Work can at times become monotonous. Doing the same thing over and over for a long time can be a tad wearisome. At some point, the mere thought of work worries you, and this can be a sign of demotivation.
Other times it can be factors such as being overworked, not being appreciated even when you go an extra mile to take on more tasks than what your position stipulates.
What even worsens this is a failure for managers and leaders to listen to what their employees need and respond in the most effective way possible.
According to Emmanuel Rwozi, a customer service manager at Gorilla Games, poor leadership is the number one cause of this, not forgetting unrealistic workload, stress, and increased pressure.
For any team to function to the best of its ability, all participants must be completely involved and fully committed.
Although most managers don’t demotivate their employees on purpose, they act unsuitably without thinking about what harm they are causing to the enthusiasm and stimulus of their employees, in the long run, their drive is destroyed.
Rwozi points out that the signs of demotivation at work differ depending on personal traits. Some easily show it, while others tend to hide it but as their direct supervisor, if you pay attention to every detail, you can see the signs clearly.
For example, if an employee is demotivated, they in most cases arrive at work late, miss deadlines, and even spend most of their office time doing irrelevant stuff, he says.
Rwozi carries on that in most cases, employees tend to change behaviour and start distancing themselves away from their colleagues. For instance, if you organise social activities, they do not show up, stay dormant in brainstorming sessions and team meetings, among others.
He notes that in some cases, some of the demotivated employees tend to believe that they are undervalued or unrecognised, they think no matter how hard they work, no one appreciates what they do, a thing that just keeps them in their shell.
"There are many things you can do when you’re discouraged. As young people, we want to make a difference as fast as possible and if it does not happen as soon as we expected, we tend to get easily discouraged. However, there are several ways to handle this,” Rwozi states.
He notes that first of all, you should analyse your situation and understand what issues led to that discouragement, its effects and how you can overcome each of them personally in a positive way.
Secondly, find new ways of doing things, he says. If the old method is not working for you, give it a thought and come up with new and better ways of doing things. This will keep you focused and motivated.
Find fulfilment and joy from how best you do your job instead of how someone else rates you, this will bring back your concentration and impetuses because you’re no longer running after bonuses and rewards, Rwozi stresses.
He also believes that over supervision leads to disheartenment because it shows a lack of trust in your subordinates. But if you gave them space and they worked as they pleased, it would bring a sense of responsibility, motivation, and growth on both sides.
For Adrian Busingye, an entrepreneur, demotivation can be solved in simple ways such as rewarding employees beyond their usual salary, that way; they are motivated to complete their tasks.
He says that there is a possibility of demotivated employees bringing down the entire company. It is hence the manager’s responsibility to take them aside privately and discuss how they can improve their attitudes and show more positivity in their work.
Busingye calls upon managers to encourage teamwork, show concern and extend help whenever possible and take note of body language as it communicates the nature or situation at work. Then find solutions as soon as possible. Additionally, give simple praise and words of encouragement whenever necessary.