31 Employee Motivation Ideas To Increase Engagement & Retention
Author Zig Ziglar once said, “People often say motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing — that’s why we recommend it daily.” Beyond pay and benefits, what can HR do to inspire ongoing motivation in the workforce?
Motivated employees are a top driver of business success, with 83% of executives and 84% of employees agreeing that engagement and motivation are key to company performance. Factors like purpose, growth, autonomy, and recognition influence motivation. Understanding and supporting what drives your workforce helps them focus and perform well.
This article discusses the importance of employee motivation and the role HR plays in driving and maintaining it. It also shares 31 employee motivation ideas for increasing and maintaining a high level of motivation at your organization.
Contents
Why is employee motivation important?
31 employee motivation ideas to keep your workforce happy
– Recognition
– Growth and development
– Work-life balance
– Culture
6 steps to develop employee motivation strategies
Why is employee motivation important?
Employee motivation fuels energy, creativity, and commitment at work. When people feel motivated, they perform better, stay longer, and contribute more to innovation and a healthy culture. Without it, companies face burnout, low productivity, and high turnover.
Motivated teams are also more adaptable. They’re quicker to embrace change, take initiative, and solve problems without being pushed. This is critical in fast-moving industries, where you need flexibility and ownership to ensure your organization remains competitive in the long term.
HR’s role in employee motivation
HR plays a central role in motivation by managing the full employee experience. Key responsibilities include:
- Shaping company culture, communication, and total compensation (three pillars of motivation)
- Launching programs to support employee development, recognition, and wellness
- Gathering and analyzing employee feedback to understand what motivates them
- Partnering with team leads to tailor motivation strategies to employee needs — this is especially important in remote work setups
- Fostering a positive work environment that encourages collaboration, respect, and inclusion.
31 employee motivation ideas to keep your workforce happy
Pay and benefits matter — but they’re not the only motivators for employees. Here are 31 employee motivation ideas to inspire your own approach to building a motivated workforce:
Recognition
Employee recognition validates staff efforts and connects them to organizational success. This gives them a sense of purpose and belonging, and motivates them to continue performing well. In fact, 83.6% of employees say recognition influences their motivation to succeed at their jobs.
1. Acknowledge small wins
Acknowledging small wins shows staff that their daily work makes a difference. Encourage managers to watch for and promptly acknowledge individual and team performance improvements, useful ideas and solutions, and landmark progress toward goals.
2. Public praise
When leaders visibly recognize individual, team, and company-wide accomplishments, it models a culture of appreciation that sees and values hard work. Advocate for frequently broadcasting praise in large group meetings and through the company’s digital channels.
3. Employee of the month awards
A monthly award for exceptional team or individual performance gives employees something to aspire to and contend for while increasing engagement. Work with managers to set measurable, unbiased, and transparent criteria for earning the award.
4. Peer recognition programs
Supportive peers inspire one another to perform at their best for mutual benefit. Peer recognition also builds camaraderie among colleagues. Implement it via dedicated company platforms and regular informal shoutouts during team meetings.
5. Commemorate personal milestones
Commemorating staff birthdays, work anniversaries, and educational goals or professional certifications makes employees feel valued. Honor these milestones with handwritten notes, small gifts, or announcements on internal communication platforms.
6. Make rewards worthwhile
To be truly motivational, rewards must be authentic, meaningful expressions of appreciation. Consider various ways to accommodate different staff preferences, such as gift cards, personalized plaques or trophies, PTO, and team parties or outings.
Growth and development
Growth and development opportunities offer employees a sense of direction — 80% believe learning gives their work purpose. Workers who have access to such opportunities will likely improve their skills, discover new strengths, take on job enrichment, and gain confidence.
7. Regular one-on-one check-ins
Schedule regularly one-on-one meetings between employees and supervisors to allow them to share their thoughts and receive feedback, coaching, and practical advice. This motivates them by building rapport and trust and helping them navigate challenges.
