The ability to motivate employees is one of the most important competencies that a good leader must possess and that any business organization that wishes to succeed must take into account.

Money is undoubtedly one of the greatest sources of motivation par excellence when we decide to accept a job offer. However, there are other motivating sources (both extrinsic and intrinsic) that make workers feel at ease in their workplace and therefore perform at a high level.

In addition to money, there are more motivating sources…

While no one wants to work in a low-paying job, the vast majority of human resources and occupational health departments know that money is not everything when it comes to motivating their team.

This is exactly what Daniel Pink, author of the book “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us”, thinks. In his text he explains the factors that motivate us both in our personal and professional lives and analyses through research and examples that remuneration acts as a motivating factor only when the tasks are simple and clear, but when the tasks are more complicated and require more conceptual and creative thinking “the dough (or money)” ceases to be a motivational source. In addition, it argues about the importance of personal development, self-realization and personal satisfaction when performing efficiently at work.

  • Learn more about Daniel Pink’s book and the best books of Psychology, clicking here.

How to motivate employees without money

But, how can we motivate employees without using money as an incentive? Below you can find 6 ways to motivate your employees without financial remuneration.

1. Give them autonomy

It’s fine for you to direct your employees and employ some control over some aspects of the work, but, according to several researches, democratic or participatory leadership, the one that encourages worker participation by letting employees decide more about their roles and have enough skills to make decisions, increases performance and motivation.

With this form of leadership, you will soon see employees working in a more animated way and spending all their energy on solving problems that may arise. In contrast, authoritarian leadership, a leadership style in which superiors have absolute power over their workers, has the opposite effect on employee motivation.

2. Make your ideas your own

The concept of transformational leadership has become very popular in recent years. And… what makes transformational leaders different? Because they use high levels of communication to manage to transmit the objectives and provide a vision of change that they manage to get across to the employees.

This way they motivate and increase the productivity and efficiency of the group, because they are able to change the expectations, perceptions and motivations of the team they work with. In short, they make their subordinates feel that the company’s goals are also their goals, and this is highly motivating.

  • Do you want to know more about transformational leadership? Don’t miss our article: Types of Leadership: The 5 most common types of leaders

3. Worry about them and do things as a group

Besides making your employees feel like leaders, make their ideas count and make your ideas reach them , take time to make them feel at ease in the workplace and with their colleagues, because this increases the level of belonging to the company and at the same time their motivation.

Take them out to lunch from time to time, do group dynamics during their working hours, have barbecues on Fridays or hold competitions where they can receive prizes and trophies for their good professional work. The important thing is that employees are comfortable with the company and their colleagues, because social support and good relations with colleagues is a key variable in reducing stress and increasing motivation in the work environment,

4. Involve them in the success of the company and give them feedback

Many superiors have a bad habit of looking for employees if things go wrong, but they forget to make the employees participants in the success of the company or recognize their good professional work. It is good to conduct regular interviews to find out what they think about their work and to give them feedback on how they are doing their job and how they can improve it.

5. Have them in the job that fits their skills

It is important that employees are motivated by the tasks they perform , because work becomes a big part of our lives. If employees are not happy with the job or the function they perform in the company, it is impossible for them to be motivated.

In fact, this is a process that should start in the selection process itself, since selecting suitable candidates for a job is the best way to keep them motivated. Some people do a great job in monotonous jobs, while others have a range of skills that are key to more creative work. The idea is that workers fit into the workplace and the organisation not only in terms of their skills, but also in terms of their expectations or motivations.

  • To know more about the selection process by competences, you can visit our post: “How to face an interview by competences: 4 keys to get the job”

6. Let them grow and develop

The possibility of growth of an employee within the company is, without a doubt, a motivating ingredient . And the fact is that in order to cultivate motivation, one must take care of the way in which the employees feel the company and how they visualize themselves within it. Employees must feel valued, competent and able to grow within the organization, because otherwise they may stagnate.

The training and constant formation and the possibility of professional and labour development and growth within the company is key in the way to get more motivated workers.