With Employee Motivation Day around the corner, new research carried out by Argos for Business reveals 56% of workers are self-motivators and drive themselves to succeed.
Delving into the industry’s motivation levels, a nationwide study found that 45% of construction workers think feeling valued in a job is a top priority, with 37% saying recognition actively motivates them to work harder.
New research also reveals that on the whole, tradies are happy at work, with a third motivated to succeed every day and 70% feeling positive about work more than three days a week, cemented by a positive forecast predicted for the construction industry in 2016. Demand remains strong in the sector and the government is committed to construction and infrastructure programmes, with growth projected at 3% a year on average during the 2015 to 2019 period.
Ahead of the second Employee Motivation Day on Thursday 25 February, the study into the behaviours of UK workers highlights that team dynamics play the most important role in employee satisfaction, with two-thirds of workers enjoying being part of a team.
“Our new research casts a positive light on the UK construction industry, with tradesmen proving to be happy at work and championing team spirit.”
The research examined how various personality types of team-workers also take on very different roles. Construction can thrive by encouraging a collaborative working environment that allows each personality type to have an impact – while there is no ‘I’, there is definitely a ‘me’ in team.
The most popular work personality is Captain Questions – a character no doubt experienced frequently on site. Despite often the focus of on-site banter for their continuous questions, a fifth of workers place themselves in this category, with exploring and problem solving what they most enjoy about work – a key skill for tradesmen.
The second most popular personality type is, conversely, Independent Introverts, with 15% of employees making considered and informed decisions on their own before expressing them out loud, followed by Confident Creatives (11%).
Despite clearly being a nation of team players, the research reveals that 56% of workers believe they themselves are their biggest motivators, suggesting a personal ambition to make an impact is driving workers. Perhaps this is why only a small group (one in seven) are People-Orientated Performers – those eager to motivate others instead of themselves, your site foreman, perhaps.
For the people-orientated performers, a third believed that even the smallest gesture of thanking people for their input goes a long way in motivating them to participate and, case in point, three quarters of workers remember a time they were verbally praised.
The study comes ahead of Employee Motivation Day 2016, a day created by Argos for Business to inspire passion and appreciation across the country’s workforce. The leading provider of incentive and motivational solutions is hosting this annual event to encourage all organisations to put motivation to the forefront of business thinking and champion creative ways of engaging staff.
Argos for Business is working alongside Roger Black MBE, three-time Olympic medalist and motivational speaker, as part of ‘Employee Motivation Day’. Roger identifies himself as a ‘Captain Question’ within a team, encouraging free-thinking and offering words of encouragement to teammates: “In 1991, the British Team won a gold medal for the 4×400 metre relay team in the World Championships,” he said. “In a brave move, we made a team decision to change the running order the night before the race, and that decision ultimately resulted in a gold medal.
“By giving your team mates room to make collaborative decisions about what they do, you will see an increase in engagement and a greater commitment to tasks – because they have made it their own. Argos for Business’ research showed that taking on responsibility was the main motivator for over a quarter of UK employees, and this resonates on site, as well as the sporting arena.”
Emma Glennon, Head of Key Clients at Argos for Business, says: “Our new research casts a positive light on the UK construction industry, with tradesmen proving to be happy at work and championing team spirit.
“The team dynamic findings are interesting as they show a delicate balance between working as a collective, while being self-motivated. This ‘best-of-both-worlds’ type of work ethos stimulates personal satisfaction and ambition, within collaborative and positive working environments.
“That’s not to say self-starters who need little motivation from others should be overlooked when it comes to incentives and rewards, however. Instead companies should acknowledge and reward them in ways that suit the individual. Ultimately, a one size fits all approach is not advisable, particularly when you consider how many personalities make up a team.
Employees and employers can get involved in National Employee Motivation Day by downloading the motivation resource pack from www.employeemotivationday.co.uk, or by visiting the dedicated Facebook and Twitter pages, using the hashtags #EmployeeMotivationDay #EMD #MakeTheTeam and #NatMotivateDay.