8. Goal-setting
Help staff set individual goals that align their efforts with the organization’s vision. This signals their work’s impact, motivating them to continue doing well. Reaching milestones and achieving goals will also lead to greater job satisfaction and further motivation.
9. Personalized development plans
Offer tailored development plans to give employees a structured path for professional growth, and show that the organization values them and their potential. Being able to envision a future with the company creates a sense of belonging and incentivizes staff to do well.
10. Training and upskilling opportunities
Provide training and upskilling opportunities to improve employees’ job performance. When employees expand their capabilities, they build the competence, confidence, and motivation necessary to perform at a higher level and take on new challenges.
11. Company-paid learning
Making external educational resources available to staff is a great way to motivate them, as it shows the company wants to invest in their development. This typically entails covering the cost of courses, study materials, certifications, seminars, and conferences.
12. Cross-training
Being able to fill more than one role opens people up for new opportunities, increasing their professional value and preparing them for potential advancement. A cross-training program can support this and motivate staff to focus more on their professional growth.
13. Internal promotions
Hiring internally, primarily through promotions, shows that career advancement is possible. Support this by initiating internal candidate precedence — establish a policy that prioritizes qualified internal applicants for open roles before recruiting externally.
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Work-life balance
61% of workers find it highly important to have an employer that respects the need for a healthy work-life balance. Clear boundaries between their personal and professional lives give employees the energy and motivation they need to perform at their best in their jobs.
14. Flexible working hours
Giving employees control over how they work allows them to expend maximum effort without neglecting personal obligations. If possible, incorporate flexible work choices, such as self-scheduling, staggered office hours, condensed workweeks, and job-sharing.
15. Remote work options
Offer remote or hybrid work wherever possible, as employees appreciate the autonomy and flexibility it offers them. In fact, 69% of employees have changed or considered changing jobs in the past year, with 67% citing remote work options as the top factor.
16. Discretionary time off
Grant employees paid days off to use at their discretion, as this allows them time away from work to handle their other responsibilities and needs. Not only does this contribute to a better work-life balance, but it also supports employees’ mental health and wellbeing.
17. Wellness initiatives
Investing in employee wellbeing can drive retention and motivation. Advocate for wellness resources that go beyond work, such as stipends for fitness wearables, healthy cooking classes, financial advisory seminars, and incentives for cycling to work.
Culture
Organizational values and practices shape company culture. A positive, supportive culture is likely to increase employee retention, motivation, and engagement. As an HR professional, you have the power to influence organizational culture via its impact on employee experience.
18. Coherent communication channels
Managers and leaders who communicate clearly and promptly build trust in employees. Be sure to inform all new hires of all internal communication channels and collaboration platforms, and use tools like pulse surveys to encourage open dialogue and feedback.
19. Transparency from leadership
Leaders motivate employees when they’re accessible, approachable, and relatable. Have them take part in townhalls and Q&A sessions, and make major announcements. This inspires confidence in staff and helps them feel more connected to leadership.
20. Celebrate workplace traditions
Customary events and celebrations that employees can look forward to and take pride in unite them with a shared purpose and sense of community. To encourage this, help organize events such as:
- Company milestone celebrations (i.e., founding anniversary, revenue goal achievement, new product launch, winning an industry award)
- Employee achievement award ceremonies/parties
- Holiday and seasonal festivities
- Annual group excursions
- Community service projects.
21. Employee resource groups
Employee resource groups motivate staff by providing emotional support, networking opportunities, and career development resources. Establish such groups to connect those with common identities or interests, and promote a sense of belonging.
22. Up-to-date equipment and tools
It’s hard to be motivated at work if slow, outdated equipment and tools hinder your ability to perform tasks. Work with leadership to get your organization to invest in software and tools that can optimize employees’ output and motivate them to keep improving.
