to create a list of the worst office parties, worst gifts, and worst bonuses the working world had ever seen.

Many organisations are quick to act when things go wrong. But what about when things go well? Given the importance to staff of praise and recognition, why is customer praise not handled with the same energy as customer complaints?

Even organisations that acknowledge the vital role staff play in achieving success are failing to give them sufficient help and support to deliver to their full potential.

With eight out of 10 workers complaining they feel let down by their boss, it's perhaps no wonder that so many managers complain it's lonely at the top.

Jealousy is possibly one of man's basest instincts. In the workplace, however, it could work in your favour - because jealousy cann push you to bigger and better things.

Most workers believe their senior managers are largely a waste of space, doing little to motivate them and failing to help them contribute to the success of their organisations.

Employers complain about not being able to hang on to top-performers, yet most don't make any effort to understand why staff join or leave.

More than a third of U.S. workers don't rate their boss as a leader, with a similar number believing they are not even qualified to do their job.