What Motivates You at Work?

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” ~ Anonymous

You might be thinking that was said by Confucius, but its origins have never really been tracked down accurately, so let’s just leave it at that – anonymous. In any case, it’s the idea that counts.

If you love your job, then you won’t really count it as work.

This is a lovely thought, which many hold on to. In fact, I believe in it to a certain extent, but I also think that it isn’t that simple.

Consider this: It is great if you love your job because you perform better. At some point, however, you realize that a job is a job. It is work, and with that always comes difficulties and hurdles.

Office politics. Work overload.

These things cannot be avoided at work.

As such, as much as you love your job, you will eventually feel dissatisfied, tired, or demotivated varying degrees.

Hence the title of this post: What motivates you at work?

Let’s assume you already love your job. However, I still think that other elements are necessary for motivation at work.

The Office Club ran a survey asking the same question. In fact, they were more precise with their question: “What specific measures should a manager take toward fostering a positive work environment?”

Here are the results of their survey.

Acknowledge progress
Listen to employees
Be respectful
Open communication
Ask questions
Office Happy Hour
Encourage employees
Increase salary
Promote teamwork
Be fair

In visual terms:

For me, the most important things for motivation at work are:

Be respectful – there is no excuse for rudeness (also read: How to Be Assertive Without Being Rude)
Encourage employees
Acknowledge progress

I believe that these three things make any employee feel that their work is appreciated and that their bosses believe in them. Of course, a salary increase is always welcome, too. 😉

How about you? What motivates you at work?