6 HR METRICS FOR MEASURING EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION

As we slowly but surely define the future of work , organizations are increasingly looking to make the well-being of their employees one of their top priorities . Aside from obvious ethical reasons, employee productivity is a motivation for companies to take better care of their workforce.

In short, satisfied employees are more efficient at work.

Satisfaction is, of course, a highly subjective and personal factor and far from easy to measure. The best alternative to measure employee wellbeing is to measure their motivation.

Employees get their motivation from having a goal with sufficient support and certainty to make their daily work meaningful.

But how do you know whether your organization is doing enough for its employees? How do you keep your employees motivated? And why is it important at all?

If you don't know where to look or where to look, measuring employee motivation isn't easy either. In fact, as organizations around the world are increasingly implementing more work-from-home options where possible, measuring motivation becomes even more complex. An anonymous questionnaire may not be the right method for you to measure well-being in your organization.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO MEASURE EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION?

Let's not forget that an organization is only as good as its people. Data shows that the most successful companies in the world also have the most motivated employees .

We also know from recent research that motivation does not just appear out of the blue . It stems from the well-being of the employee. A report by the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford shows that satisfied employees are on average 13% more efficient at work.

But there's more to it.

Satisfied employees are not only more productive; they also tend to stay in service longer, reducing the cost of employee turnover to organizations.

Measuring employee performance and motivation is one way to determine the situation in your organization.

THE SIMPLE REASONING BEHIND MEASURING EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION

Satisfied employees = Higher employee engagement.

Higher employee engagement = Less employee turnover.

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So what should HR professionals look at to measure employee motivation? Here are 6 HR metrics we think you should focus on.

6 CRUCIAL INDICATORS TO DETERMINE EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION

We have defined six key employee motivation indicators that are important for determining the situation in your organization.

1. Monitor sudden changes in working from home days

Do not get me wrong; there is nothing wrong with employees who work from home! In addition, data shows that employees are satisfied and more productive .

However, you should be alert to sudden changes in patterns: Has the number of working days at home for a particular employee increased significantly in a short period of time without any explanation?

Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic has turned everything upside down and working from home has become the new norm for many workers around the world. Still, as we slowly move back to the office and work in a hybrid way, you need to keep an eye on where employees spend their time.

For example, the fact that an employee who used to come to the office a few days a week and suddenly increases the number of working days from home can indicate problems with team spirit, tension with other colleagues or, worse, the first signs of burnout.

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To see changes in patterns, of course , you need historical data and a way to compile them . See how possible work can help .

2. Monitor unexplained absenteeism

Another sign of a shaky atmosphere in the organization is an increase in absenteeism.

Leaving the infamous flu season and COVID-19-related absence out of the picture for the time being, an increase in absenteeism should set warning lights on HR teams.

Of course, unplanned family commitments, dental visits, and plumber's repairs can all come together in one period. But it can also have a deeper root and stem from a conflict at work, a stressful project or even a lack of interest in the work.

Whatever the cause of the problem, HR teams need to identify such trends and take the time to talk to the affected employees to resolve the situation before it gets out of hand.

3. Keep an eye out for shorter days

Do employees regularly work fewer hours than their employment contract prescribes?

If the answer is yes , they may be exceptionally good at managing their time and completing tasks well in advance.

However, if productivity can't explain an increase in shorter days, this could be another reason for organizational concerns about overall motivation, especially if the following three metrics also show the beginning of a downward spiral.

4. Evaluate output and beware of carelessness

Satisfied and dedicated employees are likely to work down to the last detail, delivering only their best work. But the opposite is also possible.

The less involved and motivated an employee, the greater the chance that he or she will become more careless at work and make more mistakes than usual. This is a slippery slope that HR teams should take very seriously, as it can obviously lead to dangerous situations in some jobs.

In the best case scenario, you can identify potential negligence early, through data, and attempt to resolve the issue with the employee and their immediate manager.

5. Watch out for antisocial behavior

Although we humans are social animals, and get energy from interacting with others, interacting with colleagues requires a certain amount of effort .

We know that people who are not motivated are likely to put less energy into interacting with colleagues and in some cases even start to exhibit antisocial behavior.

One person's misbehavior can have a dramatic, disproportionate impact on the atmosphere at work and literally take away the motivation of other employees. So this is something that needs to be monitored very closely by team leaders and peer review .

“Take the time to analyze all situations and consider all options. Many factors can explain antisocial attitudes and, for example, an employee who negatively influences the atmosphere in one location may show a different attitude in another department or location.”

6. Reluctance to take responsibility or accept new projects

Highly motivated employees are happy to accept a new assignment and do their utmost to deliver projects on time and exceed customer expectations. On the other hand, demotivated employees can avoid responsibilities .

Again, this is not all black and white, there are many factors that can explain this behavior (for example, a lack of experience or a lack of education resulting in a lack of certain skills ). Still, avoiding responsibilities or lack of enthusiasm to start in a new role can indicate that an employee is already with one foot out the door.

COLLECT – MEASURE – COMPILE – DECIDE

When you monitor these six strategic HR key figures, you have a starting point and a general picture of how your people and your organization are doing.

The first three (working from home, unexplained absenteeism and shorter days) can be easily tracked using a simple HR tool linked to a solid time registration system. The last three (indifference, misbehavior and the unwillingness to take on new responsibilities) require a comprehensive HR system that collects feedback from team leaders and colleagues.

“No matter the size of your organization, you need a reliable HR system to collect, measure and compile accurate HR data (both current and historical) to get a clear and unbiased view of your workforce . You can then base your decisions on facts, rather than on your own opinion or sentiments.”