Let’s rethink employee motivation and how intention, focus and technology can drive your team’s efforts. Join me to tackle this topic on 3/25 at 1 PM EST webinar hosted by Saba Software. Click here.
Instead of avoiding technology or maybe writing it off as purely a Millenial activity, I implore you to consider how technology just might be a catalyst and a way to connect with your employees to improve motivation and drive transformational change.
The Fear of Technology in the Workplace
Yes, I understand the perils of technology. Technology in the workplace can be a cause for concern by you and your leadership team. For me there is nothing more annoying than someone tied to his or her mobile device during a board meeting or an employee who simply refuses to look you in the eye. Maybe what annoys you most is that their only communication with you is of the electronic and text message variety.
But let’s think for a moment. Let’s try to look at the world from a different perceptive and point of view. What if I told you that by leveraging that same technology you could increase your employee’s motivation and performance? What if I told you that it could happen in just 2-3 small changes and just minutes of your time a day?
Technology Holds You Accountable To Drive Slow & Meaningful Change
Technology makes for establishing good and healthy habits. It can be as simple as a scheduling a reminder in your weekly calendar reminding you to recognize 3 members of your team. At present, I’m using technology to hold my own self personally accountable. I’m committed to a healthier lifestyle. I’m using a combination of mobile apps like MyFitnessPal and my Shine fitness tracker to track my steps, activity, sleep patterns and calorie intake. The key is a slow but consistent process that drives change.
Technology Drives Engagement Instead of Being Dominated by Type A Personality
At the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Budweiser location, adding a simple text message to meeting attendees 2-3 times during their weekly early morning meeting improved the amount of engagement. Meeting attendees received planned text messages seeking feedback, input and response. More employees participated in the discussion. Their management ties the text messages during their meetings to increased performance and improved deadlines. Meeting attendees were asked for specific feedback throughout the meeting and were reminded of important meeting points and deadlines leading to better performance and employee productivity.
Communication Through Technology Provides Real Time Recognition & Feedback
A simple update or bulletin on your internal social network celebrating the success of an individual contributor can go along way not in just brightening the day of that individual personal. It also serves as a motivator and reminder to other team members that managers are focused on recognizing great performance. It’s public and takes just a moment. Email inboxes aren’t cluttered and left unread. It allows for engagement and conversation that comes from multiple contributors including employee, managers and teammates.
Technology As a Partner to Lower Your Employee Turnover Rate
Quit fighting against the technology your employees are hung up on using and find a way to incorporate that same technology into your workplace communication and engagement efforts. By using the tech that seems to dominate all their attention, I can almost guarantee that they will be listening and tuning in. Technology as a partner can be the catalyst for lowering your employee turnover rate but more importantly transformational change. Heck, your employees might just be impressed with your willingness to engage them with these creative channels, you can begin a dialogue together. What do you have to lose anyway?
Let’s rethink employee motivation and how intention, focus and technology can drive your team’s efforts. Join me to tackle this topic on 3/25 at 1 PM EST webinar hosted by Saba Software. Click here.
