Management Practices that Demotivate Employees
According to a survey from Harvard Management Update, in 85 percent of companies, employees’ morale significantly drops off after their first six months on the job. It’s understandable that the initial enthusiasm about a new job wanes over time. But, 85 percent? Yikes! (And as this Dilbert strip points out, sometimes it only takes a week.)
True, there’s no surefire way to guarantee a high level of employee morale, and no technique, program, or practice will motivate employees who are not inherently motivated. Managers who hold pizza parties, deliver pep talks, and hand out trinkets to boost motivation often discover, to their dismay, that it accomplished nothing.
Even when a particular program or technology seems to work, what most people fail to evaluate is the underlying reasons why it worked. Furthermore, employees aren’t fooled by incentive programs designed to improve morale and if they feel manipulated, they´ll figure out a way around the system.
But even if there’s no certain way to motivate employees, some things are likely to demotivate them, such as making them feel unvalued, unrecognized, and unappreciated. Other practices can have the same result: Take credit for their efforts. Burden them with an impossible workload. Prevent them from expanding their skills and knowledge. Allow healthy debate to morph into bullying, intimidation, and threats.
Want more ways to demotivate? Withhold feedback all year long and then surprise them at performance review time with the need to improve. Micromanage their every task. Withhold praise for a job well done. Repeatedly ask for input and repeatedly ignore it. In fact, not listening, in its many forms, sends a clear demotivating signal that you don’t care.
And here’s a biggie: Criticizing an employee in public, which can damage morale even if no other demotivating practices are in use. In fact, criticizing employees in front of their peers crushes morale not just for the criticized employee but for all who witness—or later learn about—the public thrashing.
To avoid demotivating your employees, become cognizant of the mistakes managers make as well as the things managers do well. Keep in mind that while base pay and benefits do matter, many employees rate being treated with respect and having work-life balance as more important.
Should you skip the pep talks, pizza parties, motivational speakers, and prizes? Not necessarily. Used occasionally, they can boost morale temporarily (unless overdone, in which case they are a guaranteed demotivator!) But don’t expect them to improve morale if other demotivating practices are in use.
