GiftCard Partners Blog

We all learned in Psych 101 about
Maslow's hierarchy. The same way that you can't worry about your safety if you can't breathe, employees can't focus on their work if there is no employee motivation. When employees become stagnant in their positions they start to focus on everything but the task at hand, not to mention focusing on finding other more motivating job opportunities. Below are Brian Ward's, co-founder of Affinity Consulting and Training Inc., 
seven key motivators. Employee motivation fits these criteria in a unique way.

Employee activism is a new movement that goes beyond customer satisfaction and employee engagement, and is becoming an underlying foundation in successful companies.  Many employees are defending their employers from criticism and acting as brand ambassadors for their companies, both online and offline. It all begins with social media.  Many companies are intrigued about ways to enhance employee engagement, but highly concerned about an employee’s use of social media, especially during the work day.  But rather than limiting an employee’s media usage, companies should be promoting the benefits and encouraging their employees to become activists for the brand they represent. Many companies still remain somewhat skeptical, and not without reason. Reasons for caution include valid concerns about privacy, cybersecurity, productivity, and actions by rogue employees that could go viral. This behavior is the exception to the rule and most companies already take a lot of care in building their culture with people they can trust , so why not trust them to advocate as well? Here are some tips to successfully build employee activism:

Employee development is an underutilized human resources tool. Putting an emphasis on manager coaching and development at all levels of an organization can be the best way to build a great culture and make your organization a great place to work. Employee development begins with clear and open communication, giving employees the resources they need and giving employee autonomy where possible. Avoiding micro-managing in favor of long-term employee development not only makes your workforce stronger as individuals, but it breeds a culture of loyalty, trust and advancement. As you can see below,
only 46% of employees feel that their managers communicate openly and clearly. Ensuring that employees are getting honest feedback and that expectations are being set and communicated appropriately are two of the most important things a manager can give an employee to help further develop their careers. A solid foundation will lead to a long future for your employees and your organization. When employees are happy, satisfied and feel like they not only work each day, but learn and improve, productivity and job satisfaction also improve.

Social media has become and integral part of all of our lives, whether we like it or not. Using social media to engage employees can be a great tool, it's become a staple for many Americans in their day to day routine and requires voluntary participation by definition. Here are four great ways to use social media to stimulate employee engagement, no matter your organizations size.

A company's most valuable asset is their top performing employees. Employee engagement and keeping those employees happy are the easiest way to retain those top performers. Most companies focus on finding and hiring the best talent, but the goal shouldn't stop there.  Employee engagement, keeping employees motivated and invested in the company culture, and the strategy behind it all is equally important.  Management must do more than just the "given" benefits, such as compensations, vacation, and paid lunches.