A cleaning staff that exhibits high levels of motivation will consistently outperform those that are less motivated. They will also report higher rates of employee satisfaction and will be more genuinely engaged in their roles. A poorly motivated staff can damage the reputation of your cleaning operation, resulting in loss of existing customers and fewer opportunities to win new business. Keeping your cleaning staff motivated involves understanding the basic principles of employee motivation and developing techniques that are collaborative, measurable, and adaptive.

In this week’s post we will look at….

• The Myths of Motivation
• The Causes of Poor Motivation

The Myths of Employee Motivation

The first step in the development of a motivated cleaning staff is to be aware of the historical myths about employee motivation.  Those would include:

• “Money is the only motivation that matters”:  Your cleaning staff works hard. Their work is often physically demanding, dirty, and repetitive. They want to be compensated fairly for their work. Money is indeed a motivating factor and should be treated as such. But….money is not the only motivating factor. Countless studies have clearly shown that compensation is just one important component of the motivation puzzle. Most workforces have employees that are fairly compensated while still being poorly motivated.
• “Employees can be motivated through fear and intimidation”: This myth persists despite several decades of evidence that discredits it. True motivation is never achieved through fear and intimidation. The reality is that these tactics actually serve to severely demotivate the employee. Whatever short-term gains are realized will be quickly offset by higher rates of employee turnover and poor employee engagement.
• “What motivates one will motivate all”:  Your cleaning staff is comprised of individuals. Each individual has his/her own motivational “buttons”. A “one shoe fits all” approach to motivating your cleaning staff will possibly work on some but will also likely not address the needs of others. An holistic approach to employee motivation will always produce the best results.

The Causes of Poor Motivation

Why would a cleaning staff be poorly motivated? There could be many reasons, but a few of the most common causes would include:

• Feeling undervalued and underappreciated: The employee(s) feel that their hard word is taken for granted. They feel like a small undervalued cog within a big wheel.
• Dislike of immediate Supervisor: Many people quit a job due to conflict with an immediate supervisor. This is often the result of poor communication and/or poor management.
• No visibility into organizational goals and objectives: Employees, regardless of position, have a strong desire to be a part of the bigger picture. They want to see how their individual efforts are contributing to the good of the whole.
• Boredom: Boredom can be a motivation killer. It is extremely difficult to remain motivated if not mentally engaged.

In our post next week we will review: Effective Motivational Techniques and Implementation of a Motivational Program

In your experience, what causes your employees to lack motivation? Let us know in the section for comments below.

And if you need a customized, cost-effective Service Solution for your business, let SMO help. Request a Customized Service Solution today.