How do you motivate employees without money?

One of the biggest challenges in business management, regardless of the industry, is employee motivation. If staff do not feel valued, not only does productivity decline, but absenteeism increases and resignations and conflicts within the team become more frequent. 

In this article, we would therefore like to explore the question of how to motivate your employees – entirely without money. After all, you do not always have to resort to pay rises to create motivation. In fact, according to a 2019 ManspowerGroup study on work motivation, job content and nice colleagues are more important than pay for 64% of Germans. 

 Motivation - What exactly is it?

Before we can answer the question of how, we first need to clarify what it is. Once the fundamentals of motivation are understood, the measures suggested later will make much more sense. 

The Duden defines motivation as follows:
“The sum of motives and influences that affect a decision, action or similar, and encourage a particular course of action”

It is therefore a psychological force that drives and guides our actions. This force can have either an intrinsic or extrinsic cause, which is why a distinction is made between two types of motivation:

• Extrinsic motivation, motivation that comes from outside. Although it is relatively easy to create through reward or punishment, it also disappears just as quickly.
• Intrinsic motivation, motivation that comes from within. It is much harder to influence because it has to come from the person themselves. Once awakened, however, it lasts much longer and encourages staff to be creative and think independently.

Managing directors or team leaders should ideally aim for both types of motivation in order to create the most comprehensive and balanced motivation possible among their employees. 

A positive corporate culture

A positive corporate culture is incredibly important for motivation in the workplace. This is also demonstrated by the ManspowerGroup study already mentioned, in which 46% of respondents stated that a good relationship with their manager and colleagues was the most important factor in strengthening their work motivation.

The working atmosphere is influenced by many different factors. But the absolute key is definitely clear and open communication. Create space for conversations where doubts, uncertainties and problems can be addressed. You will see: where there is open dialogue, most problems can be resolved and employees feel motivated without money.

Expressing praise and recognition is also especially important for a positive corporate culture and intrinsic motivation. Feel free to do this in front of the whole team as well. When all your staff are present, not only does the person being praised receive an immense motivational boost, but everyone else present is also encouraged to do more in order to receive praise themselves.

 Our tip: Establish regular team meetings to create a space for discussion. A fixed part of these meetings should be expressing recognition, but also asking about problems or dissatisfaction.

Prioritise health

By prioritising the health of your employees, you achieve several things at once. You promote productivity – because only healthy employees can perform at 100% – prevent absences from work and increase staff motivation.

The right workwear

To ensure health in the workplace, the right workwear is essential. In various articles on workwear and work shoes, such as the article “Safety shoes S1, S2 and S3: The differences”, we have already highlighted the importance of the right workwear, but we would like to briefly revisit the key benefits:

1. Prevention: The right footwear in particular reduces the risk of musculoskeletal disorders from the outset.
2. Occupational safety: Depending on the industry, adequate occupational safety is essential to prevent accidents and injuries.
3. Corporate identity: Uniform workwear reflects the company’s corporate identity and creates a sense of togetherness within the team.

Exercise together

As we all know, exercise is an important factor in maintaining good health. However, it is often difficult to find the motivation for it after work. So why not organise group exercise sessions?

The exercise programme can be adapted to any budget. It does not have to involve a private fitness trainer straight away; you can also run or go for walks together, or follow a yoga video on Youtube. There are no limits to the possibilities.

By prioritising the health of your employees, you not only show that their wellbeing matters to you, but also promote team spirit. Both factors increase intrinsic motivation.

Training and professional development

Training and professional development are also an attractive form of employee retention, because younger employees in particular generally want to specialise further in their field, are eager to learn and hope for new inspiration from their employer.

Our tip: Organise in-house workshops where experienced employees share their knowledge with their colleagues. For example, how about a workshop on coffee and barista skills?

We could continue listing tips for motivating your employees without money forever, but in reality all approaches pursue the same idea: Create an atmosphere of mutual trust and appreciation. This already takes you halfway there, because team spirit, motivation, and enjoyment and enthusiasm for work arise naturally from this working environment. That motivates your employees more than any pay rise or bonus payment.