Employee motivation is at its lowest point in years. According to Gallup’s 2024 report, only 31 percent of U.S. employees are engaged in the workplace, marking the lowest engagement level since 2014. And, according to a March article by Culture Amp, motivation has continued to steadily decline at rapid rates over the past four years. This presents a pressing challenge for businesses: How can leaders reignite motivation and keep employees engaged, productive and committed?
Several factors contribute to the slump in workplace motivation. Those include lack of career growth, burnout, feeling undervalued, employer inflexibility, and disconnection from purpose. These drivers create a culture where disengagement becomes the norm. And as motivation dwindles, so does performance.
Employee engagement thrives on alignment with company vision, motivation to excel and a sense of purpose. When motivation dips, so does performance. Leaders must act fast when they begin to see warning signs, which include missed deadlines or declining work quality, increased absenteeism, low participation in meetings or disengaged body language, resistance to new projects and workplace conflicts.
If disengagement is creeping in, don’t wait — address it immediately with the following 10 strategies:
- Hold regular checkups. Hold one-on-one meetings to not only uncover concerns, but to reinforce an employee’s positive impact on the company’s goals and big picture.
- Recognize an reward effort. Regularly acknowledge contributions personally and specifically with thank-you notes, team shout-outs or company-wide recognition. No generic sentiments!
- Offer growth opportunities. Provide clear career paths with mentorship, training, coaching and professional development to keep employees motivated.
- Invest in manager development. Seventy percent of the employee experience is impacted by their manager. Provide ongoing leadership training focused on coaching, communication and emotional intelligence to help managers develop the skills needed to motivate and support their teams.
- Strengthen team connection. Hold regular team huddles or weekly check-ins where employees can share updates, challenges and ideas.
- Re-evaluate workload and flexibility. Consistently conduct work reviews to assess employee workload and identify bottlenecks, redistributing work as needed.
- Augment annual reviews for regular feedback. Amplify the impact of annual reviews with ongoing coaching. Set up a recurring time for exchanging feedback and setting goals.
- Empower decision-making. Hold team brainstorming sessions, ask for input on process improvements or let employees lead projects to empower employee ownership and autonomy. When employees can weigh-in, they will buy-in.
- Set achievable short-term wins. Break larger goals into smaller, achievable milestones. Celebrate milestone progress to keep momentum high.
- Leverage technology for efficiency. Implement intuitive software and automation to reduce inefficiencies and simplify workflows.
Addressing disengagement early with practical strategies helps avoid the dreaded slump. Leaders who take swift action to re-energize their teams set the stage for sustained success. So, ditch the slump, boost morale and watch your team thrive. ●
Judy Bodenhamer is Founder & Managing Director of Client Experience Group
