Motivation - Engage Workers
The way to get people to work hard is to find ways to get them to engage with the job they are doing. If people believe the work they are doing is of value and that they are capable of making a significant contribution, they will work hard. We are hard-wired to feel good about making positive contributions to the world we live in. It isn’t just a happy feeling that results from being engaged; we come alive when we are engaged in tasks. Time flies by and the work seems effortless. More importantly from the perspective of employers and the economy as a whole, productivity goes way up when people are engaged. I would much rather rely on an engaged worker than one with well-aligned financial incentives.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to engage workers. Different people respond to different things. We still have a lot to learn about how our minds work. As psychologists and psychiatrists learn more about the mind, they may have insights to offer on how to better engage workers. As a start, I think we need to design jobs to avoid monotony. Dull tasks are more bearable if they are broken up. It also helps a lot if people are nice to each other in the workplace. If workers are treated with courtesy and respect, they are much more likely to become engaged by their work.
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