23. Discreet correction and discipline
Publicly criticizing employees embarrasses them and makes others uncomfortable. Train managers and your HR team to conduct corrective feedback and discipline privately to maintain a culture of respect and discretion, and motivate employees to improve.
24. Stand by employees
Employees in customer-facing roles need assurance that the company will advocate and protect them in adverse circumstances. Arrange training not just for staff on handling unreasonable customers but also for managers on supporting employees in these situations.
25. Avoid nepotism
Family or other close personal relationships that lead to special privileges or unqualified hires and promotions drain employee motivation. To avoid this, your recruitment policy must clearly detail the company’s interview, hiring, and selection processes, and apply the same criteria to all candidates.
26. Fairness and neutrality
Employees become discouraged when treated unfairly. To ensure fairness, use objective employment criteria, be impartial in conflict resolution, engage in transparent and equitable salary practices, and enforce stringent non-discrimination policies.
27. Team-oriented environment
Conscientious, enthusiastic collaboration can ease individual burdens and result in team successes. To ensure consistent, effective teamwork, encourage leaders to build teams with diverse perspectives, complementary hard and soft skills, and a strong work ethic.
28. Determine demotivating factors
Reinforce employee motivation by finding out what demotivates employees. Use feedback and workplace behavior observation (e.g., diagnostic tools, anonymous surveys, exit interviews) to identify and address demotivation factors and failing systems.
29. Stick with what works
Significant alterations to workflows and processes can take their toll on employees’ efficiency and demotivate them. Make sure organizational changes are absolutely necessary and will help improve both workforce and business outcomes in the long run.
30. Avoid surprises
Springing major announcements on employees with no prior information leads to employee resistance and demotivation. To avoid this, prepare them gradually for transformation by sharing information promptly and in clear, sufficient detail.
31. Safeguard culture
Creating a workplace culture that motivates employees is not enough — you must also safeguard it. Model behaviors and attitudes that support the culture, gather employee feedback to monitor its pulse, and make necessary adaptations to keep it going strong.
6 steps to develop employee motivation strategies
Here are some steps you can take to develop dynamic and effective employee motivation strategies:
Step 1: Identify motivation drivers
Use employee surveys or feedback sessions to determine the collective sources of motivation within your workforce. Be sure to consider both intrinsic (internal satisfaction) and extrinsic (external incentives) motivators, so you can decide on the ideal combination to boost motivation.
Step 2: Segment the workforce
Blanket motivation techniques are unlikely to be effective throughout your organization. Customize your strategies to meet the needs of different individuals, teams, and departments. This shows them the company is invested in their wellbeing and motivates them to do well.
Step 3: Set clear goals
Decide what makes your employee motivation strategies successful, and how to measure this success. You can tie it to performance, retention, and engagement metrics, which should give you a clear picture of how well your strategies work and where they may need improvement.
Step 4: Keep motivation efforts organized
Use a calendar, spreadsheet, or software to systematically manage ongoing activities, such as monthly or quarterly recognition, feedback surveys, and events. Setting up automated reminders and generating reports is especially helpful in keeping your efforts organized.
Step 5: Track what works
Use data to assess the impact of your organization’s employee motivation initiatives. To monitor motivation levels, look at employee engagement scores, turnover and absenteeism rates, performance metrics, and participation rates in the motivation initiatives.
Step 6: Stay flexible
Based on relevant data and employee feedback, adapt your approach and tweak strategies. A strategy that may have worked very well initially may not be as successful a few months later, so it’s important to constantly monitor the impact of your initiatives and adjust them when needed.
To sum up
Motivation isn’t a one-off effort but a continuous process that needs attention and consistency. While salary and benefits are important, employees also want to feel recognized, trusted, and supported in their growth. Employers who meet these needs typically have an engaged, high-performing workforce.
As an HR professional, you play a critical role in shaping that environment. Use the ideas and advice in this article to figure out what works for your teams and fine-tune your approach to cater to your workforce better. Beyond successfully completing tasks, motivated employees also help drive the entire organization forward.
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