Every employer wants to have a team of dedicated and productive employees who are motivated and engaged at their work. It has been estimated that 71% of business executives believe that having engaged employees is critical for the success of their business. It is because time and again studies have shown how an employee’s engagement level is an indicator of their performance and ultimately affects the success of a company. Just Google about it and you would find hundreds of articles about employee engagement and its benefits.

Considering the tremendous advantages of having engaged employees, one might expect companies going an extra mile to achieve it. The facts however, show a completely different picture. As per the State of the Global Workplace by Gallup, only 15% of the employees in a workplace are engaged. Let that sink in. A whopping 85% of employees in a workplace are just not focused on their jobs.

If you are an employer struggling to retain a steady workforce, ask yourself this: Are your employees engaged? And if not, is it something that you’re doing wrong? If your employees seem demotivated and less productive, here are 5 things that you might be doing that are killing your employee’s motivation:

Not appreciating the employees

The Walt Disney Company knows how to appreciate their employees. The company has over 180 different employee appreciation programs of which their Spirit of the Fred is the most coveted and popular one. An acronym for the company’s 5 core values namely friendly, resourceful, enthusiastic and dependable, these awards are held annually where the winners are given a bronze Mickey Mouse statue.

Walt Disney isn’t the only company that is famous for their employee recognition; many famous companies such as Google and Microsoft ensure that their employees are getting their due credit. And it is because of this gesture that these companies have a remarkable workforce that is dedicated and highly productive.

Unfortunately, many companies do not realize how much they are losing by not providing adequate feedback to their employees. According to HubSpot, 69% of employees claim that they would work harder if they are appreciated more. Also, the employees who are disengaged at work blame lack of appreciation as the biggest reason for their disengagement.

When employees are not appreciated they simply stop caring about their job. They get an impression that their efforts are fruitless so they become demotivated and disengaged. On the other hand, constant validation, recognition, constructive feedback and well deserved credit give employees an incentive to work harder. It boosts their confidence and makes them more productive and actively engaged.

Toxic workplace culture:

The kind of corporate culture exists in a company says a lot about its employees’ performance levels. Where a positive workplace environment gives room for employees to thrive and grow, a negative environment destroys employee motivation and slowly erodes the entire structure of a company. A lot of factors contribute towards a toxic workplace culture such gender discrimination, mistreatment of employees, workplace harassment and bullying, favoritism and unhealthy working hours.

A toxic workplace is one of the biggest killers of employee motivation. In fact studies have shown that it is one of the main reasons why employees might leave their job. Having a toxic work environment drains the employees physically and emotionally due to which their performance suffers greatly.

Lack of professional development:

If you compare all the successful organizations in the world, you would find that among many other things, professional development a common element in all of them. Many large multinational companies spend thousands of dollars yearly on employee training and professional development programs. For example Bonobos, a famous retail store, has multiple training programs for their employees. Amazon, AT&T, Marriott International, Vanguard are just a few examples of companies with spectacular professional development programs.

According to studies, one of the reasons for employee disengagement is lack of professional growth. In a survey by Korn Ferry, it was revealed that 33% of employees, who leave their jobs, cite boredom and lack of growth as their main reason for quitting. Think about it. Who would want to work at place that is static, boring and dull?

Having regular trainings, workshops and development programs is a win-win strategy for both the employees and the companies. Not only do they broaden the horizon of the employees by helping them grow professionally as well as personally, they also make employees more productive, engaged and focused. This in turn benefits the company.

Lack of effective communication

If you are wondering what effective communication at a workplace looks like, here’s how it is: employees are given a chance to share their views and opinions, there is a healthy flow of conversation amongst the employees as well as with their managers, the employees are working in harmony and there is excellent collaboration and teamwork. If your company lacks any of these factors then you probably have communication issues at your workplace that are demotivating your employees. According Forbes, employees who feel that their voice is heard are more likely to be productive and innovative. Lack of communication also leads to negative workplace culture that as already discussed, destroys employee motivation.

In order to improve communication at your workplace you need to have appropriate channels of communication as well. Workspee resolves all the communication issues at a workplace by providing employees a platform where they can share, communicate and connect. By using the software employees can have seamless conversations with other, have virtual meetings and video conferences and can share their ideas with their coworkers. All of this can greatly boost the morale of the employees and help them in becoming more engaged and productive.

Bad leadership and management

At the end it all boils to this. Bad management equals to poor employee performance, it’s as simple as that. Many managers cannot differentiate between a leader and a boss. They do not realize that its leaders not bosses who make a company successful. That is why they ignore the needs of their employees, disregard them and simply do not value them. They only know how to give orders and point out mistakes. Another kind of bad management is indifference where managers are least bothered about what is going on with their employers. Needless to say that such management kills the drive to work and disheartens the employees.

On the other hand, good leadership means respecting the employees, helping them thrive and facilitating them rather than bossing around. For good leaders, employee satisfaction and happiness matters more than anything else. They regularly boost the morale of their employees through feedback and appreciation; therefore, making employees more engaged and productive.

While it is easy to blame the employees, the truth is that dip in employee motivation and engagement is a reflection of a company’s policies and practices. How well your employees perform depends on how well you treat them. At the end of the day, it’s your employees who are carrying the weight of your company and if they are demotivated and unhappy, chances of your business crumbling get pretty high.